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Department of International Relations and Cooperation Media Briefing by the Director General, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, at the O R Tambo Building on 2010-07-01 at 10h00



Convenor: I am now going to hand over to the DG who is going to make a presentation.

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, Director-General, Department of International Relations and Cooperation: Thanks colleagues and welcome.

The first point that I would like to speak to is really to first congratulate, with respect to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, all the teams that have qualified for the quarter finals, and continue to express our appreciation of the way the event has unfolded up to now.

Of course, needless to say, our special wishes go to the Black Stars of Ghana and they stand now as the only remaining pride of the African Continent. They are joining, of course, an elite club, an elite group of teams that has managed up to now to reach the quarter finals, which include Senegal and Cameroon. But we see the Black Stars as having the real possibility to now take this a step further and we believe that would be indeed a great tribute to this FIFA World Cup that we are hosting on the African soil for the first time.

The preparations for the finals, with respect to the fact that we continue to invite guests for the Closing Ceremony, the hospitality, the security arrangements, all of that is going according to plan. The teams that include the Johannesburg Metro, the South African Police Service, the security services more broadly of the state, our protocol services here in DIRCO, everybody is working together. There have been a number of site visits. We have done a detailed assessment of the movements for the Opening Ceremony to see what lessons we want to learn from that and how to improve to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. So, it is all systems go, really, with respect to that.

We will be meeting again with the African Diplomatic Corps sometime early next week with a view to finalising the details around the arrangements for some of the invited guests who will be able to attend. We are again not in a position to talk about responses, who is coming, who is not coming. We will do that closer to the time.

Secondly, just to indicate that South Africa will be hosting on the 15th and 16th of this month the SACU [Southern African Customs Union] Summit which will be here in Pretoria. You know that this is the oldest customs union. We have just celebrated 100 years of the existence of the Customs Union. Also the chairperson of SACU will pass over to South Africa during the course of this meeting. And of course as you know, apart from South Africa, the other members of the Customs Union are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland.

Now, of course SACU faces a number of challenges now, and I think that would be the focus of the meeting that will take place. The first one is that all over the globe we see a greater tendency towards the formation of stronger, cohesive regions to promote bilateral trade and also to make sure that the regions can compete and trade in a far much more effective manner with other regions of the world.

So, we believe that is the trend in the region that we need to consolidate, and we see SACU as a very important vehicle and as a basis for the further consolidation of regional integration and cohesion within the broader SADC area. So the key challenge would be whether in the course of that meeting we can really look at all the challenges that face SACU, and there are many of those challenges.

There are issues around the revenue sharing formula that require that our country should look at far much more closely. There are issues about how we can make sure that the resources in the region are channeled in a far more stronger, better way, to promote regional development, to improve the productive capacity in other member countries of SACU, which will be very important in order to give greater balance to the trade flows between South Africa and the other members of SACU. And of course, there will be the issues of whether in fact SACU could begin to look at whether the time has come for SACU to adopt a view that is far much more permissive to other new members coming in as a way of progressively moving towards a SADC-wide customs union.

So, those are some of the difficult and topical issues for discussion and I think we are looking forward to a free-flowing discussion and debate around all those issues.

Of course, we are also during this month going to see a series of meetings of the SADC Organ, the number of meetings that are now the elements, the building blocks, towards the hosting of the SADC Summit that will be on the 17th and 18th of August in Namibia. And most of the meetings of the Organ are as usually the procedure and SADC will be hosted by Mozambique as the chair of SADC. So, there will be a series of those meetings. And I guess, the important thing with respect to those meetings of the Organ would be particularly the extent to which they will reflect on some of the hotspots, so to say, within SADC, particularly Madagascar and to an extent Zimbabwe. We will look at whether in fact we are happy with the progress made with respect to stability in Lesotho and, of course, the issues of the DRC.

The next meeting that we are preparing for now, and there will be a series of discussions in meetings starting with the Permanent Representatives on the 19th and 20th of July, the Ministers on the 22nd and 23rd and stopping on the 24th of July a series of meetings involving the Heads of State, and that is now for the African Union. The meeting is going to be in Kampala, as you know. The theme for this meeting is around health, but I think that we would expect that also issues of the environment will feature prominently. The president of Mexico, President Calderon, as we have indicated, will be going to Kampala as part of building the momentum towards the COP 16 which Mexico will host.

South Africa will have a particular interest in these discussions, first of all to ensure consistently the forging of a common African position, which African position will then enable the continent to speak with one voice with all the difficulties that are there, and given the diverse nature of the countries of the continent, nevertheless to try and bring as much harmony in our perspectives as possible as we build up towards COP 16 in Mexico. And of course, as I have said, we would have an interest because from Mexico the roads will lead to South Africa.

On the issue of health, I guess a lot of the focus will be on the issues around maternal mortality, which is a very topical issue here in South Africa also. I am sure that you know that the Health Department has prioritised this particular area. This relates to our commitment to the MDGs, but it also relates to the concern on the Continent generally about the growing battle of disease and mortality amongst pregnant mothers. And to a large extent the deterioration in our indices in the Continent has been related to the impact of HIV-Aids.

Now the Deputy President Kgalema Mothlanthe and the Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane have just returned from the DRC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DRC. We spoke about this last time around. Just to say, we are happy with the way the celebrations in the DRC proceeded and we would like to again point you to the statements that both the Minister and the Deputy President made in the DRC at different points, but the essence of which is really to reiterate South Africa's commitment to partner with the DRC as the process of democratisation, as the process of nation-building and particularly the process of assisting the security forces of the DRC to build the requisite capacity for them to maintain the security of the entire sovereignty of the DRC.

We are still awaiting the results of the elections in Burundi. We obviously are concerned at the spate of grenade attacks that preceded the presidential elections and the declared view by some leaders in Burundi that they will not recognise the authority of the president that would be elected because of a dispute that has been there around the commune elections. We have also taken note of reports, to a large extent conflicting thus far, about the whereabouts of the FNL leader, Agathon Rwasa. We are particularly concerned to the extent that some of those reports may allude to a view that there are some leaders in Burundi who may again consider the military option and we would like, as South Africa, to join the views that have been expressed by the foreign ministers of the East African Community, who recently visited Burundi, who have appealed for calm and a solution for whatever differences that may exist through peaceful means and through ways that would be consistent with a need to deepen and strengthen democracy and the legality in Burundi. And that would be South Africa's position.

We continue to follow the events and so far there is nothing new to report with respect to Guinea-Bissau.

