Date: 30/09/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Interfaith Conference for Peace in Africa


ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT ZUMA TO INTERFAITH CONFERENCE FOR PEACE IN AFRICA, Johannesburg, 30 September 2003

The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation,
The National Religious Leaders Forum,
Representatives of the religious community,
Distinguished participants,

Thank you for affording me the opportunity to once again meet with you to discuss this central question of peace and harmony in our continent.

Let me begin by welcoming all of you, especially our visitors, on behalf of President Mbeki and our government. President Mbeki could unfortunately not be with you today as he is attending a conference in Japan, to discuss ways of supporting economic and social development in the continent.

Brothers and sisters, the achievement of peace and stability within the continent is a matter that is central to our goals of achieving the African Renaissance.

We are fortunately of one mind, as governments and the interfaith community within the Southern African region and the continent as a whole, regarding the need for achieving peace and stability in the continent.

Your last meeting in October last year charted the way forward regarding this mammoth task of working for peace. You committed yourselves at that conference to embracing the gift of peace and genuine interfaith dialogue and co-operation in Africa.

You noted as well that you make this commitment inspired by the teachings of the various religions and religious traditions. Your affirmation that Africa is a continent of hope, and a continent of faith, served to encourage us all.

We agree with you wholeheartedly. We also believe that we need to achieve more than peace. We need to attain the goal of human security - peace that goes beyond the important security of the State to also achieve the security and safety of ordinary citizens.

The doctrine of human security also calls for the provision of basic needs of the people, for example access to shelter, water, electricity, education, health and other services. This leads to the creation of conditions in which peace would be sustainable.

It is through this quest for a comprehensive solution to African problems that the New Partnership for Africa's Development was conceptualised.

This programme of the African Union (AU) seeks to address the goals of peace and security, good governance, sustainable economic development and generally to eradicate poverty and suffering. It has gone beyond being a plan now as there are concrete development projects as well as governance projects that are being implemented.

Brothers and sisters, we are all working to achieve peace and stability, as we are aware that the normalisation of living conditions would lead to the rebuilding of institutions and structures, which had either been destroyed by violence, or whose development had been arrested by violence.

This includes social institutions such as the family, which is the rock upon which communities and nations are founded.

Peace also produces the conditions for the establishment of strong states, with governments that are selected by the people democratically, which would meet the basic needs of the people.

The resolution of many conflicts in the continent already is an indicator that peace is an achievable goal. We can count Mozambique, Angola, and also areas where work is in progress to establish normality such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sudan and others.

Our own experience in South Africa is also another example of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, and the victory of peace and harmony over internecine conflict. These examples should make us optimistic.

I would like to emphasise that we should not expect governments to work towards peace and stability alone. This is a multisectoral task, requiring every stakeholder within African society - the religious sector, labour, business and other structures of civil society.

The religious community has an even bigger role to play, especially given the fact that you reach millions of people each day or week. You are in a position to spread the message of peace and harmony, give the victims of violence hope, and guide belligerents to realise that it is possible to stop war and begin to reconstruct their own lives and their countries.

Within our own government, conflict prevention, management and resolution are one of the key priorities, and these matters are at the heart of government policy.

We are determined to continue working hard to support the AU as the principal continental organisation responsible for ensuring peace and stability within the continent.

The AU is currently in the process of establishing the Peace and Security Council, which is expected to play a key role in working towards peace and stability.

The AU is also working on producing early warning systems to be based at the headquarters in Addis Ababa as well as the headquarters of the Regional Economic Communities. The early warning system is expected to develop an early warning module, which shall be used to analyse developments within the continent and to recommend the best course of action.

You would also be aware of the pending establishment of an African Standby Force. It will make the Peace and Security Council to perform its responsibilities relating to the deployment of peace support missions. Member states are expected to take steps to establish standby contingents for participation in these missions.

By July this year, 15 member states had signed and ratified the Protocol establishing the Peace and Security Council (PSC). The Maputo AU Summit this year emphasised the urgency of the establishment of the PSC and urged member states that had not ratified the Protocol to do so.

While moving rather slower than anticipated, we believe the way forward is clear with regards to what African governments are doing. We are therefore pleased that civil society, particularly the faith community, is equally working at making Africa a conflict-free zone.

You would be aware ladies and gentlemen of our peace efforts in a number of countries, including Burundi. A meeting was held in Tanzania early this month, attempting to among other things conclude a power sharing agreement among the signatories of the December 2002 accord.

We are pleased that the Transitional Government of Burundi and the armed movement the CNDD-FDD have come closer to finding each other on this matter, although a conclusion was not reached at the last meeting. We are working on convening another session of talks soon to bring the two parties together to iron out outstanding issues.

The religious community has played a key role in working for peace in some of the conflict-ridden areas in the Great Lakes region, for example in Burundi. We humbly request you to assist our efforts through ministering to the signatories of the ceasefire agreements signed last year, to strengthen their faith in the peace process and boost implementation efforts.

At the same time, some members of the religious community are not assisting the peace process, for example the leader of the Palipehutu-FNL in Burundi, Agathon Rwasa, who is a minister of religion. His movement has so far not joined the ceasefire process. Your assistance in reaching out to leaders and movements such as the Palipehutu-FNL would be an immense contribution to the peace process.

I must at this juncture also applaud the support shown by the South African Council of Churches, which sent a delegation to Burundi last year. This indicated that the religious community is aware of its critical role in these matters.

The people of Burundi deserve peace. The remarkable progress made already in this peace process gives us optimism that nothing will stand in the way of absolute peace and stability.

I am sure we have your support and good wishes in that endeavour.

Brothers and sisters, let me wish you all the best as you deliberate and seek solutions to such a complex challenge.

We look forward to receiving the resolutions of this conference, to assist us in taking the campaign of peace forward.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
30 September 2003