That was a key question at the hybrid event we co-hosted with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office and the Dullah Omar Institute this week, “The 2026 Municipal Elections and the State of Local Government”.

Today, we were happy to join the Alumni Celebration at Bergzicht Training in Stellenbosch - a longstanding partner of the Hanns Seidel Foundation that is providing tailored occupational training in professions where jobs are available in the region for skilled applicants.

On arrival in Cape Town, Bavarian Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder and his delegation experienced a moving visit to Robben Island with MEC Ricardo Mackenzie. They paid tribute to Madiba, Nelson Mandela, and all those who suffered under Apartheid and struggled against it in South Africa. In the afternoon, they travelled to Khayelitsha.

Dr. Markus Söder, the Minister-President (Premier) of the Western Cape’s German partner province Bavaria, was greeted with a warm welcome by Dr. Ivan Meyer, MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, at Cape Town International Airport this morning. Bavaria is the strongest economic province (Bundesland) in Germany.