A joint sitting of the National Assembly and the NCOP will convene on Wednesday, 19 September in Cape Town to honour the incoming Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. The joint sitting of parliament is part of a series of events leading to her assumption of office in Addis Ababa in October this year.
These events include her visiting New York from 22 to 28 September to attend this year’s United Nations (UN) General Assembly, a State Dinner in her honour on 8 October before her scheduled departure to Addis Ababa on 12 October to assume official duties following a hand-over ceremony scheduled for 15 October 2012.
The joint sitting of parliament is convened to give an opportunity to all political parties represented in parliament to honour Minister Dlamini Zuma for her selfless service to the government, parliament and the people of South Africa since the establishment of democracy.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is one of the few remaining members of parliament who has served in the national assembly and the cabinet of a democratic South Africa for a period of 18 years since the dawn of peace, democracy and justice in 1994.
In this regard, she has served the country in three portfolios of Health, the then Foreign Affairs and currently Home Affairs, having been appointed to Cabinet by successive Presidents of the Republic in a democratic order namely Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is credited with having laid the basis for the primary healthcare, introduction of anti-tobacco legislation, piloting the termination of pregnancy legislation, and leading the struggle for developing countries to access generic medicine in addition to her role in consolidating foreign relations between South Africa and Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general
In this context, she presided over the World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerances (WCAR) held in Durban including the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), played a major role in events which culminated in the launch of the African Union, chaired the UN Security Council during South Africa’s first election to the Security Council while building bilateral relations, advancing the cause of south-south relations and promoting the democratisation of the global political and economic governance moving from the premise that the multilateral system of global governance remains the only solution to current challenges facing humanity.
In addition, Minister Dlamini Zuma, supported by her Deputy Fatima Chohan and the senior management and staff of Home Affairs, has made a major contribution in the fundamental transformation of the Home Affairs Department. This has witnessed major changes, among others in the prudent management of the finances of the department, leading to the achievement of an unqualified audit in 16 years; efficient delivery of IDs and passport at reduced times; the launch of the online fingerprint verification system in conjunction with the banking sector led by the South African Banking Risk Centre (SABRIC); the recent piloting of the Smart ID Card; and the leading the strategic National Registration Campaign aimed at encouraging the registration of child birth within 30 days of delivery while encouraging youths to apply for IDs.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is expected to depart for Addis Ababa on 12 October ahead of the scheduled hand-over ceremony and assumption of official duty as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
