The public service and the people need to work together

Dear Fellow South African,

Once a year, in September, South Africa marks Public Service Month, a time to focus on the essential contribution that the country’s 1.7 million public servants make to meeting the needs of the people. 

It is through public servants that government provides healthcare, education, policing, social services and countless other essential functions that touch every South African's life. When our public service operates at its best, it is a powerful instrument for social and economic development. When it falters, it is often our most vulnerable citizens who bear the brunt.

There are many dedicated public servants who work tirelessly in service of our nation. We thank them for the work they do to improve the lives of South Africans. But our public service faces significant challenges. These include skills gaps, outdated systems and processes, inconsistent service delivery and corruption. In many parts of the state, the values of Batho Pele – putting people first – have been eroded.

That is why we are strengthening the professional foundations of our public service. Through the reforms underway we are working to attract the right skills, implement rigorous performance management and create career pathways that reward merit and excellence. Through the National School of Government we are investing in training and development.

As we work to build a more professional, accountable and capable public service, we need to bring the public service closer to the people they serve. We must challenge the idea that public servants are providers and citizens are mere beneficiaries of goods and services.

The National Dialogue, which was launched in August, provides an opportunity to change the relationship between public servants and the public.

Over the next few months, South Africans will be meeting as communities across the country. They will be discussing the issues that most concern them and will together be forging a vision to take the country forward. These conversations will culminate in a National Convention next year, which will finalise a social compact that outlines clear actions and responsibilities for all sectors of society.

The thousands of public dialogues taking place across the country will also provide an opportunity for communities to address the immediate challenges that they face where they live. These challenges may include anything from electricity cuts to overcrowded schools, a lack of water provision to poorly maintained roads, or an increase in violent crime or drug use.

Through the National Dialogue process, each community is encouraged to work with all relevant stakeholders – ward councillors, municipal officials, civic bodies, community organisations and provincial and national departments – on a common plan to address these challenges.

By working together in an integrated way, drawing together resources from within and outside the state, these stakeholders can find ways to solve local problems. Public servants have a vital role to play in working towards solutions alongside and in cooperation with communities.

This approach is closely aligned with the District Development Model, which is about bringing government closer to the people and ensuring that local needs inform service delivery priorities.

It is about building a public service that listens to citizens, adapts to their needs and continuously improves its services. Such a public service requires the active participation of citizens as partners in development, growth and transformation.

I call on every South African to hold government accountable, to engage constructively with public institutions and to recognise the vital role that a professional public service plays in building the society we all want.

Together, we can build a public service that serves with excellence and integrity and works with South Africans to realise the promise of a better life for all.

With best regards,
 

DATE: 10 September 2025
Venue: Investec Banking Limited, Cape Town, Western Cape

Your Excellency, UN TOURISM Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili
Honourable Patricia De Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa
HH Princess Haifa Al Saud, Vice Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
HH Princess Sara Bint Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Minister of Tourism, General Supervisor of the Deputyship of International Affairs of Saudi Arabia
Hon. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, United Arab Emirates
Hon. Rodney Sikumba, Minister of Tourism, Zambia and Chair of UN Tourism Commission For Africa
Hon. Ana Carla Lopes, Vice Minister of Tourism, Brazil
Excellencies
Global leaders and partners from across the G20 communities
Investment Partners
Colleagues
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols observed

Good Morning, Goeie môre, Molweni, Salamalekum.

It is no cliché to say South Africa is the most beautiful country in the world. From the meeting of two great oceans to the sweeping Kalahari Desert, from our iconic safaris to our modern skylines, our beauty is undisputed. But the question before us today is not whether South Africa is beautiful. The question is: What more can we offer the world?

This Summit marks the beginning of that answer. This is our inaugural Tourism Investment Summit, a G20 legacy project. Delegates, we have received an overwhelming response from investors and stakeholders like yourselves.

