speech
Cyril Ramaphosa  ·  2026-06-10 08:06

President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts the South Africa-Kenya Business Forum. (1)

It is a pleasure to address this Africa Kenya Business Forum and to welcome the Kenyan delegation to South Africa as well. Your presence here also shows the value that you place on the partnership that has been crafted between South Africa and Kenya. And this is an old partnership. It's also a very strategic partnership. A strategic partnership that has its roots in the past when South Africa or South Africans were fighting for their freedom. It was Kenya amongst many other nations that raised its voice to support our freedom when others shunned the struggle that we had waged, Kenya was amongst those that were firm and clear that the people of South Africa must attain their freedom. So to you, President Ruto, we will never stop saying thank you. And to you, the people of Kenya, we will never stay stop to say thank you for the support that you gave to South Africans to attain their freedom. The freedom we have today, we say thank you to you. >> [applause] >> This gathering reflects the growing strength in many, many ways of a partnership that is founded on very strong values, mutual trust, and a common vision for our continent's future. It was also pleasing to hear the four business people standing here articulating their wants, their needs, and also articulating their visions about how they would like to see their businesses progress, our economies also growing. It was good to hear all that. There was, however, something that I missed, and President Ruto got close to it. What I missed is what President Ruto I would like us to do in 2 years' time when we hold this business council again in Nairobi. What I'd like to hear the business people coming up to stage, and I don't only want four, I want as many as possible coming forward to tell us how everything that they were saying here, they were wishing for here, how and in what way they're going to back up back it all up with investments. We've all heard the needs and the wish that you are saying about yes, we'd like to invest more and so forth. I now want shillings and rands. I want to hear about those shillings and rands being invested.