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| PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BIZOS |
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| President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended condolences to the family of human rights lawyer and activist George Bizos, who passed away on Wednesday evening, 9 September 2020. |
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News of Bizos's passing broke during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s engagement with the South African National Editors’ Forum.
Concluding the engagement, President Ramaphosa paid tribute to the 92-year-old human rights lawyer, who represented several anti-apartheid activists, including the late President Nelson Mandela.
“The news about George Bizos’ passing is sad news for us South Africans. George Bizos was one of those lawyers who contributed immensely to the attainment of our democracy, and he worked very closely with Nelson Mandela, Arthur Chaskalson and many others.
“As a government, we extend our condolences to his family. We also extend condolences to all South Africans because George Bizos’ name was a family name. He had an incisive legal mind and was one of the architects of our Constitution. He contributed immensely and he will be sorely missed,” the President said.
“We bow our heads in honour of the contribution that George Bizos has made to our democracy. We will forever remember his contribution,” said the President.
– Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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| PRESIDENT MOURNS PASSING OF ACTIVIST AND WRITER ACHMAT DANGOR |
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| President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the family of activist and writer Achmat Dangor who passed away on Sunday, 6 September 2020. |
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The President described the passing of the 71-year-old acclaimed author and political activist as “a loss to the literary, arts and culture fraternity and the country at large”.
“Achmat Dangor was born into a family whose members have played a leading role in this country’s history and development. I convey my deepest sympathies to the family who have lost a son, a brother and a father,” said President Ramaphosa.
Dangor became involved in the liberation struggle in his youth and played a leading role in mobilising the literary fraternity against apartheid and promoting protest writing by black authors locally and internationally.
He was one of the founders of the Congress of South African Writers and published a number of novels and short story collections. He was the recipient of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize and in 2004 one of his novels, Bitter Fruit, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
“Among the many lessons we draw from his life is the importance of supporting the arts and culture as key pillars of a country’s development; as well as the role of artists as our national conscience,” said President Ramaphosa.
Following the end of apartheid, Dangor was active in civil society and headed the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
“Achmat Dangor will be remembered for powerful and inspired writing that gave a voice to the voiceless and captured the bitter conditions under which our people suffered.
“We honour him for his sterling contribution, may he be granted Jannatul Firdous (paradise),” said the President. |
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| SOUTH AFRICA READY TO HELP MOZAMBIQUE FIGHT ISLAMIST INSURGENCY |
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| South Africa stands ready to help Mozambique counter the growing Islamist insurgency in the north of the country once it has heard from Maputo about what help it needs. |
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International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, told Parliament on Wednesday, 2 September 2020, that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had asked Mozambique for a roadmap on its requirements from the region as long ago as May.
She said once Mozambique had submitted the roadmap, South Africa and other SADC members could decide how they could help.
If it’s more intelligence support, if it’s the SA Navy patrolling the coast, if it is assistance from our Defence Force, we as South Africa stand ready,” Minister Pandor told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations in a virtual meeting.
“But we must have that indication from the Government of Mozambique,” she said, adding that it would not be right, as one MP suggested, for South Africa to send a fact-finding mission to the Cabo Delgado province where the insurgency was happening, as it was up to Mozambique to decide what help it needed.
She said Mozambique had been asked for this roadmap on 19 May at a summit of SADC’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in Harare. At the summit, regional heads of state had directed SADC’s Secretariat to urgently explore ways of sharing intelligence among member states to counter the terrorism in Mozambique and more generally.
Member states had also been urged to support Mozambique in its fight against the terrorist insurgency.
Minister Pandor said that at a full SADC summit on 17 August, regional leaders had confirmed SADC’s commitment to support Mozambique. But the summit had noted that the SADC committees that had been directed by the May 19 Harare summit to explore ways in which SADC could help Mozambique had not yet done so because Maputo had not yet submitted its roadmap of needs.
