President Cyril Ramaphosa has this morning, Thursday, 29 June 2023, arrived in the Kingdom of Eswatini to participate at the 8th Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) Heads of State and Government Summit.

The President‘s working visit at the SACU  Heads of State and Government Summit is at the invitation of the current Chair of SACU, His Majesty King Mswati III, and the iNgwenyama of the Kingdom of Eswatini. The Summit will take place at the Mandvulo Royal Palace under the theme " SACU Industrialization Opportunities through Improving Economic Complexity”. 

President Ramaphosa will deliver a statement at the opening ceremony of the 8th Southern Africa Customs Union Heads of State and Government Summit. 

The SACU Strategic Plan 2022- 2027, which will be in its first year of review since being adopted at the 7th SACU Heads of State and Government Summit is centered on six pillars, namely;  Industrialisation, Export and Investment Promotion, Trade Facilitation and Logistics, Implementation and Leveraging of The AFCFTA Opportunities, Trade Relations/Unified Engagement with Third Parties, Finance and Resource Mobilisation and Effectiveness of SACU Institutions.

Established in 1910, SACU is the oldest Customs Union in the world. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel; Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza; Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana; and the South African Revenue Service Commissioner, Edward Kieswetter.