Khama in South Africa

| Friday October 8, 2010 00:00

It has always been a source of immense pleasure for me to visit a country we hold in such a high esteem and have special relations with.

As you may recall, I have visited South Africa on a few occasions since I took office, the first being during your inauguration in 2009,and when I attended SADC and SACU Summits. Every time I visit South Africa, I always feel at home.

I would like to also take this opportunity, Your Excellency, to express on behalf of my delegation, our sincere gratitude to you and to the government and people of South Africa for the warm reception and wonderful hospitality that has always been accorded us and this occasion is no exception. My visit is indeed a clear demonstration of the excellent relations that exist between our two countries and as long as I am in office I will do my best to build upon them. This visit affords us an opportunity to discuss both bilateral and international issues which impact on the lives of our peoples. I am happy that this morning, we held very candid and fruitful discussions on issues of mutual interest. We still cherish the fond memories of the State visits by our predecessors to our respective countries. These high-level visits, have indeed served as important milestones in the consolidation and deepening of our long-standing socio-economic relations. My own visit, serves to further strengthen these relations which are anchored on a strong foundation and shared values of democracy, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights. I look forward to having the opportunity of also hosting you in Botswana one day.

Since our two countries established diplomatic relations in 1994, we have formed institutional frameworks such as the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS) and the Joint Permanent Commission for Co-operation (JPCC) which serve as platforms for deepening our bilateral co-operation.  

I am pleased that these bilateral frameworks have enabled our two countries to discuss a wide range of issues that will foster deepening co-operation between us.

Batswana and South Africans are actually one people, only separated by a border fence which is also your longest border than with any other of your neighbouring countries. Our economies are also very closely interlinked, with your country being Botswana's largest trading partner on the African continent. As neighbours, we also face similar challenges which require a joint effort by our governments in order to overcome them. We should therefore, do our utmost to ensure that our strategic relations are sustained and nurtured.  Allow me, at this juncture, to commend the government and people of South Africa for the achievements you have made in a short space of time since the demise of apartheid. We applaud you in particular, for the efforts you have made towards the consolidation of democracy in the country, as well as in the fight against poverty, unemployment and other social injustices brought about by the apartheid regime. It is gratifying to note that today, the people of South Africa enjoy what they have long yearned for, that is, freedom, peace and stability. It would be remiss of me, if I did not pay homage to former President Nelson Mandela, and otherSouth Africans for the instrumental role they have played in fighting for your peace, justice and equality, and inreconciling what used to be a racially divided nation. 

Mr. President, your country has now successfully overcome the legacy of apartheid. It was a legacy which was designed to be permanent and to maintain a majority of your population as second class citizens, never to be equal, always to be oppressed and impoverished. We are aware of the challenges that you face as you endeavour to improve the living conditions of your people as you emerge from the burden of apartheid and its intentions. It is common cause that there will be high expectations from your citizens that things should improve overnight, when in reality it is a long process that takes a lot of effort of investment to overcome the effects of Apartheid that were so deeply imbedded in all spheres of life for your people during those miserable years.

The challenges are the same in my own country, even though we have a much smaller population and land mass and we never had an apartheid regime. Even much bigger and highly advanced economies like the USA continue to face similar challenges despite the developed state of their economies. You may recall that the USA was experiencing about 500,000 job losses a month at the height of the recession recently.   The USA, Japan, the UK and others in the developed world do face, like us, big challenges in creating jobs. The additional burden South Africa has from the past when Apartheid imposed hardship that entrenched poverty and hunger and joblessness on one section of your population will take time to correct. To undo all that was created and designed to be entrenched by that regime on top of the current economic downturn is no easy task.

However I am confident that your government under your leadership will respond to these challenges and the justifiable expectations of your citizens will be met in time. I hope we shall receive the understanding of our citizens as we pursue our development agenda and also hope collectively we can avoid any disruptions that may undermine our efforts.  On the international front, I would like to commend your country for the contribution it continues to make towards the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Africa and elsewhere in the world. I wish to commend you, Your Excellency and your predecessors, for the instrumental role you have played and continue to play in bringing about peace and stability in other countries facing political challenges.

Mr. President, in concluding my remarks, I wish to commend your country for having hosted a very successful 2010 FIFA World tournament. The event has, no doubt, left lasting impressions.  Bafana Bafana may not have progressed as far as you had hoped, but certainly your country's success in hosting this event has propelled your nation as a top venue for any world wide event. 

However, I am not as concerned about your national team's performance as you are because although we may for now not be able to host a World Cup we know we are able to beat Bafana Bafana.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, may I now request you to join me in drinking a toast: to the continued good health of His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa;to the continued friendship, solidarity and fruitful co-operation between the Governments and peoples of South Africa and Botswana; and to international peace and security.