22 November 2001
Ladies and gentlemen of the media;
This briefing is held in the spirit of sharing information on the activities undertaken by the Presidency during the year, through the Office of the Deputy President.
It takes place against the background of a commitment by the Presidency and Government to foster open democracy and promote a free flow of information from Government to the public.
It is by no means a comprehensive account of all the activities of the year, but seeks to give an indication of some of the events and activities we have been engaged in during the outgoing year in the various capacities.
Office of the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly
The role of the Leader of Government Business is to serve as a link between the Executive and Parliament, and to ensure that the legislation emanating from the Executive reaches Parliament on time.
We have succeeded in ensuring that legislation reaches Parliament timeously. For example, in the last six months, no legislation has been fast-tracked and Ministers have had to keep to the deadlines set.
In the year 2001, Cabinet considered 90 bills, and these sought to address varying aspects of our transformational agenda.
An important development this year was the launch of regular meetings with Leaders of Opposition Parties represented in Parliament.
The leaders are briefed on matters of national importance to enable them to take informed positions about the activities of Government, and most importantly, the meetings provide a channel for opposition parties to raise issues with Government.
There has also been sustained regular consultation with Members of Parliament, on an individual or group basis by the Leader of Government Business during the year.
Bringing Government Closer to the People and Promoting a People-Centred government.
The Government has introduced a style of governance that includes interaction with the people and allowing the people to participate in the manner in which they are governed.
To promote bringing Government closer to the people, we have visited various parts of the country during the year to participate in wide-ranging community activities. This has served to give us a better understanding of the extent of service delivery and how people view the service provided by Government.
In addition to regular visits to various areas and provinces, we have also participated in two Imbizo programmes in the Lebotloane and Lethlabile areas in the North West Province. Next week, on 28/29 November, the Deputy President will visit the Free State to meet the people of the Xhariep district in an Imbizo there.
Moral Regeneration Government takes the issue of moral degeneration in our country seriously. During this year, Cabinet requested the Social Cluster of Ministries to give attention to the Moral Regeneration Movement process.
We have addressed Parliament on this matter and the process is in place to establish a Moral Regeneration Movement to contribute to the rebuilding of the moral fibre of our society.
A Summit is being organized for early in the New Year involving all major stakeholders. We believe this issue has become one of the most urgent needing the attention of the entire nation.
South African National Aids Council (SANAC)
SANAC was launched in January last year, and is the highest body that advises government on all matters relating to HIV/AIDS. It is chaired by the Deputy President and consists of 16 government representatives and 17 civil society representatives.
SANAC is based on the concept of partnership against AIDS, which was launched in 1998 by President Mbeki when he was still Deputy President. SANAC operates on the premise that the war against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases requires the full participation of all sectors of society, and not just Government.
Since its inception, several monthly meetings have been held for planning and also for us to receive reports from the different sectors. In addition, a programme of sector summits is being implemented together with the provincial and community outreach programme. Already ten such summits involving more than 1 500 people have taken place.
The sectors participating include labour, people with disabilities, the hospitality industry, youth, women, traditional leaders, celebrities, business, traditional healers and people living with HIV/AIDS.
One of the highlights of the year for the different sectors was the launch of the Braille version of the five year HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan in collaboration with the South African National Council for the Blind.
Other sector activities during the year included the launch of the Traditional Healers National Forum, and the workshop of the Sign Language Interpreters, which was aimed at developing universal signs in relation to HIV/AIDS and related matters.
International Relations
The Presidency has continued with a programme of international engagements over the past year, aimed at strengthening our bilateral and multilateral relations, and also with the aim of securing visible gains for our country and continent.
In doing so, we are guided by our belief that sustainable development in South Africa cannot take place in isolation from developments within the continent. That is why our trade and industrial policy is closely co-ordinated with foreign policy - an integrated effort in which The Presidency plays a leading role.
We believe significant progress has been made in international affairs, and that South Africans should be proud of the manner in which our country has graduated from being an apartheid outcast to a serious player in the international community within only seven years.
Credit for this must go to our President who has worked tirelessly in fulfilling a promise made to South Africans, that we would actively contribute to creating a better country, continent and world, thereby fully integrating our country into the community of nations.
One mechanism of carrying out our international relations is Binational Commissions, (BNCs).
The Office of the Deputy President is responsible for three Binational Commissions, with Nigeria, Sweden and Germany. We believe the Commissions have been extremely useful in terms of strengthening our relationship with the three countries, and tangible results can be seen in terms of increased bilateral trade, as well as co-operation in other areas.
