Madam Deputy Speaker, first of all, in response to the hon James, who is new in the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry - I presume he must know, but if he doesn't, let me just clarify this for him. If import permits are imposed on South African goods going to other countries, they are imposed by those countries and not by us. This is something that we know as trade facilitation.
I would also point out that whenever we do enter into discussions with neighbouring countries, for example when we hosted the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa-East Africa Community- Southern African Development Community, Comesa-EAC-SADC, summit last year, our interventions are always to say that building trade relations with African countries are not just about tariff matters. They are also about a whole range of other things, including infrastructure development and trade facilitation. So, we take these matters up when we can.
I should also say that we have never said, as South Africa, that we seek to set ourselves up as gatekeepers of trade and investment relations with the rest of the continent. But if other countries - third parties - see us as a convenient gateway to building their own relations with the African continent, we are here to work with them and to partner with them.
And I can just say that I do not believe that we are seeing a reduction in interest. On the contrary, I think what is happening now is that as the world economy enters into a period where Europe is going into recession, there is a growing interest in Africa. In fact, many companies - an increasing number of companies - are coming to South Africa to say: What are the possibilities of working with you in order to build relations with the rest of the African continent?
Let me also say that I welcome the remarks that were made about underage drinking. I think that is a very important campaign. I should just say that the question of alcohol abuse in this country is no small matter. Half the number of unnatural deaths, road accidents and violent crime that we have in this country is the result of abuse of either alcohol or drugs. The liquor regulators will be meeting in the very near future with their counterparts in the provinces to devise a much more holistic strategy to deal with the curse of alcohol abuse. Thank you very much. [Applause.]