Honourable Speaker, Honourable President,

On behalf of the Freedom Front Plus I wish to congratulate Minister Dlamini-Zuma on her election as African Union Commission Chair.

Her election is for her personally and for South Africa a special achievement as a daughter of KwaZulu-Natal. Her new position has never been held by a Southern African region in the past 49 years.

Her election is also important for Africa. I believe Africa’s largest struggle is a struggle to regain its self-respect and its dignity internationally. Mrs. Dlamini-Zuma’s election is an important step to release Africa finally from French and other colonial powers. Now success has to follow.

Minister Dlamini-Zuma will be driving the African Union Commission’s primary mission of African integration and development in collaboration with AU member states. It is a gigantic task to get more than 50 African states to cooperate. If Minister Dlamini-Zuma considers the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights, and the African Cultural Charter, she will notice that it is also her duty to promote African languages and to protect minorities. Many discussion and many bridges will have to be built between people. But her task of larger integration in Africa does not only demand building bridges between people of Africa, but also real bridges and roads because without this infra-structure, cooperation and success in Africa is not possible.

Former President Mbeki said: “To be an African is not to have a second address.” Supporters of the FF Plus in South Africa also do not have a second address and are prepared to make a contribution toward success of our continent. Many of them are at present busy in Africa making a contribution in the areas of agriculture, communication and development areas. Africa has 400 million hectares of uncultivated agricultural land but spends $20 billion annually on importing food. This can and must be changed.

In the previous century we had a European scramble for Africa. After 1960 it was a scramble from Africa. But we are again entering a scramble period where non-African countries are trying to obtain Africa’s minerals and agricultural potential. Investments in Africa are necessary but Minister Dlamini-Zuma will have to lead Africa to not again become the victim of non-African powers which only plunder and does not put anything back in Africa.