STATEMENT BY DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS DURING THE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON THE BUDGET OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs

8 May 2001

Madam Speaker
Honourable Members

As the Minister and various speakers indicated, the current global system is characterised by the restructuring of international organisations and institutions in order to meet the challenges of globalisation. Equally, the Department of Foreign Affairs has had to restructure and transfer itself to deal with broadened responsibilities and greater challenges that we have to tackle.

The department embarked on and made progress on several transformation initiatives at different levels [concrete details are available]. It is clear that in order to fulfil and contribute effectively to our challenges and obligations, we need to have more capacity in terms of resources both human and financial as well as diverse representativity reflective of South Africa's society. These are integral aspects of the departments restructuring and transformation.

We have developed a four-year strategic plan with specific priorities for 2001. The Strategic Plan would ensure that the implementation of South Africa's foreign policy objectives is conducted in a co-ordinated and integrated way, it also forms the basis on which business plans of all the units of the Department and Performance Management Agreements have been developed. Ultimately, this process will culminate in more efficient service delivery by the Department and a sharpened focus on the attainment of the country's foreign policy objectives.

As the Minister said, the Department of Foreign Affairs lacks sufficient capacity to discharge its continental and global responsibilities. Although substantial progress have been made in transformation there are still shortcomings that needs to addressed. We believe that greater priority must be given to human resource development and performance management.

An important component of government's broad reconstruction has been the shift towards co-ordinated governance through the cluster system. The Cabinet cluster of International Relations, Peace and Security (IRPS), has developed a long-term four-year strategic plan. It constitutes the high level objectives, priorities, strategies and action plans. The Cluster also produced the 2001 strategic priorities, which include the political, security, development and co-operation issues. This also incorporates the programmes of action as well as the key departments responsible for its implementation. The IRPS Cluster has also instituted mechanisms to monitor and guide on the successful delivery of the agreed programmes. It is important that the relevant portfolio committees and Parliament are continuously seized with these developments. It is in this spirit of the integrated approach of Government that an Early Warning Centre has been established. This Centre will increase South Africa's capacity to respond to the ever-changing world's demands and meet peace and security obligations.

As the challenges of our foreign relations grow, so does the need to expand our operations abroad. Missions in Tripoli and Kigali are presently being established, and several other centres have been identified where South African representation is essential to expand and develop political, economic, social and cultural relations. The short to medium term strategy of government is to further increase South Africa's presence in Africa and in the regions of the South. This will enhance the declared objectives of MAP. The Department is also completing an initiative that will ensure that a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the Department's capability needs is tabled and addressed.

Madam Speaker Honourable Members

The institutional and organisational changes we make in South Africa and internationally will fail if we don't seriously accept our patriotic responsibilities.

Mr Cronje, Chairman of ABSA wrote in the Business Day dated 27/10/2000: " Today, internationally Afro-pessimism is a reality. Who is responsible for this? Some South Africans too often market their country as the basket case of the world. Some South Africans publicly extol the values of South Africa, only to inform listeners privately of the deep concerns about "the way things are going".

The only way to begin addressing Afro-pessimism is to start selling South Africa for the remarkable success that it is.

Business leaders can not expect international investment if they are not willing to invest themselves. Business confidence relies on the degree of positive messaging and marketing to maintain a positive psyche.

Why is our society so convinced that things can only get worse?"

A successful foreign policy strategy demands that we answer Cronje's questions. Why do some of us consistently orchestrate the theme "that things can only get worse".

It is worth recalling that 8 years ago our country was on the verge of one of the world's worst racial conflicts. Thanks to the far-sighted political leadership and humanity of all South Africans we astounded the world and gave birth to a democratic South Africa.

Today, we can proudly proclaim that South Africa has taken giant strides in consolidating our non-racial and non-sexist democracy and tackling the legacies of the past. This does not mean that we do not have to do much more. However, those who are objective and honest have to admit that the government is succeeding in creating a caring and people-centred society. Despite what the DA says, SA is becoming a winning nation.

Mr Cronje of ABSA reflected the view of many when he said "Government borrowing is down, inflation is under control, monetary policy appears to be in safe and competent hands, the needs of disadvantaged communities are being addressed more actively than at any time in our history, personal and corporate tax have been reduced. Exchange controls have effectively been removed for the vast majority of South Africans and the economy is growing close to a rate not seen since the gold boom in the 80's.

The latest world competitive report has found that South Africa is now one of the world's top performers in industrial electrical supply costs, cost of living index, telecommunications investment, effective personal income tax rate, public expenditure on education.

We were ranked above major players such as the USA, Japan, Britain, France and Germany.