Of course, we are just in the neighbourhood of the Guineas. We followed very closely, of course, the first round of elections in Guinea Conakry. We are encouraged by the calm atmosphere that prevails. We are awaiting the results. We did send as part of the AU an observer mission. And should these results be inconclusive and there be a need to proceed on to a second round, which as you know, will be scheduled for the 18th of July, and then South Africa will again make sure that we join the observer delegations and to join the AU in that. But I must stress that we are at the present time encouraged by the relative calm that has prevailed, given the tensions and the very recent history of what had happened in the state of Guinea Conakry, and I think that it is a really good signal.

You will also know that from the African Renaissance Funds, there are some projects that South Africa had been assisting Guinea Conakry on. These were around electrification. These were around assisting them working in partnership with the Vietnamese on the cultivation of rice to improve the yields there, given that rice is the staple diet. We have continued with the projects and, of course, further in engagement and deepening of those projects and us committing to expand our engagement has to a large extent also been constrained by the uncertainties around the political process. But, nevertheless, we are continuing with that. So, we are looking forward to stability, to the presence of a democratically-elected government in Guinea, so that we can continue to partner with them. We believe that any contribution that can be made to bring stability to the Guineas is actually a major contribution to the stability in the broader Mano River Basin area in which, of course, we have seen so much instability with countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. So, we would really like as South Africa to make a contribution to the consolidation of democracy and the tendency towards stability in that region.

Of course colleagues, soon after the World Cup, the whole world will then focus on the 18th of July on the celebration of the Nelson Mandela Day. With that in mind, the Minister of DIRCO, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane, will be proceeding for a Special Session that will be held at the UN on the 16th of July and she will present a statement on behalf of South Africa and, of course, thanking the international community for the decision that was taken to honour our icon, President Mandela, in the manner that he has been honoured. And this special event will also be addressed by the Secretary-General of the UN, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The Minister, just before proceeding to New York, will start by visiting her counterpart, Minister Lavrov of Russia, the Foreign Minister of Russia, basically for them to prepare for the state to visit by the President, which will be in the early days of August and the specific dates will be given to you. So, the trip of the Minister will see her move first to Moscow and then from Moscow to New York for that purpose.

Just to say also, finally, that we have two South Africans who have been appointed in some of the international institutions. Firstly, Professor Christof Heyns, the Dean of the University of Pretoria Faculty or Law, who has been appointed by the UN as a special rapporteur on the issues of extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions. Now, these are part-time commitments, so Prof Heyns will be continuing with his job here, but we are very happy that an eminent personality, a South African of Professor Heyns’s calibre will then be one of those personalities who are flying high the South African flag in the international arena. We would also like to recognise Mr Eric Kieck, who has now been appointed as Director for Capacity Building in the World Customs Organisation. And these are elections that took place now on the 26th of June in Brussels, and so, he will also assume his duties there soon.

And this trend is consistent with one of the commitments that we have taken to particularly focus on in the coming years, really of ensuring that there is greater representation of South Africans in the international institutions. So far, whether we go to the SADC or the AU or whether we go to the UN, far much more broadly, I think a characteristic feature of South Africa is our inability to even send enough candidates to meet the quotas that we have. In a sense, it may be a good thing that South Africans like staying here, but South Africa would also like to play on the global stage, so we would like to see more South Africans participating in this international organisation.

So, this is what I would like to report now, and I am ready for your questions. Thank you very much.

Questions and answer session:



Peter Fabricius: During the last week you said that some clarification would emerge within 24 to 48 hours about the status of General Nyamwasa. I just wondered whether you could clarify. Has he been granted asylum? Is he going to be extradited? Where do we stand with this?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: Peter, I was more optimistic than this occasion has turned out to be.

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: We were hopeful this would be able to be concluded in that space of time. It is proving far much more complex and I can tell you that yesterday I had, yesterday and the day before yesterday, I had extensive consultations with my counterparts, the Director-General of the Department of Justice, who has fully briefed us as to where the process is but for now I think we will leave it there. But we are not in a position to comment further on that.

Cobus Coetzee: Mine is also relating, but it is a more general question. Just, I want to get South Africa's view on if a country's security operatives are operating in a country, what is South Africa's stance specifically on that, not identifying this shooting as being such a case.

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: You want me to give a long preface before I respond to that question? But, nevertheless, let me reiterate and really be on record that South Africa has not made any determination, for now, about where the suspects to this case come from. So, we do not want to make any assumption so far about where they might have originated from. So, we are still at the stage where we want to be very cautious that we do not appear to be pointing an accusing finger at any state. Now, coming to the more general question that you are raising, and I did say yesterday, and this would explain, part of the issue why there is this delay, we are dealing with very complex issues. This is somebody who has been shot in the territory of South Africa. It is somebody who had entered South Africa and had gone through proper legal processes of seeking some form of regularisation of their stay. This is a person who comes from a country that has got good, strong diplomatic relations with South Africa. So, everything around it points to us wanting to deal with it with great sensitivity. So, let us then put this issue aside and let me talk about the general point that you are talking about.

Well, you know, generally, there is general acceptance and international practice that foreign missions that are based here who would also have sometimes security or intelligence operatives who are fully declared with the receiving State, and their function is, by and large, to make sure that there is exchange, sharing of views, with the intelligence community in the receiving State. So, there is that level of it which is understood, which is clear, and so we know that some of the missions that are here have declared security operatives, and those are communicating with our intelligence services, and in spite of our general contribution in terms of an exchange of intelligence information, particularly to make sure that we deal with issues of cross-border crime, with issues of global peace and security and so on.

Now, once you start having, which is your question, people from another country operating clandestinely in another state, then it shows a completely different dimension. All I can say is that, if you do that, then you must make sure that you do not get caught, because if you do get caught, of course, you compound and you complicate the relations between the countries from which you come and the country where you are operating. And of course, that cannot be something that is taken very lightly, because those activities may very well border on subverting security and stability in the state in which you are operating. So, as a general principle, that is what I would say.

Thulani Dlamini: With respect to the discussions with the EPAs, I understand that there is something going on bilaterally between member states and the EPAs? And then something going on between the EPAs and SACU. And then something going on at the level of SADC. How is it synergizing those three levels of negotiations?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: Okay. Well, if we just trackback a bit. When the EPA process started, it was predicated, at least at a theoretical level, on the fact that it would assist with the process of regional integration, which therefore meant that the EPA process would not run counter to the efforts in the region to build a stronger SADC that is integrated and even to build a stronger SACU that is united. But at the level of practice, South Africa and many other countries have always pointed to a bit of a disconnect between that declared intention and what in reality was happening. So that is what has precipitated the crisis around the issues of the EPAs.