Minister Pandor expressed particular concern about reports of the capture of the port town of Mocimboa da Praia in August. According to security analysts, the town remains in the hands of the insurgents, although Mozambique security forces recently began a campaign to recapture it.
– Source: www.dailymaverick.co.za |
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| BRICS FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS TOPICAL INTERNATIONAL ISSUES |
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| On 4 September 2020, Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, chaired a stand-alone meeting of (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) ministers of foreign affairs/international relations via a videoconference. |
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At the event, the ministers held an in-depth exchange of views on topical international issues, including regional conflicts, joint efforts to counter new challenges and threats, and cooperation of the BRICS nations in multilateral fora, in particular, at the forthcoming 75th anniversary session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. They conducted a comprehensive analysis of the current condition of pentalateral cooperation during Russian BRICS Chairship in 2020 on all three pillars of BRICS Strategic Partnership – policy and security, economy and finance, and people-to-people cooperation.
The participants discussed some issues of the preparations for the 12th BRICS Summit.
BRICS has established itself as an influential factor in international politics and economy. The strategic partnership is based on commitment to dialogue, multilateralism, sovereign equality of states and the UN Charter principles. |
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| FORMER HEALTH DG TO SERVE ON PANEL FOR PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS |
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| Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has congratulated former Health Director-General, Dr Precious Matsoso, on her appointment as a panellist in the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. |
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Dr Matsoso is among the 11 panellists who were announced in Geneva by the panel’s co-chairs to serve on the panel.
“Today, we are pleased to present 11 excellent panellists representing a wealth of experience from health and broader societal perspectives,” said the co-chairs who announced the 11 panellists on Thursday, 3 September 2020.
The Independent Panel, which will meet approximately every six weeks from September 2020, will hold its first meeting on 17 September.
Following that, it is expected to seek evidence and views from a broad range of stakeholders, including World Health Organisation (WHO) member states, health experts, economists, specialists on the social impacts of the pandemic, from civil society, the private sector and from the general public.
The panel’s recommendations will aim to support effective management of the pandemic and strengthen how the world can prepare for, and respond to future pandemics.
Dr Matsoso is the former Director-General of the Department of Health and former Chair of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Emergencies Programme.
Dr Dhlomo said Dr Matsoso carried her management and leadership responsibility with diligence, and she “excelled in the international health system”.
– Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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| HEALTH LAUNCHES COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING APP |
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| The Health Department has launched a new mobile application, COVID Alert SA, to strengthen South Africa’s digital contact-tracing efforts. |
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The department has deployed teams to conduct manual contact tracing in every district. Subsequently, the WhatsApp-based COVIDConnect service was launched, which allows index cases to anonymously notify their contacts as prompted by the system.
The COVID Alert SA app will complement and strengthen the existing methods as a powerful tool to enable the instant notification of contacts following a positive test.
COVID Alert SA is built on the exposure notification Application Programming Interface (API), developed by Apple and Google to enable contact tracing through mobile phones.
The app is fully privacy-preserving, in line with the requirements of the API, and does not collect any personally identifiable information or trace a user’s location.
Using Bluetooth, the COVID Alert SA app emits a randomly generated code that is picked up by other users when two phones come into proximity of one another. This unique identifier changes frequently and cannot be linked to the identity of any user. Over time, each user builds an “encounter history” of those they have been in contact with.
When a user tests positive, they are requested to report their diagnosis anonymously on the COVID Alert SA app. When the user does so, all other users with whom they have been in contact for the past 14 days will immediately be notified of their exposure and prompted through the care pathway. At no point in this process, is the identity of any user revealed.
Bluetooth-enabled contact-tracing apps allow a greater number of contacts to be traced more rapidly, including strangers whom an index case may not be able to recall or identify. The app is zero rated to facilitate optimal citizen uptake.
“Global experience has demonstrated the risk of a resurgence once restrictions on social and economic activity are lifted. While the trajectory of the epidemic in South Africa has stabilised, such a resurgence remains a real and present danger in our own country,” said the Health Department’s Director-General, Dr Sandile Buthelezi.
