Statement by Acting President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on the Impact of the London Bombings

I have received with shock information on the impact of the terrorist bomb attacks in London this morning. On behalf of the South African government and all our people, I wish to extend my condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and to wish those who have been injured a speedy recovery.

The South African government and the people of our country condemn this dastardly act, and we wish on this occasion to reiterate our principled rejection of terrorism - the deliberate targeting of civilians in acts of violence - in pursuit of political or any other ends.

We extend our solidarity with the people of London and the rest of the UK in this their hour of grief, and reiterate our resolve to work with the international community to eradicate this scourge. We are convinced that what is required in the world today is for peoples of the world to join hands in dealing with terrorism as well as challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.

We are encouraged that all these and other issues will feature prominently on the agenda of the G8 Summit, as reflected in the statement issued by our President and other leaders at the Gleneagles Summit this morning.

Relevant departments in our government are working with their counterparts in the UK to establish whether any South Africans in London have been affected by this morning's events.

Enquiries:
Joel Netshitenzhe
Cell: 082 900 0083

Issued by: Government Communications and Information Services on behalf of The Presidency
7 July 2005