Madam Chair, hon Minister and hon members, coming from a visionary perspective, may I say and state that today we stand, not at the edge of a cliff but on a rolling hill staring far into the distant horizon - so near yet so far. It is the far-off goal which we must work towards today.
Many on the African continent, including South Africa - you know, we are part of Africa and I state this to remind all and sundry - may not live to see the goal attained. But as Africans loyal to Africa's renaissance, growth and destiny, we must be part of the roadmap to Africa's unification, peace, stability and prosperity by laying the first stones - the building blocks! Being African is not dependent on skin pigmentation or necessarily race or tribal origin. Mama Africa embraces all her children from Cape to Cairo, Morocco to Malagasy in all their hue and splendour. Deny yourself or deny others of this parentage at your own peril.
Before we can start building a unified Africa, we must start to build and strengthen the very African Union, which is sadly lacking in various departments. The AU is lacking, not because there is anything inherently wrong with the structure or the mandate of the organisation, but because some member states continually let the other member states down. Too many wars are fought; too many governments are corrupt, undemocratic and abusive of human rights when in fact other governments have sworn to mend their damaged countries and behave with a sense of morality and benevolence.
The AU must be bolstered by vibrancy and sustainability based on positive attitudes and actions from our leaders on the continent and also supported by all citizens otherwise the AU effort will be flawed.
In striving for unification of Africa, we must not shy away from learning from other nations' experiences lest we repeat or make mistakes that were made in these areas. Take note of the journey thus far travelled by the EU and our own regional bodies and related efforts. Surely the EU's journey has been long and fraught with stumbles, missteps, and misadventures but the Euro has been introduced to the world. The lesson for us in our quest for Africa's unification is this: No learning is accomplished without stumbles, missteps and even misadventures. The intrepid yesteryear lads know that ``faint heart never won fair lady''! So, Africa, we have to be courageous.
When looking back at the difficult history of the EU, where major mistakes were made and paid for by developed First World countries, it becomes clear how far Africa must go before the concept of African unification has any real effect on our day-to-day actions. Until then, we must strengthen or fortify the processes and institutions already put in place towards making the continent a better, safe and secure place to live in, before we think of merging. Each sovereign state or country or building block, as I have said, must be strong in the democratic tenets and protocols that we so ably verbalise and espouse.
Take heart though, the picture is not that bleak. There is hope even if it is flickering hope to some, and there is also the will and courage to forge ahead to the ultimate goal - the unification of Mama Africa.
Closer to home, many countries in the SADC region would be good candidates for a free trade area. Peaceful countries like us, Namibia, Botswana - to name but a few - are beacons of hope. Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya and Malawi could be incorporated in the near future in this free trade sphere.
I hope this happens one day - and very soon. It would be a great privilege to watch African countries slowly joining, like the plates of a tortoise shell moving together to create one strong and formidable whole. The African dream, the African mosaic and tapestry has great potential! A mmaruri, ngenene, ngempela. [Truly.]
Until that time comes, we must focus our efforts on improving the ability of the AU to lead the way. This can only be achieved by member's improving their diligence and commitment to the AU and following through with the promises they made when signing the various treaties. I thank you, Madam Chair. [Applause.]