Remarks to the Mayor of the Royal Borough
of Windsor and Maidenhead
12 June 2001
Your worship, the Lord Mayor, of Windsor and Maidenhead,
Honourable Members of the Council,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is indeed a memorable experience to be in this royal
city, with its history and traditions, and to be the
guest of your most gracious Queen. My wife, Zanele,
and I are warmly appreciative of this gesture, coming
as it does only five years after the State Visit by
the remarkable Nelson Mandela.
I bring you the greetings, and the support, of my country-
people. We are partners, with the British, in the cause
of creating a world peace and plenty; and, with your
help, we shall get to grips with the many problems that
beset our country and the continent.
The relationship between South Africa and Britain is
steeped in history, a history that has been both bloody
and friendly. We have the proximity and friendship of
peoples who have fought and made up.
I am deeply indebted to both the City and also the
Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for this signal honour
bestowed on us today, and I wish your gentle and gracious
people to know of my immense pleasure at being here.
Thank you for the kind words of welcome you have conveyed
to us. The welcome extended to us not only reaffirms
the longstanding ties between our countries and people,
but also, clearly, constitutes a deepening and blossoming
of this relationship.
May this relationship continue to flourish like a tree
growing towards the sun.
May the short time we spend here in your midst, be
productive and full of promise and may it strengthen
the ties that bind us.
Once more, we thank you for your warm welcome.
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