Programme director
Ambassador Jendayi Frazer, Senior Fellow for African Studies
Members of the of the Council on Foreign Relations
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Ministers and Senior Government Officials
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me first thank the leadership of the Council on Foreign Relations for affording us this important opportunity to reflect on major issues confronting our country, South Africa, Africa and indeed the world in general.
This occasion is significant, not only because, once again South Africa can engage with important institutions like the Council on Foreign Relations, but also, because it coincides with some of the major events taking place in the world today.
It is axiomatic that peace and stability are necessary conditions for growth and development. Conversely, equitable growth and development reinforce peace and stability.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Seventeen (17) years ago South Africa embarked on a new journey. This journey was predicated on the need to give expression to the wishes and aspirations of the majority of South Africans articulated in various forms over centuries. At the heart of this process was a commitment:
- to reconcile our people and embrace our common humanity
- to celebrate our diversity and harness it as a source of richness fully understanding that in it lies both inherent contradictions as well opportunities
- to build a people centred society on the solid foundation of a genuine pursuit of democracy, non- racialism, non-sexism, respect for the rule of law and the protection, promotion and advancement of human rights
- to establish our country as a responsible member of the International community of nations ready to take its part in the construction of a better world for all, and finally
- to accept that our own destiny is intertwined with that of our continent and therefore the imperative need for us to secure a peaceful and enduring prosperity in Africa.
Since then, we have covered a lot of ground. There are many achievements to celebrate. These include:
- The adoption of our Constitution
- The building of a unitary state that serves all its people
- Building independent institutions, including the judiciary
- Building an economy based on sound macro-economic fundamentals
- Extending social and economic services to the majority of the population previously excluded on the mere basis of the colour of their skin
- Building health and education systems that benefit all our people
- Hosting the most successful FIFA World Cup
- Implementing an international relations policy predicated on the need to build humane and well managed world.
However, it would be remiss of me not to mention that more remains to be done.
Like in every war and battle, the transformation path has not been smooth. We still lack universal access to quality education and healthcare. Unemployment remains high. Growth rates are humble, thus limiting opportunities for sharing.
Fortunately, the political organisation I represent, the African National Congress, the governing party in South Africa, is honest about these challenges. It does not pretend to have a monopoly of wisdom to resolve challenges that lie ahead. Neither does it believe that disabilities accumulated over centuries can be wiped out in two decades.
We are in for a long-haul, working together with local and international partners who wish to see South Africa succeed.
Programme director,
We appreciate the support we have had from the government and the people of the United States of America as our international partners over the years.
Our bilateral political relations with the United States of America are sound and characterised by openness and mutual respect. We have established mechanisms to exchange ideas even on those areas where our views may differ.
By and large we share common values which form the bedrock of our partnership. Ours, we believe, cannot be a partnership based on shifting sands of political expediency. Our nation values this partnership and will play its part to protect it, to nurture it and ensure that it grows.
We have also forged strong partnerships in the economic sphere. You are our largest portfolio investor and fourth largest source of Foreign Direct Investment.
All these have contributed to the successes we have registered both in our country and our region. After all, a stable and thriving South Africa is a key to the stability and success of the southern African region.
As you are aware, South Africa is humbled that, in spite of our own domestic social and economic challenges, we are entrusted with the responsibility to lead the continent of Africa. The responsibilities which we shoulder are heavy, but not insurmountable.
In many of these we have based our actions on shared views. This is the case in Sudan, in the Great Lakes region, particularly the DRC, in Somalia and in Madagascar, to name but a few.
In Sudan we need to continue to work together to support not only the birth of a new and viable state of South Sudan but to also recognise the tensions that the results of the referendum have created in the North.
Therefore we need to work hard to compose these tensions and to set off a process of mutually beneficial coexistence between the two states in the Sudan.
As regards Somalia we need to work with all partners to encourage an inclusive and meaningful dialogue, peace and stability, while creating the necessary space for a lasting political solution to be found.
Africa, and indeed the world, needs a Somalia that is functional and viable. Anything less means continued extremism manifested in acts of terrorism continually posing dangers not only in the Horn of Africa but the world at large.
The tragic attack by the Al Shabaab on an innocent and defenceless people in Uganda in July last year showed their readiness to visit the spectre of terrorism on other regions of Africa. Ominously, we are worried by the clear link between this group and Al Qaeda.
Finding strength in unity, we cannot but succeed in this daunting task of putting paid to the scourge of terrorism.
