Ramaphosa faces questions in Parliament and SA Reserve Bank makes interest rate decision.
Monday 26 May
Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande chairs the second G20 Research and Innovation Working Group meeting at the University of Mpumalanga.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities hosts a G20 stakeholder engagement in Sandton with UN Women.
The Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium continues in Cape Town with closed-door sessions led by South African and African ministers, hosted by Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson.
Western Cape Police Commissioner Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile briefs media on fourth quarter provincial crime statistics in Green Point. Provincial Minister for Community Safety Anroux Marais will be in attendance.
Western Cape Mobility Minister Isaac Sileku launches a new computerised learner’s licence testing system in Beaufort West, replacing the traditional paper-based booklet test.
King Charles and Queen Camilla begin a royal visit to Canada ahead of the King’s formal opening of Parliament in Ottawa.
Nicușor Dan is expected to be sworn in as Romania’s new president during a joint session of Parliament in Bucharest, following his victory over far-right candidate George Simion in the 18 May runoff.
Southeast Asian leaders gather in Kuala Lumpur for the 46th ASEAN Summit, a biannual meeting held by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in relation to economic, political, security, and socio-cultural development of Southeast Asian Countries.
Rwanda marks 21 years since the adoption of a new constitution in 2003, designed to promote power-sharing between Hutu and Tutsi communities following the 1994 genocide.
Tuesday 27 May
President Ramaphosa answers questions in the National Assembly on the high cost of food, the absence of a coherent economic policy in the Government of National Unity, and plans to introduce a resource rent tax to better capture mineral revenues. He will also face scrutiny over delays in apartheid-era prosecutions, diplomatic engagement on Ukraine, and the legal basis for excluding Coloured, Indian, Khoi-San and white South Africans from the definition of ‘African’.
Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has been summoned by Parliament’s Communications Portfolio Committee to explain his gazetted directive proposing changes to B-BBEE policy in the ICT sector. The policy could allow foreign firms like Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate without the usual 30% local ownership requirement.
The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry is briefed by the Industrial Development Corporation on its corporate plan.
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts hears from the Special Investigating Unit on its probe into the National Lotteries Commission.
The Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance conduct public hearings on the fiscal framework and revenue proposals.
Delegations from over 40 African countries convene in Moscow for a three-day security forum chaired by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, with discussions centred on strengthening Russia–Africa ties.
British Ambassador to the United States Lord Peter Mandelson delivers the 2025 Christopher J. Makins Lecture at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.
EU ministers hold an Article 7 hearing on Hungary, potentially leading to suspension of its voting rights over rule-of-law concerns and repeated vetoes on Russia-related decisions.
Wednesday 28 May
The Cabinet is expected to meet in Cape Town.
Municipal by-elections are held in Kou-Kamma (Eastern Cape), Ngwathe (Free State), Thembisile Hani (Mpumalanga), Nama Khoi and Karoo Hoogland (Northern Cape).
Ministers in the Social Services Cluster answer questions in the National Assembly.
The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation hosts a virtual colloquium on South Africa’s G20 presidency.
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements considers the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by DA MP Emma Powell.
The Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy is briefed on challenges in the municipal electricity distribution sector.
The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry engages with industry stakeholders on progress made under the Steel Master Plan.
The Portfolio Committee on Police receives the fourth quarter crime statistics from the SAPS.
The Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance continue with public hearings on the revised Budget.
On this day in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded in Lagos, Nigeria.
Thursday 29 May
The South African Reserve Bank announces its interest rate decision, with markets split between a hold and a potential 25bps cut. While inflation data supports easing, most economists expect the Monetary Policy Committee to exercise caution and keep rates on hold.
Minister Gwede Mantashe delivers the keynote at the second Elijah Barayi Memorial Lecture at the University of Johannesburg. The event honours Barayi’s legacy as a founding figure of NUM and COSATU.
Friday 30 May
The Portfolio Committee on Police holds an engagement with Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority.
The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry is briefed by the Department on transformation legislation, including the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Codes and the Transformation Fund.
The Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance receive responses from National Treasury and SARS to public submissions on the fiscal framework and revenue proposals.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers the keynote address at the opening of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
The International Day of Potato is observed by the UN, spotlighting the crop’s role in global food security, biodiversity and climate resilience.
Saturday 31 May
On this day in 1961, South Africa formally became a republic and withdrew from the Commonwealth. The move followed a whites-only referendum and was widely condemned internationally, accelerating the country’s isolation during the apartheid era.
The 57th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum opens in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, under the theme ‘Harnessing artificial intelligence for effective and efficient parliamentary processes in the SADC region’.
World No Tobacco Day is observed globally, highlighting the health risks of tobacco use and global efforts led by the WHO to end the tobacco epidemic.
Miss World 2025 takes place in Hyderabad, India, with 108 contestants competing for the crown. South Africa is represented by Zoalise Jansen van Rensburg.
Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan face off in the UEFA Champions League final in Munich. It is the first time the two sides have met in a competitive fixture.
Sunday 1 June
Mexico holds a historic election featuring its first-ever judicial vote, alongside local elections in several states. The judicial ballot follows a controversial reform passed in 2024, and the day is expected to see both participation and protest amid calls for a boycott.
Poland holds the second round of its presidential election, with Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki vying to succeed the term-limited Andrzej Duda.
A UK-wide ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes comes into force, aimed at curbing environmental harm and youth usage.
Transgender women are barred from participating in women’s football in England as a new Football Association policy comes into effect. The move follows an April Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of “woman”.
Jewish communities mark the start of Shavuot at sunset, a two-day festival commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
The Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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