Today, we are putting before you eight flagship, bankable projects. These are projects from both the public and private sector, with strong return on investment and high community impact. And this is just a fraction of what lies in our national pipeline, which is rich, diverse, and growing. We stand here not only as a nation of immense tourism potential, but also as a gateway to Africa.

Our theme “G20 Tourism Investment for Jobs, Growth, and Transformation” reminds us that this is not just about business. This is about livelihoods. This is about reshaping South Africa and positioning Africa as a global tourism powerhouse. Together, through regional collaboration, enabling policies, and smart infrastructure, we can achieve this vision.

Through the Government of National Unity, we have demonstrated that policy shifts unlock growth. As of 1 June 2025, the Amended National Treasury Regulation 16 for Public-Private Partnerships came into effect. These changes allow us to embrace models from Design-Build-Operate partnerships to blended finance and even crowdfunding.

I call on you, our investors in this room and those joining us online, to bring forward your ideas, your models, and your innovations.
Let us build tourism infrastructure that not only attracts visitors but uplifts communities and creates jobs.

Our projects range in size, from God’s Window Skywalk in Mpumalanga which is looking for R200 million ($10.4 million) investment to the Hole in the Wall Resort in the Eastern Cape which requires R141 million ($7.9 million). Together all 8 projects represent nearly R1 billion in investment-ready opportunities.

And while PPPs are one option, the amendments introduced by treasury allow investors to provide us with innovative financing models. With the right mix, we can build infrastructure, create jobs, and uplift communities, all at once.

Tourism contributes at least 8,5% to South Africa’s GDP. In July alone, South Africa welcomed over 880,000 visitors, which is a 26% increase compared to last year. Behind these numbers are livelihoods, families, and communities.

But we cannot stop there. The ground is fertile for shovel-ready infrastructure projects. According to UN Tourism, South African startups attracted over $39 million in venture capital between 2019 and 2024. This is more than half of the continent’s total in tourism solutions.

That is why I am deeply grateful to UN Tourism for their support in crafting the “Tourism Doing Business: Investing in South Africa Guidelines” which will be launched today. This publication is not only a testament to the strength of our collaboration, but also a critical milestone for South Africa’s tourism sector. These guidelines provide clarity, transparency, and confidence to investors.

UN Tourism will also announce 100 scholarships, aligned with demand-led skills development in our country. Because for tourism to thrive, our young people must have the skills the sector needs.

Again, investors, guide us on what the demand-led skills of the future are. What will be the skills that we need in the next 5 to 10 years South Africa’s human capital is one of its strongest assets.

With 56% of the population under the age of 30 and an adult literacy rate of 95%, the country provides a broad and adaptable labour base. Supported by advanced universities and national skills development efforts such as those led by the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority, the tourism workforce is prepared for inclusive, service-oriented growth.

The private sector is already showing confidence. Just yesterday, I witnessed the unveiling of the V&A Waterfront’s R20 billion Granger Bay precinct development. On the other side of the country, in KwaZulu-Natal, ClubMed is building a multi-billion-rand resort along our Indian Ocean coastline. These pioneers will share more about their vision during this Summit.

We are also unlocking access to our destination. Following the launch of the Trusted Tour Operators Scheme in India and China, our Department of Home Affairs will soon, before the end of September roll out the Electronic Travel Authorization system. This will digitalise and automate all short-stay visas, enabling secure and seamless travel for tourists across the globe.

We are also broadening our offerings through sports tourism. Minister Gayton McKenzie is today submitting South Africa’s bid for the Formula 1 rights at Kyalami, in Johannesburg. Next year, we will host the LIV Golf tournament at Steyn City, another first for Africa. Already, the tickets have been sold out. And in 2027, we will once again host the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Colleagues, as a G20 member state, we have committed to four deliverables:

A. An action plan on People-Centred AI and Innovation, with our tourism hackathon challenge winners to be announced this week.
B. An action plan on Tourism Financing and Investment, which this very Summit is laying the foundation for.
C. An action plan for Enhanced Resilience, ensuring inclusive and sustainable tourism.
D. And the G20 Tourism Report on Air Connectivity, paving the way for seamless travel.

