Ramaphosa arrives in Tokyo for African Development Summit
The summit will kick off in Yokohama on Wednesday.
It's expected to strengthen ties between the African Union and Japan.
This includes talks on trade and investment, as well as peace and stability.
Ramaphosa said the summit comes when multilateralism and collective solutions to common challenges are crucial.
He said the AU's discussions with the government of Japan present an opportunity for the two sides to engage in discussions that seek to foster collective solutions to these challenges.
The spokesperson in the presidency, Vincent Magwenya, said, "President Ramaphosa will engage with leading captains of Japanese industry and business. Japan is one of South Africa's major economic partners with sizeable investments in the South African economy, and the potential for further investments exists.'
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The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Top 10 stories of the day: KT Molefe denied bail
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DJ Sumbody murder: Katiso 'KT' Molefe remains behind bars as bail denied Controversial businessman Katiso 'KT' Molefe will remain behind bars after his bid for bail failed on Wednesday. Molefe appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court to hear the outcome of his bail application. Controversial businessman Katiso Molefe appears for bail application at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court in Johannesburg on 6 August 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen The alleged mastermind was arrested alongside three hitmen in connection with the murder of South African artist Oupa John Sefoka, widely known as DJ Sumbody. CONTINUE READING: DJ Sumbody murder: Katiso 'KT' Molefe remains behind bars as bail denied De Lille dissolves SA Tourism board – but Outa calls her decision 'disgraceful' Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has dissolved the SA Tourism board with immediate effect over what she called unlawful decisions. 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Jee-A van der Linde, senior economist at Oxford Economics Africa, says the sharp increase of 0.5% is due to municipal tariff increases but the overall inflation outlook remains favourable. He expects that headline inflation will drift to slightly above 4% by the end of the year. Picture: iStock 'There was a risk of an upside inflation surprise, as July is a high-survey month, with municipal tariff increases typically coming in higher than the headline rate. However, the latest outturn does not change our view of inflation, with the benign outlook still intact.' CONTINUE READING: Increase in inflation of 0.5% expected, but could drift higher Kaya FM suspends Sol Phenduka pending an internal investigation Kaya FM has suspended broadcaster Sol Phenduka with immediate effect. 'Kaya 959 confirms that presenter Sol Phenduka has been placed on suspension with immediate effect. This step has been taken pending the outcome of an internal process currently underway,' read a statement shared with The Citizen by Ian Bredenkamp, who handles PR for the station. Sol Phenduka has been suspended by Kaya FM pending an investigation. Picture: solphenduka/Instagram When asked about the reason behind the suspension and its duration, Bredenkamp said they would release a follow-up statement 'once the internal process is concluded'. CONTINUE READING: Kaya FM suspends Sol Phenduka pending an internal investigation Here are five more stories of the day: Yesterday's News recap READ HERE: Rand manipulation saga in ConCourt | Eldos' Nikita laid to rest | RIP Tendai Ndoro
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Free 1996 Constitution booklet signed by South African greats now valued at nearly R1 million
A free 1996 booklet titled "The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa", bearing the signatures of South African greats, is now valued at nearly R1 million. Image: File "I know him, I know him and I also know her." These were the words uttered by former President Nelson Mandela when he was asked to autograph a 1996 booklet, "The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa", lovingly gathered over a few years by retired chef Neels du Plooy. Now the much-travelled booklet is on sale on Facebook Marketplace with a price tag of a million rand, which might seem steep were it not for the fact that it has the signatures of 30 iconic South African political leaders and judicial pioneers who crafted our peaceful transition to democracy. Many South Africans got a copy of the beloved booklet when it was released, but while ours have no collector value, Du Plooy's is sure to pique the interest of collectors of Mandela memorabilia and those fascinated in our transition to democracy. It has the signatures of former presidents, Nelson Mandela and Mbeki, as well as the last apartheid president, FW de Klerk and current head of state, Cyril Ramaphosa. It also bears the signature of the King of Lesotho and the first Speaker of Parliament, Frene Ginwala, Albie Sachs, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in 1999 and a host of others. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Chef Neels du Plooy with then-President Thabo Mbeki at a game farm in 1999, where he got a signature from Mbeki and his wife, Zanele. Image: Supplied "Mandela was the only one who autographed the booklet who was interested to see who else had signed it, saying 'I know him, I know him and I know her'", Du Plooy told "Independent Media Lifestyle". Du Plooy, 71, was given a copy of the booklet by a journalist friend, and he wasted no time as a chef with Fedics to gather as many signatures as he could of the influential personalities whenever the opportunity arose. "I cooked 99 percent of them, so I always carried the booklet with me and would ask the head chef if I could ask them for autographs. "I even cooked for former President Thabo Mbeki and his wife on a game farm at Mapungubwe in 1999, where we spent four days just before Christmas, and that is when I got both their signatures," he said. He was involved in the catering for the inauguration of Mbeki. Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki at the latter's inauguration as president of South Africa in 1999, both of whom signed Neels du Plooy's booklet on our Constitution. Image: Debbie Yazbek "In the late '90s, I was at the opening of the Lesotho Highlands Katse Dam and took the booklet with me, and after the meal, there were a lot of MPs, including Ramaphosa and five or six premiers of the first administration whose signatures I was able to get." That's where he also got the signature of King Letsi III, ruler of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Du Plooy managed to get the signatures of George Bizos, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Kader Asmal, Arthur Chaskalson and Govan Mbeki. Du Plooy, who lives in Sandringham, Johannesburg, was later a chef at a restaurant in the Joburg Civic Centre in Braamfontein, and so he used that opportunity to gather signatures of important people when they came to dine. He believes it is the only booklet in the world that bears the signatures of four state presidents. But there is one signature at the top left of the first page of the booklet which he has not been able to identify. "I only got signatures of significant people at the time, so it was someone important, I am just unable to work out whose signature it is," he said. The signature at the top left of this page has turned out to be a puzzler for Neels du Plooy, who only sought the signatures of significant players in our transition to democracy. Image: Supplied Du Plooy said there is one signature he wishes it had, and that is of Roelf Meyer, who was a key drafter of the Constitution, with whom he has lost contact. The Marketplace advert states that the booklet is accompanied by a provenance certificate and official ISBN registration. "This volume is a verified original - an irreplaceable piece of South African history... Ideal for collectors of Mandela-era memorabilia, constitutional scholars or institutions preserving democratic heritage."
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
South Africa's G20 Presidency: Strategic diplomacy in a shifting global order
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