Status on the future Relations of the South African Government with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Government

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR ORAL REPLY

QUESTION NO: 115 N211E

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 14 OF 15 MAY007

Dr A. N. Luthuli (ANC) to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs:

(1) With regard to the enormous contribution made by South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to attain a democratic government, what is the nature of South Africa's future relations with the DRC?
N211E

Reply

The future nature of South Africa relations with the DRC is informed by the strategic partnership that exists between the two countries and which is based on mutual respect and trust. South Africa and the DRC have signed a Bi-National Commission (BNC) Agreement in 2004, serving as legal frame work to assist the DRC government in its quest to reconstruct and develop the country.

The reconstruction and development of the DRC requires a coherent and coordinated response by a broad range of internal and external actors including government, civil society, the private sector, international agencies and non-governmental organisations.

South Africa is fully committed to continued engagement with the DRC and to assist the newly elected government with its consolidation of democracy. South Africa is committed to providing ongoing assistance to the new Government to reform the DRC's economy and is supporting measures to encourage a predictable and stable economic environment to unlock investment and trade opportunities between South Africa and the DRC. South Africa and the international community are attempting to appropriately and jointly address the DRC's short and long-term economic needs.

South Africa's assistance to the DRC is informed by its vision of an "African Renaissance" of sustained renewal, growth, socio-economic development for the African Continent. Accordingly, South Africa is committed to a strategy for post conflict reconstruction and development in the DRC that is aligned with that of the African Union and NEPAD designed to achieve the objectives of sustainable peace and development.

On a practical level, focus will be placed on critical support areas like security sector reform; public service reform which includes a census of civil servants, development of anti-corruption measures and capacity building of the public service, immigration, justice; capacity building for the DRC provincial and local governance; infrastructure development; electrification and mining, as well as economic development and planning, implementation and coordination of Spatial Development Initiatives. These initiatives will all be coordinated within the framework of the Bi-National Commission so as to ensure that the interests of both South Africa and the DRC are served in an appropriate manner.