For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa outlines vision for leveraging African trade to support reindustrialisation; Mashatile urges cohesive strategy to deal with unemployment through education, training; And, speaker defends integrity of Parliament’s legal team assigned to committee probing Saps allegations

Ramaphosa outlines vision for leveraging African trade to support reindustrialisation

President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined how South Africa hopes to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area to support the country’s reindustrialisation.

Speaking at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit under way in Japan, Ramaphosa said South Africa was seeking to deepen intra-African trade while becoming a “continental industrial platform from which Japanese and other global firms can export into Africa”.

He said government is actively working with the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat to finalise value-chain protocols in automotive, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and textiles.

He added that South Africa support Rules of Origin harmonisation to encourage manufacturing in Africa and the upgrading of border infrastructure to enable the faster movement of goods,”

In a separate address to the South Africa-Japan Business Forum, hosted on the sidelines of 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit, Ramaphosa further underlined South Africa’s gateway potential into the rest of Africa for Japanese firms.

Mashatile urges cohesive strategy to deal with unemployment through education, training

Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacity as chairperson of the Human Resource Development Council, today said the recent unemployment statistics should prompt the Council to reconsider its role in mobilising various stakeholders and social partners to develop skills that meet the needs of the South African economy.

Speaking during the HRDC meeting, in Johannesburg, he said it was taking place after the “harsh reality” was revealed that the unemployment rate climbed once again, to 33.2%, meaning one-third of the workforce was sitting without a job, the majority of whom were youth, women, and marginalised groups.

He acknowledged that the crisis of youth unemployment is particularly severe among young people not in employment, education, or training – the NEET cohort. According to Statistics South Africa’s first-quarter release of 2025, 34% of all youth aged 15 to 24 – more than 3.5-million young people – are disconnected from both the labour market and the education system,” he said.

He said the South African school system was finding it challenging to cultivate the skills required for a globalised, knowledge-driven economy.

He acknowledged that education and skills development were essential for productive employment and economic prosperity, noting it was imperative that a more cohesive strategy between businesses and educational institutions saw to the creation of the skills needed for the success of the economy.

Mashatile noted the Council’s role in addressing youth unemployment by improving workforce skills, creating jobs, and fostering economic growth.

And, speaker defends integrity of Parliament’s legal team assigned to committee probing Saps allegations

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza expressed her “unequivocal confidence” in the competence and integrity of Parliament’s legal advisory services team that has been assigned to support the ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Parliament established the committee after Mkhwanazi claimed corruption, political interference and malfeasance within the South African Police Service.

Earlier this month, the committee held its first meeting, and this week the committee reconvened and agreed on its final version of its terms of reference, which might be sent to members later this week.

Didiza said she was concerned about some remarks made during proceedings of the ad hoc committee, where the competence and integrity of the Parliamentary legal services team assigned to support the committee had been questioned.

While there was a suggestion that external legal advice be sought to lead evidence in the ad hoc committee, Didiza reaffirmed that its internal legal services provided the necessary expertise.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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