COVID Alert SA, Dr Buthelezi said, provided the department with additional armament to achieve suppression of the virus and prevent outbreaks from occurring again by eliminating the time-consuming steps it takes to achieve contact tracing manually.
– Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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| WILD COAST ROAD PROJECT TAKES IN HIGHEST BRIDGE IN AFRICA |
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| The N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) project will create thousands of local jobs, serve as a catalyst for economic growth in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and unlock a treasure trove of spectacular natural diversity assets to boost the tourism economy. |
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The N2WCR construction project has been flagged as one of the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (SANRAL) most ambitious undertakings yet, stretching 410 km from East London to the Eastern Cape’s boundary with KwaZulu-Natal.
It is scheduled for completion in 2024 and expected to boost the development of some of South Africa’s most disadvantaged municipal areas, and improve the lives of some of the country’s most neglected communities.
The N2WCR project will serve as a crucial economic artery, bringing significant socio-economic benefits and thousands of work opportunities for local communities, says SANRAL.
Government has identified the eastern half of the Eastern Cape as an area crying out for economic growth and work opportunities, with its people suffering deprivation while living in a resource-rich area.
Good, quality road access is crucial in unlocking the Wild Coast’s significant tourism potential as well other economic spin offs, says SANRAL.
SANRAL says the N2, as it is now, turns inland from Mthatha, and due to the many deep gorges and poor road infrastructure, there is a vast, inaccessible land corridor along the coast between Port St Johns and Port Edward.
The new N2, South Africa’s road agency says, will open up this coastal strip while also providing a safer, flatter and faster link between Durban and the industrial centres of East London and Port Elizabeth. It will benefit businesses operating along the entire east coast as well as stimulating development of the Wild Coast.
The new highway, supported by the road access management system linking this high order road with lower order roads, will be an important first step to safer, more convenient travel and a better quality of life, says SANRAL.
“This will mean a travel time saving of between one-and-a-half to three-hours for road-users once it is completed, saving the economy R1.5 billion annually."
The upgrading of lower order roads in the villages near the new route and linking these roads to the new N2 have also translated into R120 million worth of opportunities for community development projects by local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
Two mega-bridge structures on the Msikaba and Mtentu rivers are part of the N2 Wild Coast Project.
The Mtentu Bridge, once completed, will open as the highest bridge ever built in Africa with a deck height of approximately 223 metres.
The massive central beam span of 260 metres will also be a record for the African continent among beam bridges and the 141-metre pier 9 will also be the tallest on the continent, according to highestbridges.com.
The entire structure will have a deck 22.8 metres wide with walkways on both edges.
The nearby cable stayed Msikaba Bridge will not be as high as Mtentu Bridge, but the main span of 580 metres will be the second-longest on the African continent, with the 680-metre span Maputo-Catembe Bridge in Mozambique topping the list in that department.
– Source: www.thesouthafrican.co.za |
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| NEW PORTAL MATCHES BUYERS & SELLERS TO BOOST SOUTH AFRICAN WINE SALES ABROAD |
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| In a bid to sell more South African wine overseas, a new matchmaking portal has been launched to bring together buyers and sellers of Western Cape wine. |
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Cape Export Network (CEN) is a platform for South African wine producers to freely advertise their products and connect them with international importers and buyers of wine, and has been launched by the provincial government, its investment arm Wesgro and export group Wines of South Africa (WOSA).
CEN’s primary function is to help importers looking for wines to fill their portfolio in a fast and secure manner by selecting five criteria, including wine type, red or white grapes, tasting notes as well as the region. Based on their selection, the platform presents wines listed that meet these criteria.
The impact of months of lockdown, no exports and no sales at restaurants and liquor stores have hit the industry badly, creating a need for this kind of solution, Wesgro said in a statement recently.
The Western Cape is the eighth-largest wine region in the world, selling one million bottles of wine a day, according to Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.
