Speech by Ms Sue van der Merwe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the Farewell for outgoing High Commissioner of Malawi, Mr. Kamphambe-Nkhoma, 10 August 2006

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners;
Your Excellency, High Commissioner Kamphambe-Nkhoma;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen

I welcome you all at this special function to bid farewell to His Excellency, Mr. Kamphambe-Nkhoma, Ambassador of Malawi to the Republic of South Africa. His Excellency has spent almost four years as representative of our neighbour, Malawi.

Our peoples share ties that have existed between Malawi and South Africa since around the Difaqane/Mfecane, a period of "disturbance" or "scattering" between 1815 and 1835. While the factual details of this "disturbance" or "scattering" of people remain widely disputed, what is certain is that it had the consequence of dispersing people to the various Southern African countries and thus entrenching cultural inter-connectivity with our region and beyond. The Difaqane/Mfecane spread its influence over an enormous area stretching from the Cape Colony to East and Central Africa.

The Ngoni people who live in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, in east-central Africa trace their origins to the Zulu people of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

In his book entitled "Touched by His Grace: A Ngoni Story of Tragedy and Triumph", Masiye Tembo, argues that "The north of Malawi is home to about 100,000 people of Zulu origin."

This relationship is evident in numerous fields and has been nourished by the fact that many Malawians travelled to South Africa for employment, married South Africans and settled in the country. Surnames such as Banda and Mkandawire are, therefore, not uncommon in South Africa. Similarly many South African women followed their spouses to Malawi and settled in the country.

Clearly the ties that bind us together are strong indeed. This historical background has formed the basis of our relationship and it was thus natural that after we attained our freedom in 1994, our bilateral relations were restored and have been steadily growing.

Our two countries are currently in the process of finalising the signing of a bilateral agreement to establish a Joint Permanent Commission for Economic, Technical Scientific and Cultural Co-operation. Both our countries regard the establishment of this Joint Permanent Commission as vital to formalise relations and create an environment for deeper more focussed and well co-ordinated engagement in the areas of tourism, mining, sports, culture, technology health and agriculture to name but a few.

Although the join Joint Permanent Commission is still in the making our bilateral relations are underpinned by sound political relations and there has been regular interaction between our two governments.

In 2004 by a delegation from Malawi Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Development undertook a study tour to the South African Department of Trade and Industry to gain insight into South Africa's experiences with regard to the establishment of Small and Medium enterprises and Black Economic Empowerment. A reciprocal visit from South Africa is in the final planning phases.

In 2005 links were established between our National Prosecuting Authority and the Director of Public Prosecutions in Malawi. A Memorandum of Understanding has also been prepared by these two authorities and will be signed in due course.

Our two Armed Forces have also realised the importance of co-operation and interaction. In this regard the SANDF visited Malawi in early 2006 and similarly a Memorandum of Understanding has been prepared for signing, probably also during 2006.

In early 2006 the South African Department of Home Affairs paid a visit to its Malawian counterparts at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to discuss co-operation with regard to immigration matters. At this time a team from the South African Police Service is providing training to the Malawi Police Service in VIP Protection. This course commenced in the beginning of July 2006 and is scheduled to end early in August 2006.

In the field of trade the two countries have also strong relations. South Africa is currently the second largest provider of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country. Well-known South African companies such as Shoprite, Old Mutual, Illovo Sugar, Barloworld, Protea Hotels, Stanbic Bank, Nedbank and many more have been established and are well-known businesses in Malawi.

Beyond our bilateral relations, we also view Malawi as an important aspect of our broader foreign policy agenda. Our government firmly believes that the future of our country is inextricably linked to the future of the African continent and that of our neighbours in Southern Africa.

Within this framework, our efforts are directed at creating an environment in which all states on the continent can achieve their full potential. To this end it is important that South Africa supports sustainable development of the countries in the region, through trade, investment, infrastructure and human resource development.

We therefore support Malawi's policy of advocating the peaceful solution in the region/continent's problems through negotiations.
Furthermore, Malawi, like South Africa, fully supports the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which when fully implemented, will unlock the enormous potential of the Africa continent.

We appreciate the role that High Commissioner Kamphambe-Nkhoma played in contributing to the development of our relations as well as the Consolidation of our African Agenda.

High Commissioner Kamphambe-Nkhoma, as you prepare to leave South Africa and return to the warm heart of Africa, we wish you to know that South Africa regards you as a friend and we look forward to seeing you from time to time. South Africa is now your second home and you do not need an invitation to visit

Please raise their glasses in a toast to High Commissioner Kamphambe-Nkhoma.