Who will govern SA? ANC, DA, and ActionSA debate SA's political future at News24 summit

• The leadership of the ANC, DA and ActionSA will sit down with Qaanitah Hunter at News24's thought leadership event later this month. 
• The politicians will join the On The Record Summit in Johannesburg to discuss the road to next year's watershed general elections. 
• South Africa's political prospects will be one of several national talking points at the Nedbank-sponsored gathering on 31 August.
• Click here to purchase your summit tickets before they are sold out. 

Next year's general elections could be a monumental moment for South Africa's democratic future. What will the headlines and history books say about the year 2024?

On 31 August, leaders from the country's top political parties will put their cards on the table at the Kyalami International Convention Centre in Johannesburg, where News24 and Nedbank will host the On The Record Summit to debate South Africa's post-election prospects. 

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga, and ANC second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgop will reflect on the state of the nation's political leadership and what their parties can offer South Africans ahead the make-or-break polls. 

The pertinent News24 discussion will also examine the outcomes of the national conference on coalition governments in Cape Town and the multiparty national convention in Johannesburg aimed at discussing the DA's planned moonshot pact - two key political events held in the weeks preceding the summit. 

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News24's assistant editor for politics and opinion Qaanitah Hunter, will lead the discussion, which will be one of several summit segments focused on South Africa's future. Hunter and her fellow News24 editors and senior journalists, including editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, News24 Sport editor Lloyd Burnard and writer-at-large Carol Paton, will facilitate crucial conversations at the thought leadership event. 

Other speakers on the day include Investigating Directorate head, advocate Andrea Johnson, Stormers head coach John Dobson, Business Leadership SA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso, Flux Trends founder Dion Chang, and Campaign for Free Expression director Anton Harber.

SPECIAL SITE | Here's everything you need to know about News24's Joburg summit

"I expect a heated exchange of ideas as we grill these politicians on their grand plans to save South Africa. Next year's election could be a turning point in our country and time is fast running out. SA's political leaders need to come to the party with realistic and hopeful proposals. Let's hear them out," said Basson.

Maropene Ramokgopa holds one of the ANC's top seven positions after being elected as the party's second deputy secretary-general in December last year. She's the youngest minister in Cabinet following her appointment as the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation in March. Ramokgopa was President Cyril Ramaphosa's chief advisor at the African Union and an international relations advisor to the president at the Union Buildings. She has been closely involved in attempts to revive the ANC Women's League and was elected as a member of the ANC's Limpopo provincial executive committee in 2022. 

Solly Msimanga has secured a second term as the DA's Gauteng leader following the party's provincial congress this month. Msimanga beat rival Khume Ramulifho in a tight race as the party's Gauteng leadership prepares for the 2024 polls, where it aims to bring the ANC to below 50% in the province. Msimanga became the mayor of Tshwane through a coalition government from 2016 until 2019, when he resigned.

Herman Mashaba is a former mayor of Johannesburg and the leader of ActionSA, a party that entered the political arena in 2020. Mashaba founded ActionSA after his 2019 resignation from the DA and his party achieved an unprecedented 17% of votes in Johannesburg in the 2021 municipal elections. Mashaba previously told News24 he was "encouraged" by ActionSA's ability to convert people who previously didn't vote.

If you want to hear more about the watershed elections, join Mashaba, Msimanga, Maotwe, Ramokgopa, and many other leading South Africans as we discuss what lies ahead for the country. Tickets for News24's On The Record Summit in Johannesburg can be purchased here.