South Africa condemns the terrorist attack in the Kingdom of Spain. The South African Government joins the international community in strongly condemning the cowardly terrorist attack in Barcelona and Cambrils on 17 August 2017 which caused the death of 13 innocent people including children and injuries to at least 100 others.

South Africa sends condolences to the Republic of Portugal following the death of 13 people in Madeira. The South African Government is saddened by the loss of life suffered when 13 people were killed and 49 injured (at least seven very seriously, including two children) when a tree collapsed on participants attending the Festa de Nossa Senhora do Monte religious festival in Madeira on 15 August 2017.

Communiqué of the 37th Summit SADC of Heads of State and Government OR Tambo Building, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Pretoria, South Africa, 19th – 20th August 2017. The 37th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held at OR Tambo Building, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria, in the Republic of South Africa on 19th and 20th August 2017.

Message of Solidarity with the people of Sierra Leone on the occasion of the floods and mudslides that have killed more than 400 people and displaced many. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region has learnt with sadness the demise of over 400 Sierra Leone nationals who have died in one of the worst floods in Africa, which have devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital and disrupted normal life.

Remarks by President Jacob Zuma, on the occasion of the launch of the New Development Bank (NDB) Africa Regional Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg, 17 August 2017. We are truly delighted to share this extremely important occasion with you. The launch of the Africa Regional Centre of the New Development Bank is a historic occasion as it marks the strengthening of the BRICS formation and also underlines the BRICS commitment to the development of the African continent and emerging markets.

President Zuma to preside over the official launch of the African Regional Centre of the BRICS New Development Bank

The President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, will preside over the launch of the African Regional Centre of the New Development Bank (NDB) on 17 August 2017. The President will be joined by the President of the NDB, Mr Kundapur Vaman Kamath, cabinet ministers, NDB executives and other dignitaries.

Official closing of the SADC Council of Ministers Meeting and Secretariat briefings

The Chair of the SADC Council of Ministers and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will deliver closing remarks at the two-day SADC Council of Ministers' meeting on Wednesday, 16 August 2017. The SADC Executive Secretary, Dr Lawrence Stergomena Tax, will also speak at the closing of the meeting.

Acceptance of Chairpersonship of the SADC Council of Ministers by Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Tuesday 15 August 2017. It is with great honour and privilege that I welcome you all to the 37th SADC Council of Ministers. I am especially pleased to welcome you to the OR Tambo Building in the year declared by our Government as the year of Oliver Reginald Tambo, who is also affectionately known as OR Tambo to our people and one of the most outstanding leaders of the liberation struggle who mobilised international solidarity against apartheid and contributed to shaping the vision of a post-apartheid democratic South Africa.

Official opening of the Council of Ministers Meeting ahead of the 37th SADC Summit

His Royal Highness Prince Hlangusemphi, Minister of Economic Planning and Development of the Kingdom of Swaziland, will hand over the Chairpersonship of the SADC Council of Ministers to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, during the opening of the two-day meeting of Ministers on Tuesday, 15 August 2017. The Council consists of Ministers from each of the fifteen SADC Member States and oversees the work of the SADC Secretariat.

Media Briefing by Hon. Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and incoming Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, Monday, 14 August 2017, OR Tambo Building, Pretoria. As it has become customary to SADC, we invited you with the view to share information on the upcoming meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers scheduled to take place here in Pretoria from Tuesday to Wednesday August 15-16, 2017, in preparation of the 37th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of States and Government.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane and the SADC Executive Secretary to brief the media on the 37th SADC Summit

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and the Executive Secretary of SADC, H.E Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax, will brief the media on the 37th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government that is being hosted by South Africa under the theme: “Partnering with the private sector in developing industry and regional value-chains”. The official Summit programme began on 10 August 2017 with the meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials.

Launch of Implementation of National Projects under The SADC Trade Related Facility Programme, Protea Hotel Fire & Ice, Pretoria, South Africa, 14 August 2017.

Left to right: Dr Mamba Mandla, Mr Mubita Luwabelwa SADC Secretariat, Jabulani C Mabuza, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Swaziland and EU Representative, Mr John Taylor.

Picture: Jacoline Schoonees

SADC Directorates to brief media ahead of the 37th SADC Summit

SADC Directors responsible for Infrastructure and Services, the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation as well as Social and Human Development will brief the media on the progress of implementing SADC Programmes in the respective sectors ahead of the 37th SADC Summit.

Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane receives the President of Liberia, Ms Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, at the OR Tambo International Airport State Protocol Lounge. Amohetswe Motholo (5) hands over flowers to the President, and Minister Bathabile Dlamini is also present, Johannesburg, South Africa, 11 August 2017.