"Our new platform will now take more of our quality products to more buyers around the world,” he added.
“We welcome the launch of the Cape Export Network as an initiative to support and rebuild the industry,” said David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities. “The platform also creates an exciting opportunity for new and emerging wine producers to be discovered by importers so that more people around the world can taste the finest wines that we have to offer in the Western Cape.”
South African producers of wine also have access to a free-to-use “How to Export guide” created by WOSA, as well as other materials they have available via the platform.
International importers entering the South African wine market for the first time and wanting to gain more knowledge about the industry and its products have the opportunity to do the free WOSA Online Wine Course. It takes the user through six informative modules that help them better understand varietals, wine styles and the history of the Western Cape and the South African wine industry. It also gives them insight into the wine-growing regions of South Africa.
The portal will eventually link to the Wesgro/Western Cape Export portal that will be launched in the coming months.
– Source: www.sapeople.com |
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| NEW “MEGA CITY” TO BE BUILT IN GAUTENG |
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| Property developer Balwin has announced its new Mooikloof Mega-City development, which is set to be built in the east of Pretoria. |
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Balwin said it planned to build an initial 16 000 apartments at a present value of approximately R9.6 billion in phases over the next few years in what it described as the one of the world’s largest sectional title developments.
This may be extended to up to 50 000 apartments with a total development value of approximately R44 billion in today’s terms, the group said. Apartment prices will range from R499 000 to R799 000.
Balwin said that the project would provide a much-needed economic injection in a post-COVID-19 environment, creating approximately 115 000 direct and indirect job opportunities throughout its lifecycle.
– Source: Busiesstech.co.za |
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| NATIONAL PARKS WEEK MOVED TO NOVEMBER |
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| Due to COVID-19 regulations, the 15th annual SA National Parks Week will be held in November 2020. |
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In a statement, the South African National Parks (SANParks) Chief Executive Officer, Fundisile Mketeni, said the National Parks Week had been moved from September to November.
“SANParks has postponed the free access week, which is traditionally held in September, to November due to the COVID-19 alert level 2 regulations, which restrict the number of persons allowed within public spaces.
SANParks, together with Total South Africa and FNB, will host the 15th annual SA National Parks Week from 16 to 20 November 2020.
“Additionally, we have implemented extra visitor management procedures in the parks to manage visitor volumes, in line with regulations to further mitigate the risk of the spread of Coronavirus at this time,” said Mketeni.
The SA National Parks Week is an annual campaign that gives all South African citizens the opportunity to enter most of the parks managed by SANParks for free, with the exclusion of Namaqua National Park and Boulders section at Table Mountain National Park.
The free access to parks does not include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.
Every year, SANParks aims to increase the number of citizens that are granted free access to national parks during this time.
“Since we started the programme in 2006, some 551 393 South Africans have been afforded the opportunity to enter national parks, and we want to see these numbers grow.
“The week, in partnership with Total South Africa and FNB, is meant to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, cultural and historical heritage, and a deeper appreciation of biodiversity. It is important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks,” Mketeni said.
Mketeni also highlighted the growing need for national parks to be relevant, particularly to young people and communities living adjacent to parks.
“Through our socio-economic transformation programmes, and our Expanded Public Works Programme, we work closely with communities living adjacent to national parks. [This is] in order to be more inclusive so we can tackle issues of wildlife crime with their help, afford them more access to parks for cultural use, inform young people about the different career options that parks have to offer and create job opportunities.
“SANParks hopes to strengthen and enable these communities to reap the benefits of the national parks,” Mketeni said.
Members of the public can visit the SANParks website for more information: www.sanparks.org/about/events/parks_week.
– Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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| SOUTH AFRICAN HONOURED WITH PRESTIGIOUS WWF AWARD |
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| The Living Planet Award is an annual World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) award made to exceptional South Africans who, through their catalytic contribution to conservation, inspire people to live in harmony with nature. |
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WWF has announced that the winner of its prestigious Living Planet Award is leading arid zone ecologist Professor Timm Hoffman, for his contribution to both conservation and helping the people who are dependent on the land to make a living in some of the driest parts of South Africa.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 award was made during a special online ceremony on 1 September, which also showcased the splendours of the Succulent Karoo. The Succulent Karoo is a semi-desert biome (or ecological region) that stretches from the Little Karoo to southern Namibia and is home to more than 6 000 plant species, making it the most biodiverse of its kind in the world.
Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa, said: “Timm is not only one of South Africa’s foremost arid zone ecologists but is also one of the humblest and most compassionate people you will ever meet. Through this award, we acknowledge an individual whose work exemplifies how conservation truly can benefit both people and nature.”
Prof. Hoffman, who hails from the Eastern Cape originally, has spent a lifetime working on dryland ecology, most recently as the director of the Plant Conservation Unit at the University of Cape Town. He is also a long-standing member of the Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust, which is administered by the WWF and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
On an academic level, Prof. Hoffman has co-authored over 130 scientific articles, contributed to more than 30 books, supervised numerous students and added to the development of new knowledge and insights into both the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes. He also led the national review of land degradation for South Africa and has contributed significantly towards understanding the impacts of land use and climate change. Using fixed-point photography, his work has highlighted massive changes occurring in South Africa’s ecosystems over an extended period.
– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com |
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| SUN CITY REOPENS – WITH “JERUSALEMA” |
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| Sun City is open again and staff celebrated by doing the #JerusalemaChallenge, and a drone was there to capture the dance. |
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Sun City is open again, with both the The Palace of the Lost City and the Sun Vacation Club operating, Sun International says.
Returning patrons will find the resort a little different. Swimming pools will be limited to 50 people at a time, and every second seat has been removed on slot machine floors. Table gambling will be limited to four players per table.
The Valley of the Waves waterpark remains closed.
The huge resort grounds did not go entirely unused during lockdown, Sun International says. Monkeys were spotted in a children's play area, and lawns and a golf course hosted grazing buck and warthog.
A leopard was also spotted "on the outlying edges of the property".
In an effort to lure vacationers back, Sun City is running special two-night packages for golfers, who can stay in The Palace for around R4 000 per person per night, and also has a competition for those booking before end November, which could land them a luxury suite and free dining and activities.
Watch the staff of Sun City do the #JerusalemaChallenge in front of The Palace to celebrate the reopening of the resort.
– Source: www.businessinsider.co.za |
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| “TOGETHER APART” FLOOR MURAL UNVEILED IN SANDTON |
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| A new mural in the heart of the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton allows people to hang out while adhering to social distance guidelines. |
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Renowned musician, chef and Mi Casa frontman, J’Something, recently unveiled a new ”together apart” floor mural at the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.
It is said that J’Something made a surprise appearance on Sunday, 30 August – much to the surprise and delight of the shoppers milling past and the patrons at restaurants sitting alongside an innovative piece of art that’s as “functional as it is fine to look at and fun to interact with”.
The surprise, by Stella Artois, was unveiled in order to commemorate the launch of the installation and to celebrate the return of the restaurant and hospitality industry after the national lockdown was moved to level 2.
Entitled, “Together Apart in the Life Artois”, AB InBev’s High End Brand Director for Africa, Marsha Kumire, elaborates on the thinking behind the piece:
“Our hope is that the mural will encourage people to still savour life’s beautiful moments together, while following the social distancing guidelines that must become the new norm for the next while at least. We chose Nelson Mandela Square’s piazza for the location as it’s an iconic space that has always sought to bring people together … and now still can.”
The artwork was localised by South African illustrator, Lauren Mitchell. Measuring 21m x 38m in size, the mural offers a colourful and welcome respite from the usual red masking tape and foreboding dark circles most other retail spaces stick on the floor to enforce social distancing.
