Benefits received from the Agreement, in line with the Objectives of the African Agenda, to pursue Economic and Investment Opportunities in the new Republic of South Sudan; and Agreements during the Outcome of Bilateral Exchanges during Visit to the Republic of South Sudan in October 2011

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR ORAL REPLY

QUESTION NO: 35 (NO328E)

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 3-2012 OF 21 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr MGP Lekota (COPE) to ask the Minister of DIRCO:

1. What benefits have been derived from the agreement, in line with the objectives of the African Agenda, to pursue economic and investment opportunities in the new Republic of South Sudan;
   

2. What further agreements were achieved in the outcome of bilateral exchanges during her subsequent visit to the Republic of South Sudan in early October 2011?

REPLY:

1. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011, following years of conflict in the country. The intervention by the Africa Union, by means of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the implementation post conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD) mechanism in South Sudan, enabled the Sudan to peacefully resolve its decades long conflict. South Africa chaired the Ministerial PCRD in South Sudan and also engaged in numerous capacity building exercises and mediation efforts, to ensure the pacific resolution of the conflict, in the pursuance of the African Agenda. Furthermore, we are engaged in the South Sudan in the quest for a stable and democratic South Sudan. We seek to ensure that the post conflict reconstruction, political stability and security sector reform, lay a sound foundation for the realisation of peace and security in South Sudan.
   
   

2. The South African government partnered with the Southern Sudanese government and the University of South Africa in capacity and institution building project for Southern Sudan. Since the launch of the project in February 2005, over 1 000 Sudanese officials in both the Sudan government of national unity and the government of Southern Sudan have received training in South Africa and Southern Sudan. Training has been in the following fields: leadership and management, diplomacy, public service administration, public finance management, legal affairs, correctional services, policing, local government administration and intergovernmental relations, government communications, and management of government information, broadcasting, radio and public relations.
   
   

3. Since the independence of the country, South Africa concluded the Agreement on Diplomatic Relations with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan on 24 August 2011. Subsequent to that on 14 October 2011, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) facilitated the deployment of a business delegation to South Sudan led by the Department of Trade and Industry to identify economic and investment opportunities in that country. In its engagement with senior officials of the Government of South Sudan, it concluded that numerous economic opportunities exist in agriculture; minerals and energy; forestry; ICT; animal resources and fisheries; infrastructure development (in terms of roads, rail and ports construction and management); healthcare; and financial and banking sector. The economic opportunities identified during these interactions, warrant strong presence of South African business and related agencies.
   
   

4. South Africa is in the process of negotiating other agreements with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, hence the Department of International Relations and Cooperation is working on a General Cooperation Agreement establishing bilateral political, economic and trade relations with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan. The General Cooperation Agreement will be an umbrella framework under which all activities relating to trade and investment will be undertaken.

UNQUOTE