Zuma to lead SA delegation to WEF Africa in Durban

Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma will lead the South African delegation which will represent the country at the World Economic Forum in Durban from 3 to 5 May.

In a statement issued by the Presidency on Friday, Zuma said the 27th WEF on Africa has come to South Africa at the right time.

“As a developing constitutional democracy that is defined by the triple challenge of inequality, poverty and employment, South Africa believes that radical economic transformation is imperative to accelerating inclusive growth and eradicate these long standing challenges. Our international partners and investors appreciate this historical need as they know it is key to long term sustainable development for the South African economy.” 

READ: Sfiso Buthelezi: The word radical may scare, but it's same as inclusive growth

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his deputy Sfiso Buthelezi, as well as other ministers from the economic cluster, such as Lynne Brown (Public Enterprises), Mmamoloko Kubayi (Transport), Rob Davies (Trade and Industry), Ebrahim Patel (Economic Development) and Lindiwe Zulu (Small Business Development) will be among the delegates. 

The WEF will be attended by more than 1 000 delegates from more than 100 countries, representing business, government, academia and civil society. 

Issues, such as food and water security, investment certainty to tackle Africa’s large infrastructure gaps and facilitating better intra-regional trade will be among the topics up for discussion. 

The event will be co-chaired by among others Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International, Siyabonga Gama, CEO of Transnet and Rich Lesser, global CEO and president of the Boston Consulting Group. 

READ: INFOGRAPHIC: Top 5 global risks for 2017 - WEF 

Meanwhile, an alternative meeting – the People’s Economic Forum at the Durban University of Technology – started on Thursday which is attended by a group of community activists and civic organisations.

The alternative forum, according to its organisers, wants the voices of the civic community to be heard. Issues under discussion include strategies for radical economic transformation, fees must fall and financial inclusion and South Africa’s credit ratings downgrade to junk status.