On Instagram, Lauren said: “‘Together Apart’ is all about encouraging us to get back together in the safest way possible, to savour those special moments with the ones we hold close. This piece has been a dream to collaborate on and so close to my heart in using creativity in innovative ways to bring us closer.”
– Source: www.thesouthafrican.com |
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| SOUTH AFRICA’S BELINDA DAVIDS MAKES SEMI-FINALS ON “BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT” |
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| South African Belinda Davids has received the call she was waiting for; the call saying she has made it to the semi-finals of “Britain’s Got Talent”. |
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Port Elizabeth singing sensation Belinda Davids’ performance at Britain’s Got Talent will leave you feeling proudly South African. She has been blowing audiences away with her talent and has earned her spot in the semi-finals.
Davids channelled her inner Whitney Houston for the Britain’s Got Talent auditions. Singing the classic One Moment In Time, Davids effortlessly flew through the song. As the South African native concluded to a standing ovation, judge Simon Cowell praised the performance as “the moment we’ve been waiting for”.
Belinda Davids was born in Port Elizabeth and began performing professionally at the age of 14. She has never had vocal training and is blessed with a four-octave vocal range, which allows her to sing any genre. Belinda’s inspirations as a child were Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson and the one artist she honours in every show is Whitney Houston.
As a young girl, one of the very first LPs Davids owned was a song called Hold Me by Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston. The quality and style Whitney portrayed in this song struck a cord, and Davids’ fascination with the icon grew. She sang Whitney’s music at every chance: at family gatherings, talent competitions and to friends while playing on the street. Like many young girls at that time, her bedroom walls were plastered with posters and magazine cut-outs of Houston.
– Source: www.goodthingsguy.com |
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| STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR JERRY MATJILA, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS (UN), DURING THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UN AND REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS: ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF THE FRANCOPHONIE, 8 SEPTEMBER 2020 |
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“Thank you, Mr President,
“I wish to extend our appreciation to HE Mr Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and the Chair of Council of the Ministers of the International Organisation of the Francophonie; Ms Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary-General for the Department of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding; and the Secretary-General of the OIF, Ms Louise Mushikiwabo for their briefings.
“Mr President,
“Over the past few years, the United Nations has been enhancing its relations with various regional and sub-regional organisations in the advancement of its core mandate pertaining to the promotion of development, human rights and peace and security.
“In this regard, South Africa wishes to underscore the valuable contribution that regional, sub-regional and other international organisations make in the maintenance of international peace and security, and their cooperation with the United Nations within the context of Chapter of VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.
“As a member of the African Union and Southern African Development Community, we recognise the positive and complementary relations between the United Nations and these regional organisations. While acknowledging the complementary roles of the United Nations and regional actors, my delegation wishes to stress the importance of the principles of subsidiarity and comparative advantage in the resolution of conflicts, which the African Union upholds, that entrust regional and sub-regional organisations to take the lead in finding a solution to a conflict situation owing to their geopolitical and/or familiarity with the crisis situation.
“However, we also underline that the Security Council remains the only international body with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Hence, in our view, the Security Council must work closely with regional organisations that have, as part of their activities, to promote peace and security.
“Mr President,
“South Africa would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the OIF on the 50th anniversary of its founding, which coincides with other significant global anniversaries this year, specifically the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and a review year of silencing the guns on the African continent. We raise this latter point as a majority of members of the OIF are from the African continent.
“We thus commend the efforts and contributions of the OIF in preventing, managing and resolving conflicts in its member states by focussing, among others, on early warning, prevention and peacebuilding activities as well as in the consolidation of democracy and the entrenchment of the rule of law. These efforts are imperative in particular to the development trajectory of the African continent, especially in achieving the sustainable development goals.
“Mr President,
“Cooperation between regional organisations is equally important, primarily in instances where there is overlapping membership. We, therefore, encourage closer cooperation and coordination between the OIF and other regional organisations such as the African Union, sub-regional organisations such as the SADC/ECOWAS/ECCAS, which have overlapping OIF members, and other similar organisations such as the Commonwealth.