This Summit is about jobs, growth, and transformation. Tourism is labour-intensive. Every investment here means jobs for young South Africans. Every Rand or Dollar invested is an opportunity created. And every partnership formed here will help us transform tourism into a driver of inclusive, sustainable prosperity.

South Africa is a nation at work, and we are about action.

Partner with us. Together, we can deliver a bold new chapter in tourism investment, for our country, for Africa, and for the world.

Delegates as I conclude, while you are here, please take advantage of our tourism month, Sho’t left campaign. Where you can get up to 50% discount on our tourism offerings. We have uploaded over 650 deals. Come and enjoy South Africa, with her citizens.

Thank you.

We must build a society in which corruption cannot take root

Dear Fellow South African, 

Just over a week ago, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) handed over its final report at the conclusion of its three-year term. The Council was set up in 2022 to guide the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and to strengthen the state’s anti-corruption architecture. 

The report includes a recommendation to establish a permanent, independent, overarching anti-corruption body. The Council recommends that this body be known as the Office of Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption and that its mandate be to prevent, investigate and remedy systemic corruption. The proposed body, which responds to one of the key recommendations of the State Capture Commission, would be expected to both fight corruption and prevent it from happening in the first place. 

The NACAC report also makes recommendations on the strengthening and coordination of law enforcement agencies, enhanced coordination mechanisms among the different law enforcement agencies, the use of Artificial Intelligence to prevent corruption and the establishment of an anti-corruption data sharing framework.

These recommendations will be thoroughly reviewed by the relevant government institutions for tabling and deliberation in Cabinet.

The work of NACAC makes it clear that the fight against corruption is complex, multi-faceted and protracted. This fight requires the dismantling systems of patronage that have become entrenched over many years. It requires strengthening state capacity to handle complex cases and closing regulatory loopholes that have enabled corruption to flourish. 

We need to tackle public and private sector corruption with equal energy. Tax evasion, market manipulation, inflated contracts and tender collusion by businesses significantly harm our economy, yet often receive less attention than corruption in public institutions. 

Amid daily reports of alleged corruption, South Africans want to see action. They want to see more arrests and convictions. 

We should therefore welcome the progress being made by our law enforcement agencies. Last week the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, and the Special Investigating Unit briefed Parliament on investigations into the South African Post Office, Postbank and the South African Social Security Agency, financial irregularities at water entities, an allegedly corrupt fuel tender, and graft at a number of municipalities. 

This year has seen a number of arrests linked to alleged corruption in Eskom, the South African Police Service, Transnet and in municipalities. While allegations of corruption within these important institutions are deeply disturbing, it is encouraging that they have been detected and that criminal action is being taken.

In July this year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery noted that South Africa continues to make progress in detecting and investigating foreign bribery cases, and that “the resilience and commitment of individual government and law-enforcement officials, working in a multi-agency approach, has contributed to this progress”. 

We continue to make progress towards the removal of our country from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-list. In June, FATF noted that South Africa has completed all 22 action plan items to combat money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Exiting the grey-list is part of the fight against corruption and key to safeguarding the integrity of our financial system. 

Much of this work takes place behind the scenes. While there is a justifiable public expectation that there should be more convictions – including of those implicated in state capture – fighting corruption extends way beyond putting culprits in the dock. 

As the NACAC report points out, we need to pursue institutional reform to address the shortcomings in practices and systems that have enabled corruption to flourish. 

Corruption is much more than the result of the criminal intent of a few individuals be they government officials, elected public representatives or business people. It can become embedded in state institutions or business enterprises and manifest itself in practices and organisational culture. The success of our efforts relies on our ability to prevent corruption in the first place in state institutions, business enterprises or organs of civil society.

That is why we need to build transparent, accountable and ethical institutions – both public and private – in which corruption is unable to take root. We all need to work together to build a society characterised by responsibility and integrity.

With best regards,