President Cyril Ramaphosa: Remarks at Multi-stakeholder engagment on Ebola

Remarks by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa at the multi-stakeholder engagement on Ebola during working visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Your Excellency, my brother President Félix Tshisekedi,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jean Kaseya,
The leadership of the National Institute for Biomedical Research, the INRB,
Representatives of international organisations and partner institutions,
Representatives of the donor community,
Representatives from the scientific and research community,
Representatives of the wider healthcare sector,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to begin by thanking you, Your Excellency President Tshisekedi, for inviting me to visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo in my capacity as the African Union Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

Earlier today, President Tshisekedi and I had an opportunity to discuss the ongoing Ebola outbreak and broader matters of regional health security.

Our visit is aligned with the mandate of African Union champions, which is to provide oversight, mobilise resources, strengthen cooperation among member states and support coordinated continental action.

Beyond the deep and enduring bilateral relationship between our two countries, we are here to express our solidarity with the government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at this difficult time.

On behalf of my government and the people of South Africa, we express our profound condolences to the Congolese people who have lost their loved ones and extend our sympathies to all who have been affected by the outbreak.

We also salute the healthcare workers, scientists, humanitarian personnel and community leaders who are working tirelessly on the frontlines.

Throughout many periods in our collective history, the resilience, courage and selflessness of our peoples have enabled us to weather even the most difficult of storms.

We have no doubt that this crisis too shall be overcome.

The people of Africa are one. Our bonds transcend borders, ethnicity and language.

When there is tragedy in one part of our beloved continent, we all share in the sorrow.

When a sister country needs assistance, we answer that call.

The continental response to this Ebola outbreak has been swift.

On the 16th of June, President Ndayishimiye of Burundi convened a virtual summit of African leaders and partners to deliberate on a global response.

That meeting mobilised approximately 1.5 billion US dollars in financing, technical support, medical countermeasures and humanitarian response.

It is significant that of this amount, over 100 million dollars was pledged by African countries themselves.

This reflects the spirit of solidarity and cooperation we continue to see in pursuit of African health sovereignty.

Given the magnitude of this challenge - and the urgency with which we have to contain the outbreak, treat the infected and support those affected - it will be critical that these resources are well managed.

We welcome the medical supplies tracking dashboard established with the support of the World Health Organization, together with the inventory and donation coordination mechanisms that will strengthen accountability and improve the alignment of partner contributions.

Despite the challenges before us, we draw hope from the dedication and commitment of all partners gathered here today.

Having witnessed patients recover from this disease, we are encouraged that the continued development of medicines and vaccines will yield even more promising results and improve recovery outcomes.

We are hopeful that the virus will remain contained and will not threaten other regions of our continent or the world.

We are hopeful too that there will be minimal disruption to lives and livelihoods, and that economic growth and social stability will continue beyond this public health shock.

We are mindful of the serious challenges that still confront us.

We value this engagement because your experiences and insights are essential in ensuring that our political interventions are grounded in the realities faced by frontline responders and affected communities.

We wish to reiterate several proposals aimed at addressing the challenges that persist.

Firstly, we need to rapidly convert the pledges made into financing, technical assistance and the deployment of urgently needed medical countermeasures.

Secondly, we need a ceasefire to allow for the safe passage of humanitarian assistance, healthcare workers and medical supplies to affected communities.

We appeal to every community to stand with and protect our frontline health workers and volunteers. They are risking their lives to save others and they must never face fear, stigma or violence while serving our people.

Thirdly, South Africa remains committed to investing in African innovation and local manufacturing capacity. In this regard, we are supporting our manufacturer, Afrigen, as it participates in efforts to develop a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

Africa has repeatedly demonstrated resilience in the face of health crises.

What is required now is unity of purpose, urgency of action and sustained solidarity.

I thank you.