Deputy
Minister Aziz Pahad to Address Africa Day Celebrations South Africa will
tomorrow, Friday 25 May 2007, join millions around the continent of Africa in
celebrating Africa Day. In this regard, a number of celebrations have been planned
across the country and in various provinces including the Foreign Affairs-led
celebrations at the University of Johannesburg, to be addressed by Deputy Minister
Aziz Pahad. This year's Africa Day celebrations take place against the background
of enormous achievements in the continent including efforts to entrench peace,
democracy, good political and economic governance. Yet the continent still faces
stiff challenges pushing back the frontiers of poverty and under-development.
Accordingly, we will do everything in our power, sparing neither strength
nor effort, in helping to mobilise strategic partnerships around the world, including
in the forthcoming meeting of the G8 scheduled for Germany in June, to ensure
the advance of our continental economic blueprint, NEPAD. Simultaneously,
the celebrations take place within the context of the forthcoming Grand Debate
on political and economic integration of the continent scheduled for Accra, Ghana,
in July this year following the AU Foreign Ministers' Retreat held in Durban. The
dawn of peace, democracy and justice in our country is indeed partly a result
of the unflinching sacrifices that the peoples of Africa made during the struggle
against apartheid, including the supreme sacrifices that some had to make in the
quest for freedom. Accordingly and on behalf of the government and peoples
of our country, we cannot but express our gratitude to the continent of Africa
for their immense contribution to the struggle for freedom and democracy in our
country. Consequently, democratic South Africa has maintained the correct
view that our future as a country is inextricably linked with the future of the
peoples of the continent of Africa. Thus we have dedicated our Foreign Policy
thrust to the consolidation of the African Agenda. In this regard, South
Africa has now established a number of diplomatic missions with sister countries
in the continent to advance bilateral political, economic, trade, cultural and
people-to-people relations. We were honoured to host the launch of the continental
body, the African Union in Durban in 2002. In this context, we continue to participate
in the consolidation and strengthening of AU institutions including those of our
own region, SADC. We are determined to work with all the peoples of Africa
to help ensure that this century necessarily, in word and deed, becomes an African
century characterised by sustainable development and in which all our peoples
live in peace, harmony and prosperity. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853 Department
of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
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