South Africa’s Parliament on Monday committed to strengthen relations with other Parliaments in Africa to ensure a lasting solution to the challenges facing the continent, including the current coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Africa Day is intended to honour and recognise the progress that the continent has made, whilst reflecting upon the common challenges that it faces in a global environment.

This year marks 57 years since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963, later succeeded by the African Union (AU), and the date is being commemorated during this most challenging time of tackling the global outbreak of Covid-19.

In support of the AU’s initiatives for a peaceful resolution to conflicts in Africa, Parliament is hosting a virtual public lecture today. The theme of the lecture is: “Silencing the Guns: Creating conditions for Africa’s development to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa”.

The AU embraced this theme to realise the goal of a conflict-free Africa. The theme also speaks to ending gender-based violence and violence against children.

The AU has described Covid-19 as a pandemic requiring the coordinated efforts of its member States, the World Health Organisation, and other partners to limit transmission and harm.

Parliament's presiding officers in a statement said that South Africa is an integral part of Africa and her national interest is fundamentally linked to the stability, unity and prosperity of the continent.

“The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa supports the AU’s initiatives for a prosperous Africa based on good governance, strengthened democracy, peace, stability, and respect for human rights. Parliament also supports a people-driven Africa, relying on the potential of her people especially its women, youth and children. Though significant strides have been achieved in realising these initiatives, so much more still needs to be done,” the statement said.

According to the AU’s Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, as at 24 May 2020, 54 AU reporting member States had reported 107 412 cases of Covid-19, with 3 246 deaths and 42 626 recoveries.

South Africa has been in lockdown since 27 March following the announcement of the National State of Disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa in an effort to curb a rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The presiding officers said: “We support the united efforts by African governments against the pandemic, through the AU, which includes the fundraising drive to strengthen the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.”

“Coronavirus is primarily a human tragedy and a health crisis that is affecting countries around the world, presenting an unprecedented challenge which can overwhelm any healthcare system. In this regard, the battle can only be won through the implementation of aggressive measures aimed at containing the spread of this virus,” they added.

The presiding officers pointed out that the major side effect of the Covid-19 lockdown is that many countries across the continent are reporting an increase in cases of gender-based violence, as well as violence against children.

“This crisis increases as access to resources and service delivery become more strained due to economic inactivity, compounded by the deep-seated poverty, unemployment and inequality. It thus becomes vital that efforts to flatten the curve of the virus are linked to and integrated across the oversight and legislative programmes and activities of Parliament,” they highlighted.