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Date
: 08/02/2006
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs
Title: Dlamini Zuma: Debate on State of the Nation Address
Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma, at the State of the Nation Debate, the National
Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town
Madam Speaker
President Thabo Mbeki
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Ministers
Comrades
Honourable Members
President, we thank you for your accurate diagnosis of the state of
health of our nation. It is reassuring, celebratory and optimistic,
yet it also captures the challenges that lie ahead. You correctly
proclaimed that today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be
better than today. The Soweto uprisings and the reaction of the
desperate regime epitomise yesterday.
At the time, the apartheid regime had embarked on desperate
self-destructive actions of killing, and imprisoning children. The
African National Congress (ANC) was the only hope of all South
Africans, black and white.
The ANC was always able to galvanise, inspire and strengthen the
spirit of resistance which had characterised our people everywhere
through the length and breath of our country since 1652. The ANC
was able to turn the tears of sorrow, anger, humiliation and pain
into tears of joy and freedom in 1994 when Comrade Nelson Mandela
became the first President of the democratic South Africa after 27
years in jail.
The ANC had turned hope into the reality of freedom. All South
Africans proudly witnessed Nelson Mandela take the first salute as
Commander-in-Chief.
Madam Speaker, This freedom means all South Africans can proudly
stand. This freedom means indeed that all South Africans journey
through Africa and the whole world without fear and shame.
All South Africans can now together with the government struggle
against poverty and work for a better life for all.
Indeed life is better today than yesterday. Yesterday we were
struggling for survival. Today we are struggling to improve the
lives of all South Africans.
Today we can complain about the pace of change. We can criticise
ourselves for not eradicating illiteracy, poverty, the bucket
system, landlessness fast enough but nobody can deny that we are
improving the lives of all South Africans.
Nobody can deny that South Africa is a totally different country
than it was even 10 years ago.
Nobody can deny that the ANC and the government have been true to
the words of that young inspiring South African intellectual Pixley
ka Seme and later one of the founding members of the ANC when he
wrote 100 years ago about "The Regeneration of Africa."
He called for Africa’s renewal so that "a new and unique
civilisation" would be added to the world.
Recalling Africa’s pre-colonial past, he argued that: "The
African is not a proletarian in the world of science and art. He
(sic) has precious creations of his own, of ivory, of copper, of
gold, fine, plaited willow-ware, and weapons of superior
workmanship."
He described civilisation as resembling "an organic being in its
development- it is born, it perishes and can propagate itself. More
particularly it resembles a plant, it takes root in the teeming
earth, and when the seeds fall in other soils, new varieties sprout
up."
For him and for many of his generation, Africa was in need of a
regeneration "thoroughly spiritual and humanistic – indeed a
regeneration moral and eternal."
True to its tradition, the ANC has made a commitment to stay the
course and not betray the founding leadership of the
movement.
The leadership of the ANC have sought to bring about a better South
Africa in a better continent and a better world. Thus our national
efforts for a peaceful, prosperous country and winning nation, of
entrenching a human rights culture and strengthening democracy is
also what we have sought for the rest of Africa and for the
world.
Madam Speaker,
The President said in the State of the Nation:
"The Age of Hope and the People’s Season of Joy are upon us."
This is also true of the rest of the continent.
Africa’s regeneration is becoming a living reality for many
African people.
The majority of African people now live under democracies, which
was not the case yesterday.
The Organisation of African Unity of yesterday is now the African
Union (AU) of today and tomorrow who knows we might have a "United
States of Africa" or a different version of integration.
As Antonio Guerrero said in his book, My Altitude: "You will see
the wonder of the world when you give it more love and the most
profound of its splendour when we live in peace."
We are not completely there yet but we are slowly making
progress.
Madame Speaker,
* The African Union continues to make progress. Congo-Brazzaville
has been given the Chair for 2006 and we look forward to working
under their leadership in this regard.
* There is ongoing discussion and action on the political and
economic integration of the continent. In our region, this finds
expression in the timetable we have adopted for the integration of
Southern African Development Community (SADC).
* In the area of peacekeeping and conflict resolution, progress has
been made notably in Burundi, Liberia and Sudan, North and South,
all of which are now engaged in the processes of post conflict
reconstruction.
* Burundi has a new democratic government.