Joint Communiqué on the Occasion of the State Visit to South Africa by H.E. Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, 11 August 2017. On 11th of August 2017, President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Mr Jacob Zuma, hosted the President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency, Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, during the State Visit held in Pretoria.

President Zuma congratulates the President of Kenya on his election victory. His Excellency President Jacob Zuma has congratulated the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, who has won the Kenyan presidential elections held on Tuesday, 08 August 2017.

President Jacob Zuma congratulates President Kagame on his election victory. The President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, has on behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa congratulated the President of the Republic of Rwanda, His Excellency Mr Paul Kagame, for winning the Rwandan Presidential Elections held on Friday, 04 August 2017.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane to donate goodies to charities in Mpumalanga Province

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is scheduled to visit the Mpumalanga Province on Saturday, 05 August 2017, where she will join Premier David Mabuza in donating goodies to two charities situated in Mshadza, outside Hazyview, Uthando House and Mshadza Special Care Centre.

Release of Mr McGowan. Mr Stephen Malcolm McGowan, a South African national, was kidnapped in November 2011 in Timbuktu, Mali, by Al Qaeda militants whilst on holiday. He was kept in captivity since then. The family, the South African government as well as the South African and international community have since then been campaigning for his release.

DIRCO and State Security Minsters to brief the media on Mr McGowan’s release. The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and the Minister of State Security, Hon. David Mahlobo, will brief the media on the release of Mr Stephen McGowan from captivity in Mali. Mr McGowan was taken hostage by militants whilst on a tour of Mali in 2011.

President Zuma to visit Zambia. President Jacob Zuma will on Saturday, 05 August 2017, undertake a working visit to Lusaka, Zambia where he will officially open the 91st Agricultural and Commercial Show as a Guest of Honour, at the invitation of His Excellency President Edgar Lungu of Zambia.

Update on media arrangements for the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit. South Africa will host the 37th SADC Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government at the Head Office of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, OR Tambo Building, Rietondale, Pretoria, from 10—20 August 2017. The Summit will take place under the theme: “Partnering with the Private Sector in developing Industry and Regional Value Chains”.

South African Government deplores the launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The South African Government deplores the latest launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which again violates the obligations of the DPRK under various UN Security Council resolutions, including 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016).

SA condemns the attack on AMISOM troops in Somalia. The South African Government joins the African Union and international community in strongly condemning the cowardly attack on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers on 31 July 2017 in the Somali capital , Mogadishu resulting in the death of at least twelve (12) and injury of seven (7).

Statement on the Cabinet Meeting of 1 August 2017. Cabinet met at the Sefako M Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on Tuesday, 1 August 2017. Cabinet Decisions - South Africa commemorates Women's Month in August, as a tribute to more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of pass laws to women.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane to deliver keynote address at a PAWO event. The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will this morning, 31 July 2017, deliver the keynote address at the Pan-African Women’s Day Inter-Generational Dialogue at the OR Tambo Building in Pretoria. The event is being held under the theme: “The Year of OR Tambo: Women United in Moving Africa Forward”.

Remarks by Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, H.E. N Mfeketo during the of Mandela Month celebration at Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 28 July 2017. I am happy to celebrate Mandela Month with you right at its tail end. I could not join you on the official day of the 18th of July because I was abroad on official duty. Mr Veerasamy, who joins me here on stage, also comes from a long trip abroad; he came back to country especially for this programme.

Media Briefing by Mr EX Makaya, Deputy Director-General for Africa, on the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, Thursday, 27 July 2017. The 37th SADC Ordinary Summit will take place three days before the Republic of Angola holds its general elections, scheduled for 23rd August 2017. The elections in Angola will see President dos Santos stepping down after thirty seven years as President.

Deputy Minister Mfeketo to mark Nelson Mandela Day in Cape Town. The Deputy Minister of International Relations, Ms Nomaindiya Mfeketo, will on Friday, 28 July 2019, in collaboration with Carbonado Energy, commemorate Nelson Mandela Day. The Deputy Minister will launch the adoption of an underprivileged school.

DIRCO to brief the media on SA's hosting of the 37th SADC Summit. The Deputy Director-General for Africa in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Xolisa Makaya, will brief the media on South Africa's hosting of the 37th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), scheduled to take place on 19 – 20 August 2017 in Pretoria.

Conclusion of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ held in Tanzania. A South African Government delegation led by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has concluded its successful visit to Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, where the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation met on 20-21 July 2017.

Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Nomaindiya Mfeketo meeting with her counrterpart Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Mr Akylbek Kamaldinov.


Picture: Jacoline Schoonees

The SA Government calls for the release of a Palestinian Legislative Council member. The South African Government notes with concern the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Palestinian Legislative Council member, Ms Khalida Jarrar, who was arrested in Ramallah (Area A and under Control of the Palestinian Authority) on 2 July 2017 by the occupying Israeli military.