HAVANA, 16 OCTOBER 2000
Mr President
Distinguished Guests
It is with the greatest sense of honour and humility that I accept the Honourary Citizenship of the City of Havana you have just bestowed on me. For me it symbolises the strong bond that exists between the peoples of Cuba and South Africa. It formalises what has been demonstrated practically for many decades that the peoples of the two countries are one.
The relationship between the peoples of Cuba and South Africa has its roots in the unflinching solidarity that has been displayed for many years by the people of Cuba. This relationship continues to grow stronger in spite of a relentless campaign waged by powerful forces to isolate Cuba from the rest of the world.
South Africa will forever be grateful for what the Cuban people have done for its people and their continued support during the reconstruction phase.
Not only did the Cuban people provide material support and moral support to the course of our struggle for national liberation, but they understood very well that once we attained political power we would still be faced with a huge challenge of reconstructing and developing our country.
Many South Africans, particularly those living in the rural areas who have suffered very many years of apartheid neglect good stories on how the services of the Cuban doctors who work in South Africa has impacted on their lives.
Many young South Africans have been afforded an opportunity to study at Cuban medical schools. The 186 students who are currently studying at four medical schools here will benefit from the excellent training that Cuban institutions offer. This will increase the possibility for many more South Africans to receive primary health care.
South African youth will also benefit from yet another opportunity to study at the new International School of Sports and Physical Education.
One of the things that Gauteng Province in particular can also learn from Cuba is how it has managed to develop the tourism industry. Today tourism in Cuba is one of the main if not the highest contributor to the country’s GDP.
As Cuba itself is going through challenging times we are duty bound as South Africans to lend a helping hand to ensure that the efforts by the Cuban people to develop their economy are successful.
We have already started doing some work to identify areas for possible co-operation in the fields such as mining, medical technology and tourism.
We continue to encourage South African companies to invest their money in the development of the Cuban economy. Some of the South African companies have already responded positively to our calls and have started doing some work here. More will be joining them.
Cuba’s efforts to develop its economy continue to be undermined by the USA blockade against it. As long as the blockade stays in place some of the people who may have wanted to invest their money in the Cuban economy might find themselves in a difficult situation where they fall foul to America’s selfish laws.
Cuba, under the leadership of President Fidel Castro has already demonstrated that it is capable of dealing with the current economic challenges it faces, and does not need to be lectured to by another country on what to do.
We remain unflinching in our support for the total unconditional lifting of the USA blockade against Cuba.
Cuba’s track record and long history of international solidarity as evidenced by its moral and material support for the struggles of the African peoples makes it a true partner in the ongoing efforts by developing countries to participate fully in shaping the new world order.
Together the peoples of Cuba and South Africa must continue to seek common strategies to ensure that the problems afflicting developing countries such as hunger, poverty, illiteracy and epidemic diseases receive serious and urgent attention by rich countries.
Issued by: Office of the Premier
Issued by Thabo Masebe
Gauteng Premier's spokesperson