Now, but it was always understood that the negotiations that are taking place within this EPA blocks, would at the end of the day culminate with signatures by individual countries, as individual countries commit. But it was always expected and hoped that when countries do that, they will do that on the basis of a consensus position and a negotiated framework agreed upon within the region, in which case there would be no contradiction between the signature of a member State and the general brief and the views of the rest of the region. As it happened with the issue of the EPAs, of course, within the SADC-EPA grouping, there have been different views and other countries have then seen it fit, presumably advancing their national interest, to sign. And some of those countries, of course, are SACU members. That has posed difficulties. When I was alluded to some of the difficulties that this summit would have to try to deal with, it is part of that.

But, of course, the approach that we have taken is that we have started by trying to stop this process and encouraging the EU to look at this issue differently, to show the dangers to some of our colleagues within the region. But we have always worked on the basis of full respect for their sovereignty and the independence of the decisions that they would make as independent sovereign states. They have signed. It poses complications. We still believe those problems are real. But we have also taken a view that says we can either elect to harp on what has happened or we can also take a process that says, in moving forward, what lessons have we learnt from that and how can we prevent this from happening again. But also, more importantly, given that these were interim EPAs, is there a way in which, if we find common cause now, we can still rescue the situation as we move on towards the full EPAs.

Now, the EU has or argued that it is possible, we have got our own concerns, whether it is possible not. But, nevertheless, given that the EU has promised to take a far much more open way to discuss with us on this issue, precisely because it is also divisive within the AU, so, we will try to adopt that view. So, our approach to this is not going to be an issue of blaming individuals for decisions that they have taken. As I say, we may disagree with the decisions, but we also have to balance that with our full respect for their right to exercise their sovereign powers. But, we will point at the dangers to our process of regional integration and regional cohesion and then see whether moving forward we can work together to try and correct some of those issues. And that is really the dynamic that we will have to try and play out.

Now, this particularly looks at the individual countries in SACU. When we go to the SADC-wide, we then have a bigger complication in that the SADC countries belong to thee different EPA configurations, and that is another big challenge. Now, there are many ways in trying to deal with this. At one level we are coordinating amongst those three, but also you know that one of the things on our agenda now, is to begin to work between SADC, COMESA and the East Africa Community to form what we call a tripartite FTA, which we hope will then begin to align and help us move forward in a far much more integrated manner.

Just to emphasise, we pay a lot of attention to the importance of us retaining this regional cohesion.

Peter Fabricius: Yes. You mentioned in your briefing that one option at the Summit would be to perhaps expand SACU to include other SADC countries and maybe to then approach a SADC customs union, I take it by sort of an organic growth rather than just from the SADC-wide perspective. Is that an optional strategy?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: Yes, Peter, I guess what I am trying to speak to is the fact that, you know, at the theoretical level you can also say that there is a bit of a disconnect. Here is SACU. It is already a customs union and we are talking about building a SADC-wide customs union. The key question is, how do we move from here to there. There are two approaches that have been on the table for some time. The first one is to dissolve SACU and then start from scratch and build a SADC-wide customs union. Now we argued that that might not be the smartest way to move, precisely because SACU has got some sort of experiences it has had. But at the same time, there is always the danger that other countries will say, how do you expect us to come on the terms that you, SACU, have already agreed, because in the terms would have been convenient for you.

So, it takes us to the point that it seems to us, because in any event, we know that the countries will move at different paces towards trying to get into the customs union, inasmuch as they move at different paces towards fulfilling their obligations towards the FTA. And, therefore, one logical option which we would really like SACU to explore, is then to say, maybe we will move towards the SADC customs union through a process of, as you have correctly pointed out, organic growth. But that requires that SACU then must discuss the option that part of that, organic growth may well be an incremental process of people feeling free to join SACU and that SACU does not become a closed shop for the BNLS countries as is, or SACU must be ready to then say, are we ready then if SACU is going to be the basis towards a SADC wide customs union, to make whatever adjustments within SACU. And I think that is the nature of the debate that needs to take place.

Our view, what I was highlighting, is to say, this is an issue that cannot escape the agenda, precisely because I think in this particular meeting it will probably be at the level of the broad concepts. Are we, as SACU, feeling that we should protect SACU and use it rather as a building block, but if we are going to do that, are we ready to build in the requisite flexibilities, so that other members feel confident about them using it as a base, so that we can use some of the experiences that SACU has accumulated. But also understanding that SACU is not perfect, which is part of the reason that they are also internal issues around the revenue sharing that are now being contested in terms of the way in which we should handle that.

So, it is going to be a very wide agenda. And the reason it was thought, maybe I should add this, this should be at Summit level, is because there has been a strong view that what has been lacking at the level of officials who have been meeting, at the levels of Ministers who have been meeting, but what has lacked is for the Heads of State to step back, take a long-term big strategic view and then say, move within these parameters, and then the Ministers and the technical teams proceed then to craft a way forward. And, this is more than a retreat, really, of the SACU Heads of State.

Peter Fabricius: Sorry, can I ask a follow up question? Would that address the EPA problem?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: It will address the EPA problem not to undo the damage that has been done, but probably explore the possibility of whether in fact of moving forward we can find a better way to align as much as possible and from a united position put a requisite on the EU. Because, what really has given space to the EU, quite frankly, has to do with the fact that, if the EU is negotiating also from the position of entrenching its own position in the continent, and they see that we are divided, of course it is logical that they would explore those gaps as much as they can.

Jean-Jacques Cornish: On a bilateral level, has there been interaction with Britain over the Pablos Joseph-Simon Wright affair, the arrest of the two? Have the British government have anything to say, particularly about the arrest of the journalist?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: No, the British government in a formal way, which would involve the British High Commissioner sending a Note formerly to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which would be the manner in which a high level case of concern to them would be handled, that has not happened. I am sure that you have seen their comment, is that for now that they are in a sense treating this as an issue that is left much more to the judicial processes. But the British government has not formally approached us on it.

Peter Fabricius: Do you mind if I just ask again on the General Nyamasa?has there been a formal request from the Spanish and French judges to extradite him to face those charges of genocide and war crimes, etcetera? I mean, is that part of the considerations, and the third option, if you like, asylum or extradition to Rwanda, asylum in South Africa or handing him over to the French or Spanish?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: That is all in the basket, Peter, and I am sure you know that there is, they have raised those issues, those particular countries, so that is part of what is being considered by the Justice Department.

Peter Fabricius: But have they formally applied for extradition?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: I have not seen the terms of the warrant. I have not seen the specific terms of the warrant I must confess.

