It is my privilege to welcome His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu and the  
delegation of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star to Durban, KwaZulu  
Natal. I wish to thank His Holiness for taking time during this visit  
to the Republic of South Africa to come and see me, to renew the  
friendship we began last year when His Holiness graciously conferred a  
Leadership Award on me on his visit to South Africa last year, that  
was our first meeting.  Our Christian Fellowship and friendship was  
further cemented when I had the privilege to attend His Excellency's  
birthday in Calabar, in the state of Cross River in Nigeria, in  
December last year.  I also wish to state Your Holiness that your  
Ambassador, Ambassador Ogar Osim, keeps us constantly in touch with  
Your Holiness' office and with the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.

I have, since then, had the privilege of hosting a prayer meeting in  
Johannesburg for members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star from  
across South Africa, who were called upon by His Holiness to pray for  
me and for the IFP. That was in April this year. Several things have  
happened in our country since that meeting which have increased my  
Party's concern for the state of our nation. We therefore welcome the  
opportunity to pray together again.

There is a lot that our two countries share in common.  We share the  
spectre of violence, that is religious and political violence.  Just  
today some of our leaders, who should have been here to enjoy the  
privilege of being in Your Holiness' presence, are burying our ward  
Councillor Thembokwakhe Xulu who was murdered in this city on Friday.   
And even before we buried him, our other leader Mr Bongani Lushaba was  
murdered again with an AK 47 rifle not far from this city.  Other  
political parties have also lost their leaders in this city and  
Province in what are clearly political assassinations.  Our countries  
are also faced with the scourge of corruption.  We clearly need a lot  
of prayers to have peace in this country.

Today, let us pray not only for South Africa, but for the Federal  
Republic of Nigeria, for we are brothers and sisters on this continent  
and our destinies are somehow shared. Both our countries have vast  
potentials, yet both need faithful prayer warriors to see us through  
the challenges that exist.

I think of how Nigeria is listed as one of the Next Eleven countries  
which, along with the BRICs, have the potential of becoming the  
world's largest economies in the 21st century. In part, you achieved  
this rating based on the quality of education in Nigeria.

In South Africa, we are suffering a severe crisis in education. Our  
education system has been ranked among the world's worst. In terms of  
the 2011/2012 World Competitiveness Report, South Africa's economy is  
able to compete with the best in the world in some respects, such as  
the strength of auditing and reporting standards, and our legal  
framework. But we are dragged down by the very low ratings in terms of  
our maths and science education and the quality of primary education.

I have been a champion of education all my life. During Apartheid,  
when the liberation movement encouraged our disenfranchised youth to  
vandalise schools, disrupt classes and burn down classrooms, I sent a  
different call throughout KwaZulu. I recognised education as a tool  
for liberation. I saw knowledge as leverage, not only to unseat  
oppression, but to build the democracy our children would inherit.  
Throughout KwaZulu, we rallied under the banner, "Education For  
Liberation". We kept our disenfranchised youth in school and prepared  
them to become competent and fully empowered citizens.

I suspect that some of the troubles we face today in South Africa's  
education system are a legacy of relegating education to a place of  
secondary importance. There is, of course, the legacy of Bantu  
education, whereby a minority regime sought to keep the black majority  
in ignorance. They felt that drawers of water and hewers of wood  
should not aspire to learning more than is needed to draw water and  
hew wood. Thus very little was provided for the majority in terms of  
schools, textbooks and teachers.

But I think our liberation movement made a mistake in saying  
"Liberation First, Education Later". The result of this is a  
generation that undervalues education. One of the most popular youth  
leaders of the ruling ANC received widespread support despite his poor  
grasp on issues in the public discourse. He assured our country's  
youth that one did not need schooling to become a political leader,  
and he went on to embarrass both our country and his Party to such a  
degree that they expelled him. He has, unfortunately, not exited the  
public arena.

In fact, he is driving an initiative to see our country's President  
unseated in the coming elective conference of the ANC, so that the  
President can be replaced at the helm of our Republic. He has charged  
the President with being "an illiterate leader of a banana republic".  
This level of political discourse reflects a country in which  
education is not as highly prized as it ought to be.

Despite our Government's constant assurances that education is a  
priority on the national agenda, we have schools without textbooks  
seven months into the year, we have teachers who go on strike  
abandoning their classrooms, and we have millions of Rands unspent,  
although allocated to redressing the persistence of mud-hut schools.

I raise these issues on an occasion like this merely to highlight how  
desperately South Africa needs prayer. Prayer remains one of our  
greatest resources to effect change in this world. I learned this  
truth from my mother, who imparted to me an understanding of the  
scriptures and placed in my heart a love of the Bible.

As a young man, I acknowledged Jesus Christ as my Saviour, Redeemer  
and Lord, and was confirmed in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa  
under Bishop Alphaeus Zulu. That was at St Faith's Church, here in  
Durban. In the almost seven decades since that day, I have held fast  
to my faith and my conviction that God has called me to further His  
Kingdom through the service of His people.

Thus all I have done throughout my life has been done with the  
intention of establishing God's Kingdom here on earth. I believe that  
when the sick are healed, God's Kingdom comes. When the hungry are  
nourished, the homeless are housed, the downtrodden are represented  
and the hopeless are encouraged, God's Kingdom comes. More than any of  
this, when anyone hears and receives the gospel, the prayer of Christ  
is fulfilled when He said, "May your Kingdom come, on earth as it is  
in Heaven."

