ANC Today --------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 2, No. 11• 15 - 21 March 2002 --------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK: * Letter from the President: Remarks of President Mbeki on the occasion of the State Banquet in Honour of President Ciampi of Italy 15 March 2002 * Zimbabwe Presidential Elections: Time for Healing! Time for Reconstruction and Development! * Human Rights Day: Making human rights real --------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Remarks of President Mbeki on the occasion of the State Banquet in Honour of President Ciampi of Italy, 15 March 2002 We are honoured, Mr. President, that you and Mrs Ciampi accepted our invitation to pay a State Visit to South Africa. Since this is the first ever visit of an Italian Head of State to South African soil, we are especially pleased to have you with us as our guests. We welcome you to the southernmost part of Africa. We trust that during your short stay you will experience the warmth and resilience of our people who have fought so hard to be free and who now are working even harder to make this country a winning nation. As South Africans who are engaged in what we call with pride our African renaissance, we cannot but admire and draw strength from the history of your country and the revolutionary changes that came about as part of and as result of what we now call the Italian renaissance. The South African people spent the greater part of the last century fighting against colonialism and apartheid, believing in the correctness of human dignity and equality for all the people of South Africa and an end to racism in the world. The outcome of that struggle, in which the Italian people participated vigorously, was the freedom of all our people, both black and white. This has placed our country in a position to make its own contribution towards renewal and progress in Africa as a whole. It is in this context of the common success in South Africa and the aspirations of all of Africa's people that we feel so inspired that you come here as a brother and friend to us all. Like you, Mr President, our own actions are informed by our consciousness of the importance of solidarity, of the necessity of constructive engagement between North and South. In this context, we are deeply appreciative of the critical the role that Italy has played and will continue to play for the betterment of Africa and the world. Mr. President, I vividly recall my visit to Rome last year and the most fruitful discussions we had on the eve of the G8 Summit in Genoa which Italy chaired. In many ways Genoa was a starting point for a new relationship between Africa and the industrialised North that would continue to be strengthened and enhanced later in Brussels, New York and Paris, and would result in a universal acceptance of the challenges and opportunities presented by the New Partnership for Africa's people (NEPAD). Certainly, we must thank you, Mr. President, the Government and people of Italy for your support in this regard. With partners such as yourselves, with the government and people of Italy on our side, we cannot but succeed in our endeavours. We are pleased that Italy is among our top ten trade and investment partners and that in recent years there has been a steady growth in our bilateral economic relations. In the development of our economy, we believe that we have much to learn from you. Among other things, the significant role of small and medium sized enterprises (SMMES) in the success of the Italian economy offers important lessons for us. We have benefited immensely from development co-operation between our two countries especially in the development of SMME's and are grateful for the substantial donation by the Italian government for higher education in South Africa during June 2001. In the fields of science and technology we have also made great strides in our relations. Following the highly successful 1st Joint Commission on Science and Technology between South Africa and Italy and the various joint projects that were initiated, the stage is now set for us to deepen our co-operation in these important areas. We do not forget that while we meet here, the science and technology seminar with Italian and South African participants that is also taking place here in Cape Town also serves to bring us closer to one another in scientific co-operation The cultural agreement, which was signed earlier today, will further strengthen our cultural ties and encourage creative exchanges in the fields of arts, culture, education and sport. Our country has a vibrant Italian community whose economic contribution in the motor industry, in engineering, as highly skilled artisans, shopkeepers, farmers, among others, continues to be important for the welfare and prosperity of this new nation. I am reminded too that one of the largest Allied Prisoner-of-War Camps of the Second World War was located at Zonderwater outside Pretoria, which accommodated close to 100 000 people. During these times of hardship and suffering, the Italian prisoners completed many projects and after the war repatriation commenced, about 800 Italian prisoners were allowed to stay and almost 20 000 ex-prisoners returned within a few years. The Zonderwater experience is an example of how suffering can also give birth to a new struggle for unity, for a people striving for a common humanity, and for a desire to be at one with the land and people that once imprisoned them. In many ways, the experience of black South Africans has been one of imprisonment in the land of their birth and the struggle for freedom was for a wholly new relationship between different people and between nations. We will not forget the contribution of your country to our liberation struggle, and especially the outstanding assistance and people of Regio Emboli to our movement. In the wake of globalisation and the rapid changes in the world economy, I believe, that we have no choice but to embark on a new way forward, on a wholly new relationship between peoples, countries and continents, so as to end world poverty, and for the sake of world peace and prosperity. In this regard, we are very pleased to have Italy as a partner in the implementation of the bilateral agreement between our country and the European Union. We also look forward to our co-operation during the WTO trade negotiations, as defined by the Doha decisions. We also look forward to working together with you at both the important Financing for Development Conference in Mexico next week and the critically important Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development later this year. In the aftermath of the heinous terrorist attack in New York and Washington on September 11 last year, the world community is faced with the urgent necessity to join hands in the struggle against terrorism. The nations of the world need to establish a new relationship among themselves, one that must be characterised by the narrowing of the distances that divide us. As part of this historic process, we recognise the short stretch of seawater between Africa and Europe, as a