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Cabinet has today made public the Presidential Handbook as approved in the Cabinet meeting of 18 November 2015. The release of the Presidential Handbook is also in terms of the commitment given to Judge Sutherland on 12 October 2015 to publish the Handbook before 30 November 2015.

The Presidential Handbook provides guidelines for the administrative, logistical, security and general support services to be rendered by the state to the President, his or her spouse and dependent children, and the Deputy President and his or her spouse.

The objective of the Handbook is threefold:

    i.          To ensure the provision of reliable and consistent support required for the President and Deputy President.

   ii.          To provide a concise operational guide to relevant government departmental staff with clearly indicated responsibilities and duties, and by implication, lines of accountability.

iii.          To provide the authority for the relevant civil servants to make decisions and to empower departmental staff with respect to what is approved, permissible and what may fall outside of the level of support required to be given to the President and Deputy President.

Whereas previously, the guide for support for the President and Deputy President was a 2007 Cabinet Policy, the drafting and publication of the Presidential Handbook makes public the document which will henceforth guide decision-making by public servants.

The Handbook is available on The Presidency website:

http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=21135

Issued by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)