Government activities for the week, 25 Jun to 1 Jul

Government has scheduled the following briefings/activities for the week 25 June – 01 July 2018. The activities, which are aligned to the National Development Plan and outlined in the Medium Term Strategic Framework 2014-2019, are undertaken to build a better South Africa.

• On Monday, 25 June, the Minister of Communications, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane will host a press briefing to unveil plans for a comprehensive Broadcasting Policy Review as committed during the department’s 2018 budget vote last month. The briefing will be held Tshedimosetso House, GCIS Head Office, Hatfield, Pretoria at 10:00 am. NB: There will be a video link to the Imbizo Media Centre, Parliament in Cape Town.
• The Inter-Ministerial Committee on State Funerals, led by Minister in the Presidency, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will on Monday, 25 June, brief media on the preparations for the Official Memorial and Funeral Services for the late Ambassador Billy Modise. The briefing will take place at the Union Buildings, Pretoria at 16:00 pm.
• On Monday, 25 June at 09:00 am,   the Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Pinkie Kekana will address the Regional Adjudication Committee meeting of the SADC Media Awards at the Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre in Benoni. The meeting is hosted by Government Communication and Information System as part of South Africa’s chairing of SADC.  
• The Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, will on Monday, 25 June, hold an Imbizo with practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage sector at Ga-Mafefe village in Limpopo at 10:00 am. Minister Mthethwa will also handover musical instruments to some of the local artists as part of government’s commitment to develop arts, culture and heritage sector in all regions of the country.
• The Department of Science and Technology, in partnership with the Academy of Science of South Africa, will host the 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Forum from 25 to 29 June, in Durban at the Maharani Hotel. The Forum is taking place under the theme "Building BRICS youth leadership through science, technology and innovation", and will address a wide variety of challenges, such as youth entrepreneurship, the role of women in science, the significance of science diplomacy, amongst others.
• South Africa will host the joint meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Energy and Water from 26 to 27 June, at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The meeting will be co-chaired by Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Gugile Nkwinti and Minister of Energy, Mr Jeff Radebe as the newly elected chairpersons for the SADC portfolio in line with the energy, water and food nexus.
• On Tuesday, 26 June, is the Official Memorial Service of the late Ambassador Billy Modise, which will be held at the Oliver Tambo Building, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 460 Soutpansberg Road, Pretoria at 09h00. The late Ambassador Modise will be honored with a Special Official Funeral Service on Thursday, 28 June, at Marks Park Sports Field, across the West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg. The ceremony will be open to the members of the public. 
• President Cyril Ramaphosa will Tuesday, 26 June attend an investment announcement event at the Mercedes-Benz Cars plant in East London. The event will mark Mercedes-Benz Cars’ additional investment into South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing industry. President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a delegation of the South African Government and business at a World Economic Forum Roundtable meeting to be held in Johannesburg on 28 June 2018. The event will be under the theme: “Shaping South Africa’s Economic Renewal - the role of Business.” The event will bring together about 100 local and foreign business people and South African Government officials to engage on investment opportunities and partnerships. The President will also meet with the SADC Secretariat responsible for the operationalization of the SADC regional integration programme, in Botswana on Friday, 29 June.
• The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Zweli Mkhize, will on Thursday, 28 June, host BRICS Ministers responsible for local government and disaster management as well as mayors and other local government practitioners under the auspices of the BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Government Cooperation Urbanisation Forum, in East London. The Forum will also promote economic social and economic linkages with BRICS partners in infrastructure development which is key for service delivery in municipalities in South Africa. 
• The Minister of State Security, Ms Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, will host a BRICS Security Ministers Meeting on 28-29 June 2018 in Durban. This meeting is in preparation for the 10th BRICS Summit taking place at the Sandton International Convention Centre from 25 to 27 July 2018. The Ministers will discuss global security issues including matters related to cyber security, international terrorism and organised crime, with a view to strengthen cooperation on these matters.
• The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe, will visit the Cecelia Makiwane Hospital on Thursday 28 June. The hospital has employed twenty chefs and ten food safety quality assurers from the youth development programmes of the Department of Tourism. The Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe will also host a Food Safety Quality Assurers’ Graduation and Tourism Imbizo in Orkney, North West on 29 June.

All members of the media are advised that the media briefings/activities are subject to change. However, the GCIS will update the media through advisories. 

Enquiries:
Ms Phumla Williams
Acting GCIS Director-General
Cell: 083 501 0139