Date: 28/04/2004
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: 80th birthday of Kenneth Kaunda
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA, KENNETH KAUNDA, JOHANNESBURG, 28 April 2004
Your Excellency Former President Kaunda
Your Excellency President Chissano of Mozambique and Chairperson of the African Union
Your Excellency President Mwanawasa of Zambia
Excellencies Heads of State and Government
Ministers, Deputy Ministers present
Premier Mbhazima Shilowa
Members of the ANC National Executive Committee
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Distinguished guests
Comrades and Friends
It is a great honour and privilege for me to address you today on this historic occasion when we celebrate 80th birthday of one of the greatest sons and leaders to have been produced by our continent.
Your Excellency, it is such a wonderful coincidence that your birthday is celebrated during the period of the celebrations of our 10 years of freedom, as well as the inauguration of our President. This is indicative of how closely tied our country is to President Kaunda and our sister country, Zambia.
Our transition to democracy owes a lot to the contribution that President Kaunda made personally and the role that the Zambian people played to ensure that South Africa was finally liberated.
When we celebrate the 80th birthday of President Kaunda, we are deeply moved and correctly so, since we also remember our days in exile, the early days when the ANC was isolated. The warm welcome and hospitality that we received from the Zambian government and its people was important. It encouraged and inspired us to fight even harder against the scourge of apartheid.
The support we received is yet to be recorded for posterity, so that all our children may know the role Zambia played in freeing their country.
Let me reiterate that it is particularly important for us as South Africans to celebrate your birthday with you Comrade President because the role you played in our own liberation struggle is immeasurable.
As we celebrate 10 years of freedom we recall that when we first tested the readiness of the apartheid regime to negotiate with us, it was at the Presidential Guest House of President Kaunda where we first met with delegations from South Africa's business people and other sectors of South African society.
When we moved towards negotiations with the apartheid regime you supported that initiative, and did not put pressure on ANC to adopt a settlement at all cost.
Your took a principled stand and backed our demands as spelt out in the Harare Declaration, and this support was crucial at the OAU which adopted those guidelines as preconditions for negotiations.
Your name, therefore, Mr President will always be synonymous with that of freedom and liberation of Africa, particularly Southern Africa.
As we celebrate your birthday we also remember other heroes and leaders who led the struggle to liberate our people but who are no longer with us, such as Julius Nyerere, Agostinho Neto, Samora Machel and Patrice Lumumba to mention a few.
We also appreciate the role you personally continue to play today in Africa, that of being an elder statesman who contributes in peaceful resolutions of conflicts in Africa, and in the fight against HIV and AIDS to mention a few endeavours.
We say today to you this evening, as the people of South Africa, we honour you, salute you and thank you, for having been a light and source of strength during our difficult times, and for having offered us your hand of friendship and generosity of spirit, when we needed it most.
Congratulations on your 80th birthday!
And may you have many more!
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
28 April 2004
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: 80th birthday of Kenneth Kaunda
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA, KENNETH KAUNDA, JOHANNESBURG, 28 April 2004
Your Excellency Former President Kaunda
Your Excellency President Chissano of Mozambique and Chairperson of the African Union
Your Excellency President Mwanawasa of Zambia
Excellencies Heads of State and Government
Ministers, Deputy Ministers present
Premier Mbhazima Shilowa
Members of the ANC National Executive Committee
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Distinguished guests
Comrades and Friends
It is a great honour and privilege for me to address you today on this historic occasion when we celebrate 80th birthday of one of the greatest sons and leaders to have been produced by our continent.
Your Excellency, it is such a wonderful coincidence that your birthday is celebrated during the period of the celebrations of our 10 years of freedom, as well as the inauguration of our President. This is indicative of how closely tied our country is to President Kaunda and our sister country, Zambia.
Our transition to democracy owes a lot to the contribution that President Kaunda made personally and the role that the Zambian people played to ensure that South Africa was finally liberated.
When we celebrate the 80th birthday of President Kaunda, we are deeply moved and correctly so, since we also remember our days in exile, the early days when the ANC was isolated. The warm welcome and hospitality that we received from the Zambian government and its people was important. It encouraged and inspired us to fight even harder against the scourge of apartheid.
The support we received is yet to be recorded for posterity, so that all our children may know the role Zambia played in freeing their country.
Let me reiterate that it is particularly important for us as South Africans to celebrate your birthday with you Comrade President because the role you played in our own liberation struggle is immeasurable.
As we celebrate 10 years of freedom we recall that when we first tested the readiness of the apartheid regime to negotiate with us, it was at the Presidential Guest House of President Kaunda where we first met with delegations from South Africa's business people and other sectors of South African society.
When we moved towards negotiations with the apartheid regime you supported that initiative, and did not put pressure on ANC to adopt a settlement at all cost.
Your took a principled stand and backed our demands as spelt out in the Harare Declaration, and this support was crucial at the OAU which adopted those guidelines as preconditions for negotiations.
Your name, therefore, Mr President will always be synonymous with that of freedom and liberation of Africa, particularly Southern Africa.
As we celebrate your birthday we also remember other heroes and leaders who led the struggle to liberate our people but who are no longer with us, such as Julius Nyerere, Agostinho Neto, Samora Machel and Patrice Lumumba to mention a few.
We also appreciate the role you personally continue to play today in Africa, that of being an elder statesman who contributes in peaceful resolutions of conflicts in Africa, and in the fight against HIV and AIDS to mention a few endeavours.
We say today to you this evening, as the people of South Africa, we honour you, salute you and thank you, for having been a light and source of strength during our difficult times, and for having offered us your hand of friendship and generosity of spirit, when we needed it most.
Congratulations on your 80th birthday!
And may you have many more!
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
28 April 2004
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