It therefore pains me to hear of Christians still experiencing  
persecution anywhere in the world. I have been saddened by reports  
from the North of Nigeria of Christians being massacred by Boko Haram.  
I understand that this year alone some 700 Christians have been  
attacked. I sympathise with you, my brothers and sisters, for although  
your church is in the South, there must be a sense of trepidation  
among all Christians in Nigeria. Let us pray for the safety of  
Christians, wherever they may be.

I thank God that in South Africa freedom of religion is a fundamental  
right enshrined in our Constitution. We are a diverse nation,  
consisting of many different cultures, religions and backgrounds. The  
mere fact that we have eleven official languages speaks of the  
diversity of our people. It is quite amazing, all things considered,  
that we enjoy such religious tolerance as we live side by side.  
Perhaps it is because we live side by side, because we have had  
opportunity to develop an understanding of one another as human  
beings, that we accept our differences.

Nevertheless, research has shown that South Africans of all races feel  
a certain amount of anxiety over perceived threats to their traditions  
and culture, because of the influence of other races. There is a fair  
amount of distrust among our people. Thus there are often barriers to  
overcome and bridges to build before South Africans truly accept one  
another.

My Party, the IFP, believes in inclusiveness. From its very inception  
the IFP refused to speak about enemies, but only about fellow South  
Africans. We strongly opposed the policy of separate development  
forged by the Apartheid Government. Indeed, when former President FW  
de Klerk testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he  
admitted that my rejection of nominal independence for KwaZulu forced  
his regime to abandon the idea of separate development.

I remain grateful to African leaders who supported my work during our  
struggle for political liberation. During the dark days of Apartheid,  
President Olusegun Obasanjo involved himself in the struggle of South  
Africa. The end of oppression was of paramount importance to him.

This is not because Nigeria had no problems of its own to keep his  
attention. After all, he took over the administration of Nigeria as  
Head of State at a very sad time, when General Murtala Mohammed was  
assassinated. But he felt solidarity for the cause of freedom.

I was always deeply impressed by President Obasanjo's astute reading  
of politics in South Africa, and grateful to him for recognizing the  
value of my role. I recall that on the very day Transkei received its  
so-called independence, I was in Lagos delivering a lecture at the  
Institute for International Affairs, at the instance of the then  
General Obasanjo- Head of State of Nigeria. Through the Embassy, he  
had generously sent plane tickets for me, and for my wife, Princess  
Irene, and my two aides. This enabled me to physically distance myself  
from the policy of independence a la Pretoria, which I rejected for  
KwaZulu.

President Obasanjo knew that both our liberation cause and our  
country's future depended on unity within the liberation movement. He  
therefore made efforts to bring together the Head of the ANC's  
mission-in-exile, Mr Oliver Tambo, and myself as the President of  
Inkatha yeNkululeko yeSizwe.

On one occasion, in 1976, he arranged for Mr Tambo to travel to Lagos,  
without my knowledge, to coincide with my own visit, so that the three  
of us could talk. For whatever reason, Mr Tambo was delayed and I was  
informed that the  Head of State General Obasanjo wished for me to  
extend my visit. In the end, Mr Tambo arrived just as I was leaving,  
and we had a brief meeting at the airport in Lagos.

I retain great respect for former President Obasanjo. To my mind,  
there is no one who more clearly personifies the principle that Africa  
is indivisible. His deep concern for South Africa during our  
liberation struggle sprang from an understanding that, for as long as  
any section of this continent was oppressed, Africa could not credibly  
talk about being free.

Moving forward into the future, I am well aware that the prosperity  
and security of every country in Africa will affect the prosperity and  
security of us all. Last week, Nigeria celebrated 52 years of  
independence. The speech of President Goodluck Jonathan gave us  
insight into the state of the nation, and we must congratulate Nigeria  
on many successes.

However, I have already noted that your country, like ours, is  
struggling with the scourge of corruption. This is an issue close to  
my heart, for I recognise corruption as a cancer that can destroy not  
only an economy, but the spiritual and psychological wellbeing of a  
people.

Last month the IFP joined hands with every opposition party  
represented in Parliament to form a Coalition Against Corruption. It  
is unprecedented for our opposition to work together like this and  
speak with one voice. But on this issue, we stand united.

My brothers and sisters, when we pray, let us constantly bring this  
before the throne of God. Let us pray that God will turn hearts away  
from corrupt desires and change the minds of those who would engage in  
corruption. Let us pray for the restoration of integrity in  
leadership, and uphold the principles of honesty, transparency and  
accountability.

I have held leadership positions for more than six decades. During  
that time I have constantly guarded against abusing my power. I have  
held to the teaching of the Apostle Paul who exhorted the Believers in  
Thessalonica to avoid even the appearance of evil. Thus if something  
seems wrong, it is best to steer clear, lest we lead ourselves or  
others into sin.

With these words, I shall close my remarks. Let me thank His Holiness  
again for coming to Durban to pay a courtesy visit on me and other  
leaders of the IFP. We trust that your visit to South Africa will be  
fruitful and pleasant, and that you will take home fond memories of  
our fellowship. Thank you for honouring the IFP and for recognising  
our role in the history and the future of South Africa. We sincerely  
appreciate your support.