QUOTE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 2650 (NW3102E)
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 28-2011 OF 9 SEPTEMBER 2011
Mr Ls Ngonyama (COPE) to ask the Minister of International Relations and
Cooperation:
Whether the Governmentâs assistance package to Burundi and the Congo is in
line with its national interest and the African Renaissance; if not, why
not; if so, (a) what is the national interest in this regard and (b) what
is the specific African Renaissance that the Government is pursuing?
Answer:
With regard to Burundi, the Department of International Relations and
Cooperation would like to indicate that there is currently no African
Renaissance Fund Project for Burundi and that therefore there is no
assistance package for Burundi. The information provided here-under is
therefore for information.
South Africa continues to contribute to the consolidation of the African
Agenda focusing inter alia on institutions of good governance and effecting
socio-economic development as well as Post Conflict Reconstruction and
Development. This is in the mutual interests of the recipient Government
as well as South Africa and the broader African continent.
To this end, President Zuma undertook a State Visit to Burundi from 10 to
12 August 2011. The following Memoranda of Understanding and/or Agreements
where concluded: Defence; Higher Education and Training; Agriculture;
Sports and Recreation; and Trade and Industry.
During the visit President Zuma indicated support for the establishment of
a Burundi Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to bring closure to the
Peace Process and reiterated South Africaâs willingness to assist with
technical expertise to reconcile the Burundian nation. Currently a seven-
person technical committee, appointed by the Government of Burundi, is
visiting South Africa to meet with the Department of Justice and
Constitutional Development as well as the Nelson Mandela Foundation and
other experts in the field of TRC and reconciliation â for example, the
Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. This study visit is aimed at
assisting the committee to gain insight and experience in order to place
them in a position to make appropriate recommendations to the Government of
Burundi on the establishment of the TRC.
On the other hand, South Africaâs involvement in the Democratic Republic of
Congo is in line with the overall South African objective of conflict
resolution and promotion of peace on the continent. In this regard, South
Africa has been and is involved in assisting the DRC to effectively manage
its programmes within the Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development
(PCRD) programme. The General Cooperation Agreement to promote political,
economic and social cooperation between South Africa and the DRC was signed
on 14 January 2004 and makes provision for the establishment of a Bi-
National Commission (BNC) as an annual forum for exchange and dialogue with
a strong focus on PCRD. The most recent South Africa / DRC Bi-National
Commission meeting was held from 16 to 21 June 2011 in Lubumbashi.
One of the key areas of South Africaâs involvement in the DRC is in the
Security Sector Reform (SSR) programme of the DRC Government. In this
regards, South Africaâs support relates to the integration of the army;
demobilisation and reinsertion into normal civilian life, the reintegration
of demobilised soldiers and the training of the integrated brigades. South
Africa also supported the dialogue in the eastern DRC which concluded with
agreements between the DRC Government and her neighbours as well as with
organised militia, thereby establishing opportunities to bring peace to
that part of the country.
Peace and security is important to the African Agenda. Without peace and
security there can be no sustainable development, and without sustainable
development there can be no peace and security and the achievement of the
Medium Development Goals in Africa will remain a dream deferred. We
therefore need peace, not war.
UNQUOTE