Programme Director;
His Excellency, The Swaziland Minister of Environment and Tourism, Honourable Mduduzi Dlamini;
Honourable, Permanent Secretary for Tourism of Mozambique Ms Fernando Matsinha;
Your Worship, the mayors present;
Esteemed CEOs from various tourism agencies present;
Dignitaries present;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen;
All protocol observed.
On behalf of the people and the government of South Africa and the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we want to express our profound humility and gratitude to our neighbours – in the countries of Swaziland and Mozambique – for once again joining hands with us as we embarked on the second instalment of the East3Route which involves the three countries.
What began as a dream in the year 2010 between our province and the countries of Swaziland and Mozambique has transformed into a practical reality that all of us should correctly be proud of. It is, therefore, with a sense of well-placed pride that we address this august gathering which marks an end to what has been an adventured filled excursion this evening for indeed what we have achieved over the past two years is no mean feat.
Programme director, as we observe the third and last stage of this year’s East3Route Excursion in KwaZulu-Natal, we do so in a country that is celebrating a huge milestone in its socio-political life. This year the people of our country are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Africa’s oldest liberation movement and South Africa’s ruling party – the African National Congress (ANC). We highlight the centenary of the ANC not only because of its significance to the liberation of our country but because the partnership among the three countries who are part of the East3Route Campaign has its roots in the relationship, at least in modern times, that was forged among our people in the crucible of our struggle for liberation.
It is not an exaggeration to posit that were it not for the immense sacrifices of our brothers and sisters from Mozambique and Swaziland during our struggle for liberation, there would be no East3Route to talk of today. Our visit yesterday, for example, to the Matola Raid Monument and Interpretive Centre in Mozambique was a stark reminder of the pain that we have all endured so that all of us could be free. As South Africa, we are eternally grateful to our brothers and sisters who stood with us when it was not fashionable to do so.
Colleagues may ask: “Why are we harking back to the past, when we should be moving forward?”
The answer to this is simple. We need to remind ourselves as nations that despite differences in approach, we are all driven by a single objective, an objective of building an Africa that is able to claim and occupy her place among the nations of the world. Critically, we need not lose sight of the fact that we are charged with ensuring stability, equality and prosperity in our region. In this regard, therefore, the East3Route Excursion is a platform whose ultimate goal is to render physical expression to a dream envisioned by all the progressive forces in our continent.
Therefore, programme director, the East3Route is a historical mission that we have to collectively see to fruition. We are indeed pleased that this year’s edition of the East3Route has been qualitatively-better than last year’s one. The level of focus of our programme; the good work done on preparing our logistics as well as the dedication of all participants and stakeholders to the success of the East3Route bode well for the future of this unique initiative. For this we commend the host countries; the host governments; the officials and service providers who have strived to build the brand to the level where it should be.
As we all know, the nature of successful human beings is that with the achievement of a new milestone, they set themselves new and even more difficult targets so that they improve in whatever they do. Likewise, notwithstanding the strides we have made, we are called upon to re-imagine our world and look into creative and innovative ways which we can introduce to ensure that we enhance the profile of this campaign, thereby ensuring that it is better able to respond to the historical mandate that we spoke about earlier.
Programme director, in order to achieve this we suggest that a couple of things should be done to enhance both the shape and content of the East3Route going forward.
Memorandum of Cooperation on the East3Route
As alluded to earlier, the East3Route was the brainchild of the Tourism Ministers of Swaziland and Mozambique as well as ourselves from the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa. While, as the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we initiated the campaign, it was the collective brains of the three political players from the three countries who crystallised it into an implementable programme.
Individually as political leaders, we briefed our respective principals and peers in our countries who adopted the idea and gave their blessing for us to go ahead. That is why, for example, the Presidency sent, on behalf our President, His Excellency Jacob Zuma, Minister Collins Chabane to address our inaugural dinner. So, each one of the three partner countries, has the blessing of the highest authority in their land to be part of the East3Route.
Notwithstanding this unconditional endorsement that each of the three countries enjoys, it is our contention that we need to formalise this partnership and ensure that it lives beyond the goodwill of the current political incumbents. To this end, it is our collective view that a “memorandum of co-operation on the East3Route” needs to be concluded among the three partners in order to ensure that this initiative forms an official part of each of the three governments’ programme of action. In order to ensure proper planning for next year’s instalment of the East3Route Campaign, we would like this Memorandum of Co-operation to have been signed at the latest by the time we host Indaba next year.
East3Route Legacy Projects
Programme director, from inception the East3Route was meant to challenge all social partners into responding to a question: “How do we utilise the existing comparative and competitive advantages among the three partner countries to accelerate economic growth, prosperity and ensure stability?”
As we interacted with the communities from the three countries over the past week, again the point has been driven home that we need to do something urgently to, within our resources, respond to the situations of dire need that we have observed on along the route. In any event, the success of the East3Route was never going to be measured only by how many cars were in our convoy but how, through our efforts and influence, we were able to address the challenges on the ground, particularly along the route. In other words, every school, clinic community must be qualitatively better as a result of our visit.
To this end, we need to identify East3Route Legacy Projects wherein we canvass for practical assistance for our needy communities. The Technical Task Team that puts the East3Route together will compile a list of these legacy projects based on their observations on the ground. The Team of the three Executives from the three countries will ratify such a list and, working together with other stakeholders, immerse itself in ensuring that through our interventions, we are able to make a difference.
Packaging of Investment Projects
Programme Director, one of the things we said when we started the East3Route is that this campaign should be measured by how does it qualitatively change the lives of the people on the ground. As all of us know, all of our countries face a similar challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality. It is, therefore, critical that this route should be a key pillar of our collective efforts to drive economic growth and development in the three countries. In this regard, we want the Technical Team to look at packaging anchor investment and tourism projects along the route.