Thulani Dlamini: Burundi. Just the other day South Africa withdrew its peacekeepers there and we see that peace is threatened there once again. Is there any discussion around returning those troops back to Burundi, given the potential explosive situation there?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: We hope not. We hope not. We really hope not. We are still hoping now and that there is the best possible chance of peace prevailing. We believe that they have gone too far down the road towards peace and the democratisation of the society and that we are hoping that the temptation to move back will not be there and that they will see that the stakes are too high. And that is the message that we have communicated very strongly. Last week we did receive an envoy from the government of Burundi and that message has been conveyed by the President of the Republic very firmly to them. So, we are concerned, but we are nowhere close to making those sorts of considerations, because we still think that it should be possible for the rest of the Continent and the region to put enough pressure to the political figures in Burundi for them to see reason why they should begin to act in a manner that avoids going down that route. Really, that is where we are.

Jean-Jacques Cornish: Do we know more about the envoy from Burundi? Who was it?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: JJ, let me give you this after this. I do not remember the name now. I do not remember the name.

Jean-Jacques Cornish: He was somebody who came specifically from the Burundian Government?

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: He came specifically from Burundi, as an envoy, to convey a message from President Bujumbura, to President Zuma, and was received by President Zuma.

Jean-Jacques Cornish: Thank you.

Convenor: Thank you very much.

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba: Thank you.



End

Stephen Hayes, President and CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa;

Lucien Bradet, President and CEO of the Canadian Council on Africa;

Leadership of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry;

Leadership of Business Unity South Africa;

Esteemed guests and delegates:

It is a great pleasure to have the honour of speaking at this event. This gathering comes at a really significant moment in Africa's economic history. The world is finally beginning to move beyond the myths about Africa. For that reason, it is important for the political and business leadership of the continent and the world to interact regularly, to prevent misconceptions. We therefore value this meeting. Ladies and gentlemen,

Africa offers a huge market of one billion people and provides enormous economic potential. Sub-Saharan Africa is the third fastest growing region in the world, after China and India. There is every expectation that Africa's current pace of growth will remain at a high level, at around six percent per year. As Africa we bring to the G8 and G20 Summit the key message that we must, together as the developing and developed worlds, promote stronger and more effective international partnerships for growth and development. If we are serious about this challenge we need to ensure that sufficient time and attention is given to Africa in these summits. We will be emphasising that Africa is open to meaningful partnerships and engagement towards ensuring sustainable development, and to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. We underscore as well that our markets are open for trade and investments. Africa must now not be viewed as only a destination for development aid. Ladies and gentlemen,

We meet as the world recovers from the global economic crisis which caused devastation in many national economies. Africa surprised many as it fared better than most regions and registered growth. The average growth last year for the advanced economies was about minus two-and-a-half percent, while that of Africa was two percent. Low income countries in Africa grew at over three percent. In South Africa, we are fortunate that we have been able to counteract the economic slowdown and its adverse effects. This is thanks to good policies and regulations, business rescue programmes, job retention schemes and huge infrastructure programmes. Our economy registered five percent growth in the first quarter of the year. Like Canada, South Africa's banks were protected against the financial crisis by good regulation and good practice by policy makers and our private sector. There are many reasons why Africa was not as devastated. At the political level, there is no doubt that accountability and political freedom have improved enormously in the continent since the end of the Cold War. There have been significant improvements in the four African Union Peer Review Mechanism pillars: democracy and political governance, economic management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development. The index of political freedom prepared by the think-tank Freedom House, shows that while less than a third of African countries were classified as free or partly free in 1990, today about two thirds of African countries are considered free or partly free. The Kennedy School Index of Good Governance shows that governance in 38 African countries has improved since 2000. There is also marked improvement in peace and security in the continent. The African Union has declared 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security. Progress has been made with regards to the Peace and Security Council, an African Standby Force, and a Panel of the Wise responsible for mediation and preventive diplomacy. The G8 Africa Action Plan of 2002, which makes certain commitments to supporting peace and security in Africa, needs to be pursued vigorously. This includes support for African efforts to resolve the principal armed conflicts on the continent. The G8 countries had also committed to assist with disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration. They undertook to provide technical and financial assistance to support peacekeeping operations.

Economically, Africa performed better because of improved economic policies, good prices for commodities and rising domestic consumption. You will recall also, Ladies and Gentlemen, that at the London G20 summit, world leaders made provision for special measures to assist developing countries. IMF funds were topped up, the regional development banks were recapitalised, and the World Bank made emergency trade credits available. No doubt these measures also helped. What we have achieved is a real African rebirth in the true sense of the word. This should make African markets attractive to development partners in the North and the emerging South, including the international private sector. The environment is being created for economic growth and development. Of course there is much more to do in terms of economic reform, and the development of infrastructure and social services in Africa. I doubt that many will disagree, though, that we know better and agree more than before on what we still have to do in Africa. This understanding is what informs the New Partnership for Africa's Development - NEPAD - which provides a practical programme for the economic development of the continent. It envisages Africans working together to advance our common economic progress. Ladies and gentlemen,

We reiterate that Africa is open for business. It is open for trade and investment. The biggest development in Africa's economic relationships in recent times has been the increasing role of countries of the South in our trade and investment links. Nevertheless, the advanced economies of the North remain very important to the continent. They provide us with mature markets, helpful networks, innovative technologies, and an important source of foreign direct investment. However, the African continent also calls for fair trade. Our movement forward will be greatly enhanced by the speeding up of economic reforms to enable more inclusive and faster growth. It is our strong view that the United Nations and its member states must play a role in the ongoing international discussion on reforming and strengthening the international financial and economic system. We also support the move to a more open, transparent and merit-based approach to choose the heads of the World Bank and the IMF. When we raise these issues, we should not create the impression that we have come cap-in-hand to ask for favours.