* Liberian people have entrusted their hard earned peace to a woman
who is the 1st female elected President on our continent –
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
* In Guinea Bissau, a progressive government is now in place and
constitutional order restored.
* Elections are to take place in April in the Comoros, which will
constitute a transfer of power in terms of the Fomboni agreement, *
Elections are planned for both the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) and Cote d’Ivoire in 2006. South Africa continues to
support peace processes in the Ivory Coast.
Patrice Lumumba’s "profound trust in the destiny of his
country" was not misplaced. "History" he said "will have its
say."
But much as we celebrate these advances, those of us involved in
the daily struggles to make our continent a better place know that
it will not be easy to attain our objectives. This is why we will
not shy away from acknowledging and confronting the challenges
still facing our continent.
Problems do remain:
* the Ethiopian – Eritrean border dispute
* the situation in Darfur, Sudan.
* the situation in Somalia.
These will continue to preoccupy the African continent and South
Africa will continue to play its role within the African
Union.
Madam Speaker,
Indeed today is better than yesterday.
An average African economic growth rate of 5.1% was registered in
2004 and similar levels in 2005.
Whilst South Africa is going to implement the Accelerated Shared
Growth Initiative (ASGISA) to achieve 6% growth, Africa as a whole
is implementing the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development.
Africa is on the steady but sure path to its regeneration. Its
women are on the move. There are no positions that are taboo for
them. Presidents, Deputy Presidents, Premiers, Speakers, Judges,
Academics, Engineers, Doctors and Entrepreneurs.
Madame Speaker,
South Africa has also continued to contribute to a world of hope
and peace, free of racism, sexism and poverty. A world free of
weapons of mass destruction.
We believe in a nuclear free world.
South Africa, as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) board of Governors, has been pre-occupied with the question
of the implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran for about
three years. We have engaged with concerned parties to find a
peaceful and long-term sustainable solution within the IAEA.
The IAEA has been working to correct the past failures of Iran and
clarify various outstanding issues. The Director General of the
Agency, Dr El Baradhei, is due to present an updated assessment of
the progress to date to the scheduled meeting of the Board in
March.
We have recently experienced a regrettable turn of events:
Iran’s decision to withdraw two of its voluntary, non-legally
binding confidence measures has resulted in the EU3/EU initiating
decisions by a vote of Board members in September 2005, and again
last week to report the matter to the United Nations (UN) Security
Council.
South Africa has always worked for consensus decisions by the Board
(and since 1995, we joined the Board, these are the only two
decisions adopted by vote).
During last week’s meeting, members of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) and several others agreed that a report could be
sent to the Security Council in March after consideration by the
Board of Governors. Consensus was within our grasp but the sponsors
of the resolution insisted on sending "… all IAEA reports
and resolutions: to the Security Council now. This decision has in
turn led Iran to withdraw all its voluntary confidence building
measures including the Additional Protocol (which it was
implementing as if it had been ratified).
This decision also means that Iran may resume its enrichment
programme though it remains committed to the Safeguards Agreement
and retains its membership of the NPT.
South Africa believes that the matter can be resolved through
negotiations and dialogue within the IAEA, which has the necessary
competence and expertise to address this issue. We therefore appeal
to all parties not act in a hasty manner that can increase tension
and confrontation but to await the Director-General’s (DG)
report next month.
The Board should be allowed to consider the DG’s Report and
thereafter convey to the UN Security Council and General Assembly
the Report together with its own conclusions.
Madam Speaker,
As we celebrate this Age of Hope and the People’s Season of
Joy, let us not forget the people of Palestine and Western Sahara
struggling for self-determination. Let us hope that the Quartet,
the people of Israel and Palestine, will get to the two stage
solution as spelt out in the Road Map.
We shall spare no effort in making sure that the UN of tomorrow
should be better than the UN of today. Through the G77 and China
and the Non-Aligned Movement we shall use our collective strength
to achieve a reformed United Nations.
In conclusion (in the words of Ben Okri in The Famished Road): "The
road will never swallow you. The river of your destiny will always
overcome evil. May you understand your fate. Suffering will never
destroy you, but will make you stronger. Success will never confuse
you or scatter your spirit, but will make you fly higher into the
good sunlight. Your life will always surprise you."
If we remember that the ANC has always been the hope of this
country and the agent of progressive change, indeed the road will
never swallow us and we will see the most profound of its splendour
as we live in peace.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
8 February 2006
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