The distinctive feature of these projects is that they should have strong community involvement. Significantly, these projects should also have a huge employment absorptive capacity. This will ensure that we are able to mobilise investment and funding from the private sector to invest in these projects. By the time the next East3Route takes place next year, we should have completed an East3Route framework of packaging investment projects.
Private Sector and the East3Route
Programme director, while the East3Route was the brainchild of government stakeholders from the three partner countries, it was always understood that its success hinged on the active participation of all social partners, in particular the private sector. Critically, we have always understood that tourism is government led, private sector driven and community based.
When we launched the East3Route last year, we clearly articulated the fact that business people, in particular investors and those who are in the tourism sector, would be targeted to be an integral part of the campaign. It was always the view of the three partner governments that our interventions would be aimed at creating both awareness and a conducive environment for investors to see the possibility that that route had.
This was occasioned by our observation that while the Lebombo Spatial Development Initiative had had huge ambitions of unlocking the economic development opportunities in this region, the uptake from the private sector, in terms of investments, had been modest.
Now that we are on the second year of the East3Route Campaign, it continues to be our observation that the participation of the private sector, both in terms of the Excursion and economic activity along the route, is not yet at the level that is consummate with the opportunities offered by the route. Again we want to re-iterate our invitation to the private sector to partner with us as we utilise the East3Route as a vehicle to unlock the economic potential of the region. To this end, our respective governments will be running targeted workshops with our social partners, in particular big business, to again share our objectives for the East3Route and what we can do better to achieve these objectives.
Pointedly, we call on the private sector to partner with us even in terms of the Excursion itself. Government has laid the foundation and invested massively to promote the East3Route and now, we believe, the opportunity is ripe for players in the private sector to begin to associate themselves with this burgeoning brand. On the other hand, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the private sector partners who have contributed to this year’s edition of the East3Route.
In this regard, we want to make special mention of Europcar who assisted us with highend 4X4 vehicles to make the excursion a success. We hope that the participation of Europcar will galvanise more companies to sponsor the Excursion whose main objective is to foster trade, investment and tourism within and among the troika of countries who are participants in the East3Route.
But, Programme Director, a question may be posed: “What is so special and why is there a need for this relationship?” As we all know the interconnectedness of the world’s economies means that no economy within a particular region can thrive in the midst of ailing economies surrounding it. The Eurozone crisis is a case in point. We have observed how resilient economies, like France’s and Germany’s, have suffered as a result of the crises suffered by neighbouring economies within the Eurozone including the likes of Greece, Ireland and Italy. The lesson here, particularly in light of regional economic integration, is that economies within a region need to work together to ensure regional economic stability and growth.
In the case of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which all these three countries are part of, there is a need for a structured country-to-country engagement in order to ensure that all of us are ready for the opportunities that come with the mooted regional economic integration.
As you are well aware, the SADC region accounts for a market of about 257 million consumers. Of this figure, the three countries account for about 75 million people. Of course on paper the numbers may not seem overwhelming but the competitive advantages that these economies possess, the three ports; the agricultural sector potential; the tourism potential as well as the manufacturing potential, could easily transform this block into not only the bread-basket bloc within the region and the continent but also the manufacturing and the logistics hub, at least of the SADC region.
The levels of investment in infrastructure should assure all prospective investors that this bloc is the perfect destination for their investments. In essence, therefore, the East3Route bloc remains largely untapped as an investment, trade and tourism destination. Ours is to ensure that, with the eyes of global investors looking favourably at Africa as an investment destination, even ahead of established western economies, the East3Route bloc stands head above shoulders the rest of other competing regions. This can only be achieved if all social partners, particularly the private sector, come to the party and ensure that the comparative and competitive advantages that this bloc possesses are exploited to their maximum potential.
Programme director, we are heartened by the fact that there are already tangible steps that have been taken to build on the relations that exist among the three countries to foster economic growth and tourism. A shining example of this, is the Umthayi-Marula Festival that is held annually in February within the three countries.
On the South African leg of this Festival, which is held under the auspices of the Tembe Traditional Council, we have observed the impressive participation of our brothers and sisters from Swaziland and Mozambique. Again in 2013, we invite you to join us and the people of KwaTembe as we host this cross-cultural festival.
In turn, as the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we undertake to send delegations to Marula Festival celebrations in Mozambique and Swaziland. Critically for us though, is that the private sector, in particular those in tourism, should begin to vigorously sell these festivals to tourists as part of the bloc’s cultural tourism offerings.
Programme director, the founding principle of this relationship is co-operation for mutual benefit. In February 2013, our province will host the Travel Federation Agents of India (TAFI) Convention at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban where more than a thousand delegates (business persons; entrepreneurs and travel agency owners) are expected to attend. Tafi is responsible for 70 percent of all India’s outbound, long-haul tickets sold within India. We believe that this prime platform not only to sell the East3Route but generally our respective destinations. To this end we extend an invitation to delegations from our two partner countries to be part of this momentous occasion.
In conclusion, Programme director; allow us to once again express our gratitude to each and every one of you who participated in this year’s expedition. This year’s expedition was not only a phenomenal success but it has laid a firm foundation for the East3Route to be a permanent feature in the tourism calendar of our countries.
Programme director, allow us to also thank the political principals from Mozambique and Swaziland who graciously took time off from their busy schedule to be part of this year’s edition of the East3Route. We also want to thank the mayors who have been part of this excursion for the past five days.
Lastly, allow me to also thank the logistics team from all countries which worked tirelessly and, at times, had to burn the midnight oil in order to ensure that the 2012 East3Route is a success. We wish you a safe journey home. May we all, as we go home, work doubly hard to ensure that the next year’s East3Route is even more successful.
I thank you.