The developing world has an equal right to direct the work of these institutions. We need to prioritise the completion of the Doha Development Round. This will ensure that the developing countries have favourable access to markets in the developed world without restrictive conditions. Africa has strong potential on raw commodities and this will be the mainstay of our economies in the foreseeable future and for many years to come. It is therefore crucial that we harness and optimise these resources in a global community where there are limited trade barriers and protectionist policies. These are some of the measures we will keep pushing for. It is imperative that we achieve a just international financial and economic order. We will continue to do our bit as a continent to formulate policies that will create the right investment environment, and we will continue to improve on good governance. The African Union is unambiguous on the need to achieve these goals. Other goals include our ambitious strategic infrastructure programmes which link countries in the regions, and the creation of functional Regional Economic Communities in the continent. Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our continent will also benefit from adequately developed human resources. It is therefore vital that the North makes favourable contributions towards improved Human Development Indicators in this continent. In this regard, work towards achieving the MDGs cannot be over-emphasised. I am aware that you share these concerns and goals as business people as well. Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you are aware, we left South Africa in the grip of a massive football fever. There have been ongoing street parties since the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament on the 11th of June. We are happy that everything has gone so well since the start of the tournament. Football has proven once again its power to unite people and to unite the world. Africa can host events of this magnitude and we are proving Afro-pessimists wrong. We are truly proud to be hosting the tournament on behalf of Africa. South Africa has invested a lot in the World Cup tournament and this is yielding economic benefits. Preparations for the World Cup in recent years have boosted the level of our GDP already. Additional spending by World Cup visitors and residents should boost economic growth this year alone by at least zero point three percentage points. The marketing benefits, including tourism spin offs, will no doubt be felt for many years to come. The benefits in terms of building unity and social cohesion in the country cannot be quantified. South Africa will never be the same again. We have to build on the gains and ensure that we do not lose the momentum. Most importantly, we succeeded in laying out and improving the necessary infrastructure, such as stadia, airports and roads, and the necessary services, on time. We are confident that this massive infrastructure investment will prove to be a good pull factor for you as you consider your next investment destination in Africa. More than the infrastructure that our future generations will inherit, we remain hopeful that the various skills that our people acquired since we started working on this FIFA World Cup project, will prove useful going forward. In addition to the economic benefits, we want to see the lasting legacy of education for the African continent. South Africa is hosting a high level Education Summit to promote the 1 Goal Education for All Campaign. World leaders will be asked to dedicate themselves to ensuring that every child is in school by the next FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil in 2014. This is one of the most important legacies of the World Cup in Africa. We do not expect a slowdown in the aftermath of the World Cup. There is so much still to do. There are houses to build, schools and hospitals to improve. We will also continue to focus on our top priorities such as creating decent jobs, improving education, health care and rural development, as well as the fight against crime.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Canada has long been a good friend to democracy and growth in Africa. We celebrate this relationship today, with the wish that it will proceed to greater heights. We look forward to a productive engagement over the next few days. As Africans we are ready as always to work with development partners from other regions, to build a better Africa and a better world. May I use this opportunity to urge you to visit South Africa before the end of the World Cup. You cannot afford to miss the vibrancy of the first World Cup competition on African soil!

I thank you.







Public lecture by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on the occasion of the 47th Africa Day celebration in Turkey

25 May 2010

Programme Director, His Excellency Mr Abderahman Salaheldin, the Ambassador of Egypt;

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Mr Bulent Arinc;

The Rector of Ankara University, Professor Doctor Cemal Talug;

The Dean of African Ambassadors, His Excellency Dr Mulatu Teshome Wirtu and the African Ambassadors;

Director of the Center for European Studies of the Ankara University, Professor Cagri Erhan;

Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Ankara University, Professor Melek Firat

Members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Ladies and gentlemen:

On behalf of the people of South Africa my delegation and I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for this opportunity to be with you on this day, the Forty Seventh (47th) Anniversary of Africa Day.

Africa Day is a truly watershed moment epitomising collective African experience that straddles a long, rugged landscape of our history as Africans.

So I am convinced that the government and the people of Turkey have graciously welcomed us on this wonderful day in Africa’s political calendar because of an abiding interest in the African continent.

This is much appreciated. Similarly, South Africa, and Africa in general, shares an interest in the mutually beneficial relationship and friendship with your great nation, as our visit to your country demonstrates.

We are also honoured to share experience with and thus benefit from a country whose civilisation goes back to the mist of time.

In terms of recent history, it is a known fact that Turkey has contributed immensely to the march of human progress since it emerged as a modern day Republic.

Credit on this account should go to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of Turkey whose vision laid the foundations for the greatness of your nation.

I speak with no fear of hyperbole when I say that modern day Turkey is indebted to this great thinker, whose thoughts radiated high ideals and pioneered modernity for your nation.

Programme director, Africa Day represents a historic moment as much as it is a historical memory for all the people of Africa.

Its value resides in its powers to enjoin us to cast our minds on our history, the better to reflect on our present challenges and thus to shape our future.

At a symbolic level, Africa Day is a metaphorical moment that unites all Africans from all corners of the continent.

It says in spite of the divisions imposed on all Africans over the years of colonialism, we share an indivisible future occasioned by our common past of subjugation, domination and dehumanisation.

Yet in a manner of speaking, it is equally a symbolic day for all the people of the world who share the vision of a peaceful and prosperous Africa.

Programme Director,

In celebrating Africa Day today we are, in essence, commemorating the birth of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor to the African Union (AU).

Forty Seven years ago, today, 32 independent African States signed the Charter of the newly born OAU pledging themselves to the eradication all forms of colonialism.

To their credit, mobilising a broad spectrum of the oppressed masses, these midwives of African liberation went on to inspire liberation in rest of the continent.

However, as the iconic Nelson Mandela sagely said:

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

Nowhere did this profound reality assume pronounced importance than in the sphere of post-colonial Africa’s socio-economic conditions, which conditions threatened to strangulate the hard won gains of our liberation.

These socio-economic challenges expressed themselves in the severe hardships of poverty, which, if left unattended in the prevailing euphoria of freedom, would continue to mar the face of the newly liberated Africa.

However, it is also important to note that none of these negative economic conditions was a result of chance and coincidence.

Africa’s vulnerability to its history of colonialism came back to haunt it in many ways in its post-colonial incarnation.

For example, the post-colony in Africa faced, among others, the following constraining conditions:

· Conflicts, wars, military interventions and autocracy supplanted democracy;

· The emergence of neo-colonialism which meant few African countries could independently embark on any political and economic development route outside those designed, approved and managed by the erstwhile colonial powers;

· The Western powers never envisaged independent African countries to decide their own development paths, rather, they sought to create dependent client states which could be manipulated according to the strategic and economic requirements of these western countries;

· The weak and fragile economies of the newly independent countries left them vulnerable to the variety of political mechanisations of imperial powers; and

· Debt, aid, manipulations by aid donors and unfavourable trade terms, became an albatross on many African countries.

Recognising this negative economic state, the OAU tried on several occasions to come up with measures to address the African economic conditions.

It was also out of the recognition of the various factors which had hindered the development of the continent, and which were seriously jeopardizing the future of its peoples.

A number of seminal events thus took place with the sole aim of rethinking new paths for Africa’s economic development.

Among these were:

· The Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa 1980-2000;

· The Monrovia Declaration of Commitment of the Heads of State and Government, of the Organisation of African Unity on Guidelines and Measures for National and Collective Self-Reliance in Social and Economic Development for the Establishment of a New International Economic Order; and

· The Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, on June 3rd 1991 in Abuja, Nigeria.

Underlying all these historical OAU Summits was the heightened consciousness to develop and utilize the human and natural resources of the continent for the general well-being of the African peoples in all fields of human endeavour.

The Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (AEC) was unparalleled in that it gave rise to the establishment of an African Economic Community constituting an integral part of the OAU.

Inter alia, the AEC’s objectives were as follows:

· To promote economic, social and cultural development and the integration of African economies in order to increase economic self-reliance and promote an endogenous and self-sustained development;

· To establish, on a continental scale, a framework for the development, mobilization and utilization of the human and material resources of Africa in order to achieve a self-reliant development; and

· To promote cooperation in all fields in order to raise the standard of living of Africans, and maintain and enhance economic stability, foster close and peaceful relations among Member States and contribute to the progress, development and the economic integration of the Continent.

Further, there would be the liberalisation of trade through the abolition, among Member States of Customs Duties and Non-Tariff Barriers so as to establish free trade areas in each regional economic community.

The countries also agreed to adopt a common trade policy, ensure a common external tariff and establish a common market.

Of importance, there was agreement on the removal, among Member States, of obstacles to the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital and the right of residence and establishment.

Subsequent to this economic programme, a new realisation dawned that Africa needed a new political vision which at the time could not be expressed within the context of the OAU.

Events soon dictated a change of direction in keeping with the post Cold War world scenario, which was imposing its imponderables globally, especially on economically vulnerable nations.

Changes wrought by the fluid international environment immediately after the end of the Cold War meant the inevitable repositioning of Africa’s interests in the face of the new, exacting international economic landscape.

Consequently, the OAU carried out a critical review of Africa’s political, social and economic situation, necessitating new institutional forms of response to changing conditions.

This resulted in the launch of the African Union (AU) in 2002, which took over the baton in the forward struggle for the sustainable development.

The AU’s objectives are, among others: the consolidation of democracy; peace and stability; human security; good economic governance as well as sustainable development; human rights; health.; gender equality; information and computer technology; integrated regional development; as well as cultural and heritage preservation and promotion.

Qualitatively, all these objectives hoist Africa onto a higher plane of sustainable human development, in tune with the temper of current global economic and political exigencies.

Notably, with the onset of the AU, Africa turned a corner on political stability.

The OAU’s mandate was driven by liberatory impulse, deferring to sovereignty and thus adopting non-interference clause in domestic affairs.

As it turned out, this did not prove helpful in building the culture of democracy in post-colonial Africa.

Learning from such historical errors, the AU espoused a contrary view and opted to prioritise key issues of democracy, justice, and human rights as the index of building Africa’s political future.

Accordingly, the AU has made democracy a key requirement for its membership.

No government is acceptable within the AU’s fold if it does not enjoy democratic credentials, based on free and fair elections under universal suffrage.

As a result, since the formation of the AU a steady but unprecedented democratisation process has been sweeping across the continent.

Encouragingly, this renewed fervour in the deepening of democracy owed much to measures taken by Africans themselves, with the participation of the masses of our people.

Multi-party elections and democratic governments is becoming the norm rather than an exception.

Concomitant with this positive political turn of events has been the improvement in the economic outlook of many African countries, until the recent global recession.

The economies of many of our countries were beginning to recover, registering better rates of growth than had been the case for almost three decades. We can see a clear correlation between the AU’s political character and the economic improvement of its member states.

At the same time, one can also notice the small but growing impact on Africa’s recovery economic plan, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, (NEPAD).

NEPAD, which serves as a blue print for Africa’s economic resuscitation, is the economic programme of the AU.

NEPAD priorities areas such as infrastructure development; banking and financial standards; agriculture; access to market and creating positive conditions conducive for better investment; as well as reducing business costs and increasing Africa’s competitiveness in the world economy.

NEPAD was developed with the express understanding that this is new partnership for the development of Africa, which is owned, managed and driven by Africans, has a responsibility to end the centuries of poverty and underdevelopment.

Of central importance to the concerns of NEPAD is the need to make interventions in the area of information and communication technology, the heartbeat of modern development.

Over many years Africa’s economic integration and participation in the global economy has been constrained by factors such as the high cost of access for end-users to foreign-owned satellite telecommunication providers for cross-border, regional and international telecommunications traffic.

In addition, high Internet access costs, low bandwidth, poor ICT infrastructure and often unreliable communication facilities further exacerbate the challenges the African countries face.

Happily, the year 2010 is already holding out great prospects in this regard. For example, the broadband fibre-optic submarine cables are being sunk and the eastern seaboard cable is already operating.

A broadband network that links all 54 African countries will provide abundant bandwidth, easier connectivity and reduced costs.

In addition, it is expected that the marine cables will enhance competition in business process outsourcing (BPO), considered the vital link to the rest of the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As we all know Africa is a landmass generously endowed with a variety of minerals.

Yet we do not as yet have a fully developed secondary industry to process our export oriented products.

Building up Africa’s physical infrastructure — roads, railways, harbours, electricity grids, waterworks, communications networks — is another NEPAD priority.

Such infrastructure will be essential if African industries, small businesses and farmers are to produce and earn more.

I am confident that these bold steps will lay the foundation for the development of secondary industry needed for mobilising domestic and foreign capital for full scale industrialisation.

In addition, NEPAD still need to address the following challenges:

· Regional macro-economic stability;

· Financial market integration; and

· Infrastructure development and opening up of borders to facilitate the free movement of goods and services and other factors of production.

We also need to develop efficient infrastructure and services to facilitate the free movement of people.

On the critical matter of green revolution, NEPAD has registering good progress for small scale African farmers.

NEPAD has mobilised public support among African governments to prioritise and invest in agriculture.

NEPAD encourages African governments to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a framework to accelerate economic growth and boost food security through greater investments in agriculture.

Endorsed by African leaders, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme calls on African governments to allocate 10% of their national budgets to agriculture, in order to achieve 6 percent annual agricultural growth.

This vision has already galvanized some partners around the world to support agriculture in Africa.

The new partners will work together through Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme''s national roundtable processes, which will direct investments toward implementing policies and programmes that strengthen smallholder farmers'' access better soil management techniques.

This will also lead to improved seeds and fertilisers, increase their access to markets, and build the capacity of African institutions to advance agricultural research and to develop home-grown, evidence-based agricultural policies.

The resolution of all these challenges offers unique opportunities for trade and growth in Africa.

Among such opportunities is the processing of vast mineral resources Africa has, which largely needs development of requisite infrastructure.

The above scenario outlines challenges, the flip side of which lays bare countless opportunities.

Whatever difficulties we encounter we should not lose sight of our main objective of unity and integration.

At all times we should consistently and faithfully pursue the prescriptions of the Abuja Treaty, NEPAD and the objectives of Constitutive Act of the AU, develop our economies and ensure that integration and development proceed side by side.