meeting place in which together we can think, dream and act out a new reality, embarking on a new journey for the peoples of Italy, of South Africa, and the world. Thabo Mbeki --------------------------------------------------------------------- ZIMBABWE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Time for Healing!: Time for Reconstruction and Development! The will of the people of Zimbabwe has prevailed. Amid chronic polarisation of the Zimbabwean people, claims of widespread intimidation, and in the context of clear flaws in the electoral process, President Robert Mugabe has won the presidential elections with an overwhelming majority. Now that the elections are over, the people of Zimbabwe, and indeed the whole of our region, must focus on the fundamental task of reconstruction and development to ensure a better life for all Zimbabweans. Critical to this task is the unity of Zimbabweans themselves. The divisions of the recent past, and the older wounds that formed their background, must be healed. In this light, Africa and the world, should give the people of Zimbabwe a chance to find solutions to the problems they currently face. Several attempts were made to delegitimise the electoral process, even before voting started. In a statement issued a week before the elections by the ANC Observer Mission, the mission said "the issue of isolated violence in Zimbabwe could not and should not be used as a stumbling block in the elections process in the country." "As observers we have observed that violence in the country comes from all sides and that unfortunately on certain occasions, we noted instances of false and exaggerated claims." Pronouncing itself on the possible outcome of the elections, the observers stressed that "Zimbabwe is a sovereign country capable of running its own affairs and that a free and fair election cannot be prejudged now." While the process was clearly not perfect, the ANC believes that the people of Zimbabwe have spoken. Naturally, in any election contest, there are winners and there are losers. The outcome of which might not be popular. It is also clear that the media will take sides, such as has been the case in Zimbabwe. South Africa's primary objective in this period is to work with the government of Zimbabwe in order to address the critical question of economic reconstruction and to urgently deal with food shortages. Political and social stability in Zimbabwe are profoundly in the interest of the people of Zimbabwe and that of our own country and region Those parties that participated in the elections need to be congratulated for their contribution. So too does the various observer missions - their task have not been easy. We are confident that the people of Zimbabwe will handle the current period with the same calm and maturity that they displayed during the elections. --------------------------------------------------------------------- HUMAN RIGHTS DAY Making human rights real On 21 March 1960, apartheid policemen shot dead 69 men, women and children who were peacefully protesting outside the Sharpeville police station. They were killed because they dared to demand a basic human right: to walk the streets of the land of their birth freely, without a passbook. It is easy to forget that thousands of people who died struggling for the things that today we take for granted. As we celebrate Human Rights Day on 21 March, it is our task as the ANC to continue to build and create a strong culture of human rights. As we remember the past struggles for human rights, we need to move into the next decade as defenders and upholders of human rights. The right to vote, the right to move freely without a pass, the right to strike and freedom of speech; the right to land; the right to education, the right to strike and protest; the right to organise; the right to a fair trial; the right to trade; the right to associate; the right to freedom of movement, the right to food, the right to shelter, the right to safe and sustainable environments. These human rights are inalienable: they cannot be bought or sold. All of these rights formed an integral part of our struggle. We have a proud history of defending and advancing human rights. From its birth 90 years ago, the ANC led this struggle for the realisation of these and other fundamental rights of all human beings in South Africa. As a result, human rights are today at the cornerstone of our democracy. Our Constitution is founded upon "human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms". Our Constitution includes a Bill of Rights, which details those rights that are guaranteed to all our people. The Constitution and legislation we have put in place since 1994 are a great leap forward for this struggle. Every year our government makes solid progress towards these goals. But the struggle for the achievement of human rights in South Africa is far from over. Indeed, this struggle will not conclude until the promise of dignity and freedom from poverty, malnutrition and disease has been realised. Human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot simply be proclaimed, or legislated from on high. It is only when people themselves engage in social action to give meaning to the words enshrined in our constitution that human rights will become the living thread from which out social fabric is woven. In other words, the advance, protection, defence and consolidation of fundamental human rights can only be the outcome of ongoing struggle: every day, in every community, in every sphere of human activity. The organisation of the people to act as their own liberators, to themselves transform the prescriptions of the Constitution into a living reality is the basis of this ongoing struggle. To advance these goals, the African National Congress is celebrating out 90th Anniversary by taking the lead in rendering voluntary services to the people; to recapture the community spirit of letsema (community volunteerism). The spirit of letsema has so far been received with enthusiasm by ANC branches, MDM structures and communities. It has become the focus of our popular mobilisation in this year of the volunteer for reconstruction and development. The month of March is focused on the theme of human rights. Our main focus will be to mobilize the skills and resources of community members to transform the justice system. Among the practical activities proposed are: * Adopt a child * Adopt a court * Wash cars for children in need * Victim support programme * Renovation and maintenance of Magistrate courts * Support to Maintenance Forum * Visits to magistrate courts This is how we propose to honour the memory of our mothers and fathers who died in Sharpeville on 21st March 1960. Their example is a lesson to us all and their memory will continue to inspire our struggle for human rights. --------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of ANC Today is available from the ANC web site at: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2002/at11.htm To receive ANC Today free of charge by e-mail each week go to: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/subscribe.html