The BNCs and other international engagements have been useful avenues for promoting the mission of the recovery of the continent.
a. South African-Nigerian Binational Commission
The South African-Nigerian Binational Commission was inaugurated in 1999, and is jointly chaired by Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria and myself. The third session of the Commission was held in Abuja from 12-14 March 2001.
Co-operation between our two countries on regional, international and multilateral issues has progressed significantly. Politically, the two countries co-operate at the highest level in furthering the interests of the African continent, and have taken common positions on issues affecting the continent and the developing world.
For example, our President and the President of Nigeria have played a leading role in the conceptualization and operationalisation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), another example of the strong relationship between our two countries.
The BNC has also facilitated increased bilateral co-operation in strategic areas such as immigration, justice, law enforcement and defence.
Economically, contact between public and private sector economic institutions and operators in South Africa and Nigeria, facilitated by the BNC, has significantly benefited bilateral trade and investment.
This is not only evident in the constant increase in bilateral trade but also in the large numbers of South African companies currently active in Nigeria, the latest of which is M-Cell/MTN).
Economic relations have also been strengthened. Within the West African region, Nigeria became South Africa's largest export market in 2000. The country also became South Africa's largest import trading partner in Africa in 2000, the main import product being crude oil.
Our two countries have signed six agreements, covering agriculture, arts and culture, defence, police, science and technology and a memorandum of understanding on co-operation.
The fourth Binational Commission will be held in South Africa during the first quarter of 2002.
b. South African-German BNC
The third session of the South African-German BNC took place in Berlin, Germany on 2-3 July 2001, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr Joschka Fischer and myself.
The BNC is producing results. It has further strengthened relations between the two countries. Most importantly, the economic gains are visible. Bilateral trade has grown by more than 20% during the past year.
We value this BNC for various reasons, including the fact that Germany is the second biggest investor in South Africa, with more than 370 German companies doing business in our country.
These companies have set up subsidiaries or joint ventures, providing more than 65 000 jobs, with an annual turnover of about R26 billion.
The tourism sector has been a major growth area since the 1994 elections, with approximately 250 000 Germans visiting South Africa annually since 1999. South Africa has at this stage a 3.5% (R630 million) share of the R18 billion annual long haul tourism markets in Germany.
Our efforts are now focused on attracting investments from small and medium sized German companies.
I will be interacting with the South-African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Johannesburg, next week on 27 November 2001, to further cement relations. The fourth BNC will meet in South Africa next year.
c. South African-Swedish Binational Commission
The South African-Swedish BNC met in Pretoria on 10-11 October, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Mrs Lena Hjelm-Wallen and myself.
The BNC serves to further strengthen the longstanding bonds of friendship between South Africa and Sweden, forged during the struggle against apartheid.
The BNC has yielded results in various areas of co-operation. This year's meeting of the BNC noted with satisfaction, the trend of increased trade on both sides, which has reached almost R4billion, an increase of about 50% since the inauguration of the BNC in September 2000.
The South African-Sweden Business Fund has made some successes as well. So far the fund has contributed to the establishment of six formal business relations, either joint ventures or agents agreements. A review of the fund is scheduled for the year 2002.
Conflict resolution
The Presidency and Government as a whole believes that peace and security are necessary pre-conditions for sustainable development in Africa.
As part of our contribution to the bringing about peace and stability to ensure success of the African recovery programme, the Presidency has been involved in a number of peace initiatives in the continent, including Burundi.
The involvement of the Presidency has been, in some instances, through the Deputy President who, for example, was requested by chief facilitator Former President Nelson Mandela to assist him, with particular responsibility for negotiating a ceasefire agreement between the Government of Burundi and the armed groups who are not party to the Arusha agreement.
Progress has been made in Burundi with the installation of a multiparty transitional government on the 1st of November 2001. The outstanding issue is the negotiations leading to a cessation of hostilities and a ceasefire agreement. We are still handling this matter and remain optimistic because the armed groups have indicated willingness to negotiate with the new transitional government.
CONCLUSION
As said earlier, this was just a quick scan of the activities that took place in the Presidency this year. It would take a much longer briefing to cover the entire Presidency and even all the activities that took place in the Office of the Deputy President.
In closing, I would like to assure you that as the Presidency, we will once again work harder next year, to ensure that we meet our Strategic Objectives, which are the following: -
I thank you.