The Financial Mail (27th April) noted that the positive FM reported two weeks ago that South Africa's economy was better than one thought. It quoted a report from a UK research firm Investment Strategy which sketched a glowing picture of SA, exhorting investors to go long on equities and the rand.

The report further notes - along the lines of other bullish commentaries - the healthy state of many of SA's economic fundamentals.

Such positive sentiments have been expressed by almost all major world leaders and multilateral institutions.

It is vital that all South Africans including the DA accept this reality and reflect a new patriotism and become ambassadors projecting the image of South Africa as a winning nation. The positive surely outweighs the negative.

It is for this reason that the President established the International Marketing Council (IMC), representing some of the top experts in the field of marketing and business, etc and relevant government departments to advise government on improving South Africa's image abroad.

Unfortunately this is not an easy task. The problem lies not in the abilities of government or other structures involved, but sadly with, as Cronje said, South Africans projecting SA as a so-called basket case. These are the people wanting to deny the enormous progress we have made, the possibilities our country offers or the significant returns investing in our country may offer. It is vital in an open democracy for citizens to question policy. However, open lies, distortions and misrepresentation has a negative impact on the international community. No one can expect international confidence if we are not prepared to invest in the image of our country, We all have an enormous responsibility, whether it is civil society, opposition parties, business leaders or NGOs, to promote a common foreign policy.

Tragically this is not the case. The DA has spent a lot of time suggesting that Minister Tshwete had given SA a negative image. I can cite many examples of South Africans spearheading the campaign to negatively project South Africa. Today let me as one example mention what the leader of the opposition project internationally. Much of the same has sadly been repeated today by the DA.

In a speech to the US/SA Business Council (Washington DC, 12/9/2000), he, inter alia, stated that

• South Africa's performance this year has disappointed all expectations.
• By May (2000), inertia had set in. The Rand slid to its weakest point ever.
• economists are unanimous on the central problem: it is a crisis of confidence.

If we address our problems, robustly and rationally, without affecting the sort of morbid racial paranoia, which we sometimes signal, then we can start to grow in the right direction.

Zimbabwe

• Unfortunately, Mbeki went a third way: he sat down and had tea with the arsonist. Until the SA Government firms up its stance against land grabs in Zimbabwe, and is more supportive of democratisation in that country, investors will not be convinced ththe same could not happen here.
• He went on to suggest that South Africa must uphold land rights by acting against a small, but nevertheless alarming, number of copycat land invasions in our own rural areas. The government's policy has been stated on many occasions - why does Hon Leoot reflect this, rather than suggest that there is a danger of this heppening in SA.
• Respect for intellectual property rights must also be beyond reproach. The SA Health Department - ever in pursuit of quick-fixes for HIV/Aids - has come dangerously close to by-passing international drug patent laws. Fortunately, the Constitutional Co has sent the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act back to the drawing board. This law would have allowed South Africa to circumvent international drug patent, permitting South African manufacturers to make generic medicines. (what does he say now that the Pharmaceuticals withdrew their case?)
• South Africa stands accused of breaking another ground rule. Several US IT and telecoms firms have accused us of breaching a world trade organisation agreement. South Africa's telecommunications monopoly, Telkom, is allegedly abusing its monopoly by rsing to offer additional bandwidth for the supply of competitive value added network services.

In another speech on the same trip he further surpassed himself:

SA-USA Chamber of Commerce (Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 14/9/2000)

• The destruction of Zimbabwe's economy - a needless, senseless act of political expediency by President Robert Mugabe - damages the regional economy. Most damaging of all, is the impression created by SADC leaders, including President Mbeki, that neighring states agree with land grabs and state intimidation of opposition parties as a acceptable way to run a country.
• It should come as no surprise, then, that the African National Congress (ANC) has begun to highlight racial differences in our society, and to "play the race card" at every opportunity. The recent conference of racism, hosted by our infamous Human Rig Commission, should have been an honest attempt to identify and tackle enduring incidents of racial tension or discrimination. Instead, it became a platform for the ANC to take swipes at the opposition, the media and other critical, independent voices of civil society.
• By now his (Nelson Mandela) party is closing many doors of political, economic and cultural advancement one by one in the face of minorities. Increasingly, the principle of non-racialism is being sacrificed on the altar of power politics. It is a tactwhich our society, its media, judiciary and opposition must see for what it is, and resist with all our resources.

Is he trying to mobilise support on a Kit and Kin argument? This is a dangerous game. On the 48th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the DA must remember that Hitler and Goebels played the same racist game with unprecedented tragedy for humanity. The DA should not opportunistically play the race game.

Surely the DA must become more responsible. One wonders whether they are living in the same country. They should act for the country and the people and not in their personal interests.