We are determined to succeed as anything less spells continued pain and misery for scores of innocent people.
Succeeding to create condition of peace, stability and prosperity in this troubled part of the world will be fitting tribute to the many lives lost unnecessarily as a result of terrorism.
I know I speak in a country that has felt the pain and anguish of these deplorable acts. Let me take this opportunity to honour those who perished in this country on that fateful September 11 nearly ten years ago.
Programme director,
In many areas our two nations share common values and same principles even though we may not always agree on the means to achieve our common objectives.
I believe that such is the case for example in Zimbabwe where we share a common commitment to the restoration of democracy on the basis of full respect for the will of the people of Zimbabwe expressed through free and fair elections.
With respect to Cote d’Ivoire we fully support the decisions and the work of the African Union High Level Panel. We need to work towards a more enduring peace in that country based on an earnest attempt to boldly confront the fault lines that continue to bedevil the search for peace.
We need to appreciate that these fault lines transcend individuals and are structural, systemic and encompass politics, law and socio-economics. Here too, the road will be long and hard but there is no alternative to a determined resolve to succeed. Failure in Cote d’Ivoire can only spell disaster for the whole of West Africa.
Creating durable peace in Africa would not only be good for Africans but would open up opportunities for mutually beneficial economic activity. The June 2010 McKinsey Global Institute report entitled “Lions on the move” eloquently testifies to the great opportunity that Africa presents. As an African, I am hopeful of the future of our continent. I know that we have to make Africa succeed and we will succeed!
We have to turn Africa’s agricultural potential, resource endowment and its demographic profile into a source of wealth and opportunity. We have to build markets that attract investment.
We know that the route we have chosen has inevitably been through good governance in both the political and economic spheres. Many countries in Africa have started following this path and the results are showing.
The recent developments in North Africa are an eloquent testimony to the fact that the only legitimate grounds for any political rule is the will of the governed.
At the same time we all need to work together to avoid loss of life. In this regard the events in Libya, Yemen and other countries should compel all of us to reflect on what could have been done to avert the shedding of blood of innocent civilians. We must also recognise that we are stronger when we work together in unity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
There are major changes taking place in global geopolitics. A key element of this is the growing power of some emerging powers, largely China, Brazil and India. South Africa has over the years sought to work closely with these emerging powers. This explains our membership of Brazil-Russia-China-South Africa (BRICS).
Our work in this forum is at least driven by two imperatives namely:
- Firstly to leverage possibilities to grow our economy so as to be able to respond to the scourges of unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment in our own country
- Secondly, to argue for an engagement with the continent that allows for our continent to grow in a manner that addresses the needs of its own people.
China in particular is forging long term partnerships with many African countries. Vital infrastructure is being built. Many countries require this infrastructure to be able to trade with other countries and regions. But also need this infrastructure for trade and interaction with the rest of the continent.
Intra Europe trade is over 70 percent for the major European powers. At the same time intra Asia trade is about 60 percent. Yet intra Africa trade is only 10 percent. It can be said therefore that the very basis of Africa’s economic marginalisation rests with the continents inability to trade with itself. To do so, industrial capacity has to be built and the necessary connectivity ensured. All this requires Foreign Direct Investment.
Africa also needs a global environment that allows for it to exploit its competitive advantage in agriculture. That is why the current DOHA round of negotiations and its focus on agriculture is so vital in the process of ensuring that Africa joins the mainstream. We invite you to join us as we seek to integrate Africa into the global economy.
South Africa believes that a strong United Nations is indispensable if we are to succeed in addressing some of the challenges that the global community faces.
These range from the prevention of the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, to the protection of the Environment, amongst others. But we need a UN that enjoys the full confidence of its members. We share the view that the UN as presently functioning is in need of major reform, involving all its organs.
Of specific note in this regard is the UN Security Council. South Africa urges for the speeding of the reform process in New York. We know that all this is not easy but are convinced that timely attention is what is needed to protect the UN from being seen as marginal in the pursuit of a better world for all of the people of the world.
I started this address by pointing at a number of wishes and aspirations that underpin our national democratic project. I pointed out that in our own country we have gone a long way in trying to construct a society on the basis of these aspirations. It is also clear that some of these reflect challenges in many other national and regional settings. We stand ready to share our own experiences as we also try to learn from others.
Thank you once again, I look forward to a meaningful engagement with you in the civil society and the government of the United States of America.
I thank you.
Source: The Presidency
