10 February 2004
Madam Speaker
His Excellency the President of South Africa
Hon. Deputy President
Ministers and Deputy Ministers present
Hon. Members of Parliament
It is significant that today we discuss the state of the Nation Address that signify the end of the term of this parliament but setting a process in motion for the victory of the ANC in the coming election.
This debate comes at the time when the country is celebrating the decade of freedom, Ten years of freedom from apartheid, racial discrimination and denial of human rights to the African majority and Blacks' in general.
It is difficult for those who enjoyed the benefits of apartheid and participated in prolonging its life, to continue preserve privileges it has given them over time, to understand why the ANC hold dearly the creation of a stable, democratic and prosperous cotinent.
They have refused to understand and they will probably not even make an effort to accept that white domination is a thing of the past.
They will oppose us when we seek to articulate the plight of the poor of this continent. They will complain when we contribute to the African continental struggle for peace, democracy and prosperity.
They will complain about the time and money we spend in supporting efforts to build a peaceful, democratic and human and peoples rights respecting continent, they will go around preaching hopelessness and despair among our people in an effort to divorce South Africans from other Africans.
They manipulate genuine fears and desperation of the white community in pursuance of their ill-conceived ambitions of the 20th century, that of making Zimbabwe then Rhodesia a fifth province of South Africa, this assimilation failed, but the white- apartheid regime in South Africa and their counter part in Rhodesia went ahead never there less to shape the economic structure of Zimbabwe in a way that it become an undeclared fifth province of the Union.
In persuades of this policy of annexation, apartheid regime deployed troops in support of a minority regime in Rhodesia. They lost the war and now they want to use this democratic government to advance the course of their apartheid forefathers. We will not do it, we will continue to send our boys in uniform to preserve and defend peace in the continent.
It is true that we will continue to equip our Army to be able to meet the challenges of their new responsibility in the continent. It will be wrong for anyone sitting in the comfort of his opposition desk to refuse those who are asked to disarm heavily armed rebels using inferior equipments. As we modernise this Parliament to make our lives and function easy, we must do the same to the boys who we send in the bush to defend democracy.
The amount of damage they course to this country is not their concern. They have on a number of times been proven wrong, - this government with its overwhelming majority has not deviated from its programme to fight poverty and create peace among the people.
The vision of this government is the rebirth of Africa, working together with others we will continue to promote peace, regional economic integration, growth and development and strengthen the pillars of democracy in the continent. We will put resources to develop progressive leadership and principles of good governance in our region and the continent as a whole.
We committed ourselves since 1994, that we will work for a better Africa and a better world, to promote collective and multilateral actions to global challenges. This commitment was enunciated in details, on the 4th of February 2000, State of the Nation Address, When President Mbheki said,
"As much as the rest of the world stood with us we fought to end the system of apartheid, which struggle brought about the announcements that were made by the apartheid parliament ten years ago, so do we have an obligation ourselves to contribute to the construction of a better world for all humanity. We should aim to make a meaningful contribution in this regard because with regard to all the important objectives we have to pursue, at no point during our entire history have we ever been as well placed as we are to meet the challenges that confront us. From this we cannot walk away".
From this we cannot walk away
Because
Our own destiny as a nation is irrevocable tied to that of our Region, and to Africa as a whole.
'From this we cannot walk away'
We will dedicate more resources to ensure that we contribute more effectively to the efforts on our continent to prevent and urgently resolve conflicts.
Madam Speaker, When we contributed in resolving the Lockerbie stand off between the West and Libya, every body rejoiced to the success, but no one said anything about the nature of diplomacy used.
As we continue to score success in building peace in the DRC, Burundi and other areas, no one stops to ask a question, what diplomacy is being applied.
If, I am correct it was not a mega phone diplomacy they are advocating in the Zimbabwe situation.
Comrade O.R. Tambo, articulated 36 years ago that, "we in the ANC have always believed that the honourable task of freeing SA rested firmly with the people of SA themselves. The task of international organisations was to assist the liberation movement. This still remains the fundamental position of principle from which all International actions should be appraised".
Therefore, they must allow Zimbabweans to be assisted to find solutions to their political situation and accept that it is not possible to implement failed attempts to annex it.
It is however, understandable, why they feel aggrieved. It is because we are not listening nor taking instructions from those who in their upbringing they were taught how to look down to Africans ability to find solution to problems, it is them who have a superior colour who must provide solutions to these people, in executing their God given right to lead Africans and Blacks in general.
As the ANC continues to involve ordinary people in the governance of their lives, this sends shocking waves down the spines of those who are used to the Bantu stand power.
As I take my site I want to conclude with one critical quote from the hero of our struggle Comrade President O.R. Tambo, addressing the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid in 1968 (36yrs ago), with the hope that this will help to clarify those who seek to portray the ANC as nothing but an organisation that does not care:
" By the year 1961, it had reached a level which led the ANC and the oppressed population of SA to decide on Armed struggle as the next phase of the fight for freedom. That decision which, it can now be said, will always constitute an important chapter in any analysis of the current political situation in the whole Southern Africa was not taken lightly. The massive loss of life it entailed, the destruction of property, its implication for individual African Independent States and for peace and security of the whole of Africa and the World were not lost to the ANC and its leaders".
Together we can and we will do more, better!
A better life for all!
I thank you