Chairperson, hon Minister and members of the Cabinet, Members of Parliament, the chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, your excellencies and others, ladies and gentlemen, as our foreign policy approaches its 20th anniversary next year, it is critical that we fully assess the progress made in respect of our international relations agenda. It is appropriate that we evaluate the impact of our engagements against the agenda we had placed before us. In her address, our Minister already did justice to just that.
Today, South Africa is indeed a better place than it was 19 years ago. Our promise to create a better life for all our people is beginning to see the light of day. When the ANC took over the reins of government in 1994, our new government was faced with multiple challenges around transformation. Today, this country has been transformed in every sphere. In fact, listening to the hon member Davidson and the DA, one starts to reflect on what they say on the National Development Plan, NDP, but, in particular, the question of our foreign relations, which are seen as inefficient, and they cannot see the benefit. Now, we do have a value-based foreign relations policy, and we have introduced the economic diplomacy perspective into it, which was critical.
What does that mean? We had earlier heard hon member Davidson ask: But what is our national interest? What is our national agenda? We have five strategic priorities: education; health; issues of crime and corruption; as well as rural development and agriculture; and job creation. That should be seen in the context of speaking to our foreign relations policy and then intertwined with our domestic priority objectives. Therefore, the Brics programmes are critical. We have just heard the previous speaker speak about those issues.
In 1994 the South African government only had something like R90 billion. Today we are seeing the investment potential and the ability of at least R1,1 trillion that we are able to spend to make sure that it can expand, meaning it has increased tenfold over the last few years, and that is what we have seen. Clearly, we have seen the investments and the relations in terms of our foreign relations policy bearing fruit.
Not so long ago, we saw the Square Kilometre Array. It is strange that hon Davidson was asking what the benefits are of our South African foreign relations policy. The Square Kilometre Array meant new investment of at least R15 billion in the South African economy, far from where we were, where we had to compete with other countries around the globe, particularly Australia. The SKA will create mega potential in terms of science and technology in the context of a poor, rural province like the Northern Cape. That brings together opportunities, therefore, in the context of skills upgrade, in the context of small, medium and micro enterprises development, in the context of women and youth empowerment.
Part of that policy then reflects on the regional integration strategy and, therefore, not so long ago, our Minister, with the Economics Cluster Ministers, convened under our President. There are three regions in Africa - and we have seen a combined potential investment of at least US$1,7 trillion to US$1,8 trillion year-on-year. What does that bring in the context of economic opportunities for our people? In fact, what it does is to make sure that intra-African trade would be able to move from 12% to at least 30% over the next couple of years. So, we have to connect our foreign relations policy with our domestic priorities and our African agenda because, indeed, our progress is intertwined with the progress of Africa. Therefore, it was quite shocking to hear the earlier input; the only input, in fact, that I heard today that was really problematic. So, clearly, what we need to do is to ask hon Stubbe's committee to take the DA through a proper analysis of what is required. [Interjections.]
What is the real issue here? The real issue is the fact that we are talking about shared and inclusive growth. We are saying that a trickle-down effect from the economy is not good enough. We are saying that it is not an assumption, when we bring in foreign investment, that it will automatically address the plight of the poorest of the poor. We are saying that we need shared and inclusive growth, and therefore we must expand the economy in such a way that it can lead to progress for our people. [Applause.]
Ten years ago, we heard the front page of The Economist talk about, "Africa, the dark continent", and I have just heard that today from this bench. Ten years thereafter, last year, we heard the same magazine talking about "Africa, the rising star". All of us can see that Africa is a star rising. What is ironic is that what we require is that all political parties support a national agenda. We can differ on certain issues around it, but fundamentally we must agree on a national agenda in the context of foreign relations. [Interjections.] Otherwise, you are breaking down the fundamentals of what we intend doing. The problem is that we are sitting with an opposition which is a government in a particular province and which thinks it can be a federalist state. Therefore, we are saying that we will not allow that. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
This year, 2013, marks a year before our country celebrates the 20th anniversary of our freedom in 2014. This year also is the 25th anniversary of the death of another icon, another patriot, a diplomat and protg of our leader Oliver Tambo, Comrade Dulcie September, who was a woman, an activist, an internationalist, a cadre from the Cape Flats. She was brutally assassinated in Paris by the apartheid regime for her commitment to international solidarity, for her commitment to peace, for her commitment to democracy, for her commitment to making sure that children in a new democracy and dispensation can just be children, and that they can laugh, sing and dance. We are saying that that particular chapter of our history must still be closed properly. Therefore, we will continue to pursue the analysis of that.
In the words of one of our other giants of diplomacy and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the late Comrade Alfred Nzo, when he spoke at Dulcie's funeral: "If ever there was a soft target, Dulcie September was one." To the families of our fallen heroes, in particular Dulcie September's nephew, who is here today, we thank the family, and we thank the people for their commitment in pursuing democracy. [Applause.]
It is also important to analyse what we have done under the leadership of our President and our Minister to make sure that foreign relations should not be foreign to the people of the country; that in every community, whether it is in a deep rural village in Limpopo or whether it is in the City of Cape Town, our people are able to understand and appreciate what foreign relations can do for our people right here in the communities. [Interjections.] [Applause.] Therefore, we have a very strong public diplomacy branch that goes to the length and breadth of this country. In fact, yesterday, we were in Gugulethu, where at least 1 700 people came together and discussed the importance of the African Union. They discussed the question around the United Nations Volunteers Programme. [Applause.]
They discussed the issue of how we can, in fact, learn from the veterans within our communities. The veterans within our communities were, in fact, in exile - put there by some of you here. [Interjections.] They had to leave South Africa, because it was important. Therefore, they went to small rural communities in Africa, whether it was Morogoro or others. So, there are so many of our veterans who can train us today with regard to the spirit of solidarity, international solidarity and other things. So, we are saying that we should honour the veterans.
The Minister touched on the issue of the South African Development Partnership Agency, SADPA, and we clearly say that that is an area, in terms of our development partnership trajectory, on which we will indeed focus and work together. It will be in partnership with the international community that is also here. In fact, after the United States of America, South Africa has the greatest number of diplomats in the world in Pretoria. That is the significance of our foreign relations policy. [Applause.] We will, with our global partners, find how best to put in place the development package of partnerships that creates stability, that makes sure that there is peace, makes sure that there is development, and makes sure that there is independence in the future of countries that are currently in conflict. That is the type of ability that we have. [Interjections.]
So with that, we will definitely take what comes from Parliament today. We will take it forward and make sure that we increase our foreign relations to the best of our ability. [Applause.] [Time expired.]