Honourable ministers
Members of the diplomatic cop
Senior government officials
Honourable Municipality Mayors and representatives
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me start by appreciating your presence here this morning. Your presence signifies the maturation of a friendly relationship between two nations that are dependent on each other for their well being. More than five years ago, the governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa signed agreements establishing the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation and the Maloti-Drakensberg transfrontier conservation area.
The agreements created a platform for development of joint projects which have mutual benefit for the people of the two countries. Following the signing of those agreements, number of plans and strategies were developed by the two countries and substantial progress has been achieved. Testimonial to that progress is the translocation of Eland from South Africa to Ts'ehlanyane National Park in Lesotho, close collaboration between South African conservation agencies and conservation bodies in Lesotho.
I would like to use this occasion, to remind us that one of objectives we set for our countries in 2005, during the adoption of the transfrontier conservation areas strategy for 2010 and beyond was to position the transfrontier parks as Southern African's premiere international tourist destination.
In adopting that strategy, we were aware of multiple challenges facing our countries, such as inaccessibility of our tourism attractions and lack of adequate resources to improve our tourism assets.
Accordingly, as we dared not to despair, we set our eyes on the horizon and made a promise to ourselves that no matter how long and meandering the road looked, we shall not give up the goal of making the lives of our people better today than they were yesterday.
That being said, we are mindful of the fact that accumulation of financial resources as a means with which we can achieve our goals happens slowly, worsened by the recent global financial crisis.
It is with that in mind that our countries have prioritised development of infrastructure projects which have impact on more than one sector. In that regard, the upgrading of Sani Pass Road linking Lesotho with the province of KwaZulu-Natal became an obvious choice for a number of reasons. I take it for granted that we all know that we need good road infrastructure for facilitation of cross border movement of tourists and eco tourism development.
Therefore, the two countries have prioritised the upgrading of the Sani Pass Road. The upgrading has been completed on the South African side. I would like to thank the African Renaissance Fund for availing R40 million for the upgrading of Sani Pass Road on the Lesotho side. Institutional arrangements will be put in place to ensure proper coordination of the project.
Certainly, today is a special day indeed, it should be remembered as a day on which governments of the two countries, private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) recommitted themselves to working together for a better tomorrow. The two governments are making a call to investors to take keen interest in developing this transfrontier park as one of the best eco tourism destinations in Southern Africa.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, joining hands as Africans will realise our vision of making a better life for all Africans. Let me also remind you that whilst today marks an important milestone of our journey, a lot still needs to be done before we can enjoy the fruits of our efforts.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
9 April 2010
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs (http://www.environment.gov.za/)
