Question NW1568 to the President of the Republic
28 November 2019 - NW1568
Malatsi, Mr MS to ask the President of the Republic
What are the specific roles of the envoys that he has appointed in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019, including their (i) targets, (ii) annual remunerations and (iii) other benefits; (2) how are each of the envoy’s responsibilities different from those of the Cabinet Ministers in their respective portfolios?
Reply:
1. In April 2018, I appointed four Presidential Envoys on Investment – Mr Trevor Manuel, Mr Mcebisi Jonas, Ms Phumzile Langeni and Mr Jacko Maree – to engage with domestic and foreign investors on the opportunities for investment in South Africa, and to understand any impediments they experience in pursuing those opportunities.
The Envoys do not have specific targets. Instead, their activities support the investment mobilisation drive which has a stated intention of ensuring an additional R1.2 trillion of investment in South Africa over five years.
The State is only responsible for the travel and associated expenses of the Envoys in carrying out these duties.
To strengthen the work of the Investment Envoys, the President in November 2019 appointed Mr Jeff Radebe, Mr Derek Hanekom and Ms Elizabeth Thabethe as new Presidential Envoys on Investment targeting specific areas, in addition to general investment promotion. Mr Radebe will drive investment promotion in the energy sector, focusing on oil and gas, while Mr Hanekom and Ms Thabethe will both be responsible for investment mobilisation in the tourism sector.
Details relating to these recent appointments are still in the process of being finalised.
2. The Special Envoys do not have any executive responsibilities and are not members of the Government. They are deployed to convey messages about the investment climate and to generate goodwill with investors. They are not responsible for the formulation or implementation of policy nor the exercise of any administrative authority.