On this score we should all note that Africa remains alive with possibilities, and will do so for generations to come.

Your Excellency,

You will recall that the United Nations (UN) introduced new conflict resolution and peace keeping strategies early in the 90s, which impacted directly on the concrete conditions in Africa at the time.

This UN approach occurred concurrent with efforts to reconceptualise the Organisation of African Unity.

Thus this United Nations development accorded with the emerging view that Africa needed to work towards the AU, part of whose mandate would be to strive for peace, stability, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction in Africa.

I would like to emphasise the fact that, guided by this UN approach, we as Africans have since registered considerable gains in areas of peace and stability, democracy and good governance.

Rwanda, Burundi, Congo DR, and Cote d''Ivoire are among a few African countries that are a living example of successful peace efforts that represent our resolve to bring about African solutions to Africa’s problems.

It should, however, be mentioned that there are challenges that remain, as demonstrated by the recent re-emergence of the spurts of unconstitutional changes of government and other forms of conflicts in some pockets of the continent.

Be that as it may, we remain committed to deal with these sporadic challenges.

In this regard, the theme of this Africa Day celebration, ‘Building and Maintaining Peace through Sport in Africa’, was correct in conception, as informed by two factors, namely:

· The African Union’s decision to declare 2010 as the Year of Peace and Security in Africa; and

· And related to this, the hosting of the first FIFA World Cup on African soil - an event we have aptly called the African FIFA World Cup.

This is all the more reason the AU has steeled its resolve to strengthen peace-making efforts across the continent and will spare no energy to mark this year as a milestone towards creating a climate conducive for sustainable peace and security in Africa.

Effectively, this work is already underway, and in many of the African countries the mechanisms towards peaceful resolution of conflicts are in place.

Although peace is being realised and we are on the right path towards creating "a better Africa", the need to put emphasis on conflict prevention mechanisms is acute.

In this connection, I am confident that with time this objective, too, will be achieved.

Your Excellency,

In speaking about prospects for prosperity and stability in Africa, we are also aware of the role Turkey is playing in supporting peace efforts on the African continent.

On this account, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend Turkey’s contribution to peace keeping efforts on the continent such as the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNASMIL), the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC-CIVPOL), and the UN Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), to name but a few.

Programme Director,

In conclusion, a few thoughts on the theme for today are in order. The year 2010 has been highly anticipated and will no doubt go down in the annals of history as a year of the great African hope.

Bearing this in mind, the AU coined the theme of this year’s celebration: ‘Building and Maintaining Peace through Sport in Africa’.

Hosting this FIFA World Cup represents a gigantic leap forward towards advancing to this imperishable vision.

Africa commits to build and maintain peace on the continent by taking decisive actions that bring desired outcomes.

In addition to the above, we seek to showcase the achievements and potential of Africa to the World.

We are proud that six African nations will be playing in the World Cup and we hope, through them, the platform for a unified continent will be cemented.

South Africa takes this opportunity to welcome you to the FIFA World Cup and look forward to giving you a truly African experience.

By the same token, we invite you to celebrate Africa Day with us today, as a prelude to FIFA 2010 World Cup show, and as the foundation for lasting peace and security on the African continent.

We celebrate thus in the full knowledge that this is an inspirational day for all Africans on which, in a way, we renew the vows of our own liberation.

Africa Day is therefore no ordinary day, but history in motion.

It is a generational experience best summed up in the timeless words of Don Mattera, an African patriot, writer and visionary, who memorably opined thus at the launch of the African Union in 2002:

Africa, Afrique,

Beautiful mother, beloved continent,

This is your time, your moment, your century

Etched on the golden scroll of history

I thank you.





Opening remarks by Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, on the occasion of the official bilateral talks with the Republic of Turkey

25 May 2010

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Erdoğan;

Fellow Ministers;

Deputy Ministers;

Ambassador Seokolo, South Africa’s Ambassador to Turkey, and Ambassador Altan, Turkey’s Ambassador to South Africa:

I thank the Prime Minister for his warm welcome.

Mr Prime Minister, as you may know, Turkey is one of the largest economies in the region, and more importantly, a major trading partner with South Africa, in the Central and Eastern Europe Region.

South Africa and Turkey are both at similar stages of development with complementary national priorities that seek to address national development goals, particularly in the areas of:

· Poverty and unemployment

· Agriculture and Rural Development

· Education and Skills Development

· Improving the quality of Health Care

· Enhancing economic competitiveness and improving our business environment

· Infrastructure development and modernisation

· Enhancing the role of small and medium enterprises

· And growing our manufacturing bases.

These complementarities provide a good platform for the establishment of a mutually beneficial developmental partnership.

The strengthening and enhancement of our political, economic and commercial relations is therefore critical for the advancement of our national priorities.

That’s what brings us together in this meeting today.

Beyond these national interests, we have areas of mutual concern and areas of potential cooperation in the multilateral field where our bilateral relations could be enhanced.

Turkey is at the cross roads in the political landscape of this region; the middle, the near east and central Europe where many countries are still striving for solutions to conflicts, and to unresolved national questions from the legacies of the cold war era.

Turkey’s role here has not gone unnoticed and we encourage Turkey to do its part to help the region resolve its challenges so that these countries can become part of a world of democratic and prosperous nations free from tensions that have impeded their full development.

We look to Turkey to fulfill that positive role and be our partner in the United Nations forum when it comes to cooperation in the resolution of the most pressing challenges of our times in our respective regions.

South Africa does its part to play its role as well in the Africa region, because we believe as a country, our own growth lies in Africa’s development.

South Africa therefore, continues to prioritise the African peace, security and sustainable development Agenda in our regional, continental and global engagements.

To that end, we already have joint commitments made in the Africa – Turkey Summit that was held in Istanbul in August, 2008.

Our presence in Ankara today is a confirmation of our commitment to these relationships and to address matters of common interest so that we can strengthen our partnership.

Your Excellency, in the sixteen years of South Africa’s freedom, we have built strong relations with Turkey.

In 2000, we signed a Protocol on Political Consultations and provided for these consultations to take place on regular intervals.

Our President, Jacob Zuma, at the time, a Deputy President of our Republic in 2003, visited Turkey for the first high level official visit to this country at your invitation.

My visit makes it the 2nd Official visit. Similarly several Ministerial and senior officials’ meetings have taken place and several important decisions and Agreements concluded.

The strength of this delegation, as well, is a clear testimony, that South Africa has a strong commitment to strengthen our relations and facilitate the implementation of decisions taken.

At the end of this visit, Your Excellency and dear friends, we hope to have mapped a clear way forward for the enhancement of our political, economic and commercial relations.

We also hope to have exchanged views on important regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest to both countries.

