Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
29 January 2001
A multi-party delegation consisting of six members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security visited Germany from 21-26 January 2001 on invitation of the German government. The purpose of the visit was to enhance existing bilateral co-operation in the field of safety and security, as well as to learn from the German experience in terms of dealing with crime, border control and other related issues. The delegation was led by the chairperson of the committee, Mr Mluleki George (ANC).
The delegation had fruitful discussions with the German Parliamentary State Secretary of Interior Affairs, Mr Fritz-Rudolf Koerper, as well as with their German parliamentary counterparts under chairpersonship of Ms Ute Vogt (SPD).
Discussions included the following issues:
The South African and German governments have recently initiated the introduction of new joint mechanisms to increase bilateral co-operation in this field within the framework of the annual South African-German Binational Commission (BNC).
Commenting on the success of the visit, Mr George and his delegation indicated that they were especially impressed by the general level of competency of the German police force and stated that co-operation between the two countries in this area should be further intensified to maximise mutual benefit.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs on Behalf of The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security