“The tripartite visits undertaken by the African Union, OIF and the Commonwealth to Cameroon in the past few months aimed at providing assistance with peacebuilding, and national cohesion activities, demonstrate the importance of collective efforts on issues of mutual interests in a member of these three organisations, and to derive desired outcomes from such peace and assistance initiatives.
“Mr President,
“We also encourage the OIF to continue working closely, as appropriate, with the UN country teams and UN regional special political missions as well as peacekeeping operations, in particular in promoting multilingualism and inclusivity.
“In conclusion, Mr President,
“We wish to highlight that regional and sub-regional organisations can also play a cardinal role in promoting the meaningful role of women and youth in peace processes and in coordination with the Peacebuilding Commission. It is hoped that the OIF, like other regional, sub-regional and international organisations, will also contribute towards the ongoing review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture.
“I thank you.” |
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| STATEMENT BY THE PERMANENT MISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) ON THE UN ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN (UNAMA), 3 SEPTEMBER 2020 |
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“Thank you, Mr President,
“I wish to thank Ms Deborah Lyons (Special Representative and Head of UNAMA) and Mr Saad Mohseni (Chief Executive of the MOBY Group) for their insightful briefings.
“Welcome also to you Ambassador Raz and thank you for your statement.
“Let me take the opportunity to extend South Africa’s sincere condolences to the people and Government of Afghanistan following the loss of life due to the devastation brought about by intense flash flooding in recent weeks.
“Natural disasters, such as those that have ravaged Afghanistan over the past few weeks continue to impact the humanitarian situation in the country, which is already of concern due to the continuing violence, high levels of food insecurity and the additional strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In this regard, South Africa appreciates the measures taken by the Afghan Government and UNAMA to limit and respond to the spread of the virus and calls on the international community to continue to support the Afghan people in ensuring that the necessary equipment and medical supplies are available to all those in need.
“Mr President,
“The only way to achieve long-term peace in Afghanistan, is for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process and inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations. In this regard, South Africa welcomes President Ghani’s recent announcement of the members of the High Council for National Reconciliation, led by Dr Abdullah Abdullah.
“Additionally, we urge the Afghan leadership to fully adhere to the provisions of the political agreement signed in May 2020, and enhance their cooperation to fully implement this agreement, including the appointment of Cabinet Ministers and the filling of other Government positions. In this regard, we express the hope that the parties can build on this positive development by giving renewed impetus to start intra-Afghan negotiations.
“In this regard, it is essential to take on board the voices of all sectors of society, and South Africa supports the necessary inclusion of women in the Afghan peace negotiations. The unique views, perspectives and approaches of women is essential in establishing a safe, secure and peaceful Afghanistan.
“We know that all women involved, at all levels of the peace process, will continue to play an active role in this regard. This includes ensuring that the gains made in the past two decades in the restoration of the fundamental human rights of women and girls, are maintained and that greater opportunities and achievements for all Afghan women and girls will be part of their future.
“Mr President,
“In order for these peace talks to be effective, there must be a cessation of hostilities to create a conducive environment for the intra-Afghan peace talks. We therefore call on all parties to cease their violent actions. Particularly as this violence affects the most vulnerable members of society; women and children.
“South Africa remains deeply concerned at the scale, severity and recurrence of violations and abuses endured by children in Afghanistan. All those responsible for conducting acts of grave violations against children must be brought to justice and held accountable, including through timely, systematic, impartial and independent investigations, and, as appropriate, prosecution and conviction.
“In conclusion, Mr President, allow me to extend my appreciation to the leadership, troops and personnel of UNAMA all of whom operate in a challenging environment.
“UNAMA’s continued engagement with national, regional and international stakeholders, in seeking an end to the violence; its work in support of a ceasefire; the promotion of intra-Afghan negotiations; as well as encouraging confidence-building measures, are a necessary and significant component in bringing long-term peace, security and prosperity to Afghanistan and the wider region.
“I thank you.” |
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