While noting that Turkey’s annual trade amounts to 280 billion USD, this amount represents only 1 per cent of trade between our two countries.

Clearly, this shows that there is still a huge potential for increased trade between our two nations.

Prime Minister, as you know, South Africa is hosting the World Cup in two weeks.

As Chairperson of the WC 2010 Ministerial Committee, I had to give a report to Parliament on the state of readiness of the government and the nation.

We have made good on our promise to the world and to South Africa and are proud to share with you that we have built a magnificent infrastructure and we have created an atmosphere for the visitors to enjoy to the fullest, the first World Cup ever on the African continent.

This project has helped put our economy on the fast track and accelerated development.

Our Government is committed to rolling back the frontiers of poverty and fulfills the objectives of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2014.

As we complete the World Cup project, we have new plans for an Industrial Development strategy.

The President of the Republic has recently appointed a National Planning Commission with a diversity of professions and the finest expertise the country has to offer, that will assist in making forecasts beyond short term horizons in a coordinated integrated fashion across sectors and government’s spheres.

We invite all our international partners and Turkey to renew their faith in investing in our economy and partner with us in building a better Africa, a better Turkey and a prosperous world for all.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency





Address by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on the occasion of the South Africa-Turkey Business Forum in Istanbul, Turkey

26 May 2010

The Programme Director;

Mr. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Chairman of TOBB & DEİK;

Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the Republic of South Africa;

Mr Tebogo Seokolo, South African Ambassador to Turkey;

Government Representatives from both our countries;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great honour and privilege for me to address this important gathering which aims to further strengthen our economic co-operation with the Republic of Turkey.

This is a gathering made up of business people and government representatives from Turkey and South Africa. I am indeed encouraged by the enthusiastic response and interest that has been shown by all the participants who have registered as part of this business forum.

The Turkey-SA Business Forum presents an opportunity for business to engage on a wide range of issues, including identification of business opportunities in both our countries.

It is hoped that a forum of this nature will enable further interaction amongst the business community in order to leverage the existing opportunities that both countries have created over the years.

Of importance is the strengthening of our national economic relationship and we are pleased at the progress made thus far in social, economic and political areas of co-operation.

Since our arrival here in the past few days, several of our ministers and officials have met their counterparts, particularly in the areas of Education, Tourism, Mining, Trade and Industry, and Defence.

In almost all these meetings, there was a determination to strengthen the commercial and economic ties between the two countries and to increase interaction between the two peoples of our countries with the belief that improvement of commerce and investment is fundamental for sustainable development and the creation of employment.

For example, in the area of tourism, there are benefits of extending tourism activities and strengthening cooperation in this field, taking into account the role that tourism plays in employment creation and the cementing of ties between countries.

In this context, we are looking at the possibility of increasing the frequency of flights and participation in tourism fairs and exhibitions organised by our two countries.

There certainly lies a great deal of business opportunities for our business people in this field.

Programme Director,

The World Bank Group’s Annual Doing Business Report for 2010 compared global regulation in 183 countries.

From these global economies, South Africa ranked 34th for ease of doing business.

In terms of overall competitiveness, South Africa was ranked 45th ahead of countries such as Poland, India and Mexico.

South Africa was also ranked the 18th most attractive Foreign Direct Investment destination world-wide, according to the 2007 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index compiled by the global management consulting firm, AT Kearney.

South Africa, like many other countries, is now officially out of recession. According to our statistics agency reports for December 2009, manufacturing output was 3.2% higher than in the corresponding month in 2008 – representing the first annualised rise in 14 months.

Although there remains some uncertainty about the depth and rate of the recovery, forecasts suggest GDP growth of 2, 5% this year and 3, 7% next year rising to 4, 5% in 2012.

Our Government will continue to play its part in supporting the economic recovery and facilitating economic growth.

The bedrock of government intervention is its commitment to a R787billion infrastructure investment programme beyond the 2010 World Cup and over a 3-year period.

In addition, we made R6, 1 billion support available to manufacturing companies which faced difficulties as a result of the global recession, thereby saving jobs and industrial capacity and placing ourselves in a better position to maximise the benefits of the economic upswing.

The potential of the South African economy is evident in its diversity of sectors and industries.

It offers world class clusters in environmental technologies, ICT, transport equipment, capital equipments, creative industries and financial services.

Our Government has achieved significant successes in ensuring macro-economic stability, via the implementation of policies directed at promoting domestic competitiveness, growth and employment.

Our Department of Trade and Industry recently unveiled the second phase of a 3-year Industrial Policy Action Plan.

This Action Plan represents a significant step forward in strengthening our efforts to promote long term industrialisation and industrial diversification beyond our traditional strengths in commodities and non-tradable services.

Over the next 3 years, our Industrial Policy Action Plan will focus on key sectors clustered in 3 groups, namely:

The qualitatively new areas of focus, which include:

· Metal fabrication, capital and transport equipment sectors, particularly arising from large public investments;

· Green and energy-saving industries;

· Agro-processing linked to food security and food pricing imperatives;

The second cluster involves: broadening interventions in existing sectors, such as:

· Automotives, components, medium and heavy commercial vehicles;

· Plastics, pharmaceuticals and chemicals;

· Clothing, textiles, footwear and leather;

· Bio fuels;

· Forestry, paper, pulp, and furniture;

· Cultural industries and tourism;

· Business process servicing.

The third cluster involves sectors with potential for long-term advanced capabilities, such as:

· Nuclear; and Aerospace.

All the above areas offer Turkish business immense opportunities for gainful investment in our country.

Programme Director,

Existing levels of trade between our countries are relatively low and concentrated in a few sectors, most notably gold, petroleum, skins and hides.

There is consensus that the current trade between our two countries, valued at 2 billion USD, does not reflect our true potential.

Whilst our trade has been focused on the exchange of valuable commodities and raw materials, true benefits lie in the expansion of value added trade.

The inclusion of products such as vehicles, automotive components in the basket of traded goods is a positive sign of things to come.

Beyond trade, there is significant scope for investment, joint ventures and tie-ups in the areas that I have referred to above.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, as an open economy we welcome new investment and collaborative partnerships in key areas of opportunity – all uniquely poised to deliver good returns on investment.

We look forward to welcoming new Turkish investors in our country and working with companies which already invest in and trade with South Africa to ensure that their investment is worthwhile.

Similarly, we encourage South African enterprises and investors to take advantage of the trade and investment opportunities that the Turkish economy has to offer.

I wish you a successful business forum and look forward to welcoming you and your families and friends as you join us in celebrating the first ever World Cup on the African Continent.

Thank You.

ISSUED BY

THE PRESIDENCY

SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY, ANKARA