Hon Speaker of our Parliament, hon Deputy Speaker, Your Excellency, our chief guest, President Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia, Mrs Pohamba, members of your cabinet who are seated in the gallery, Your Excellency President Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, Your Excellency Deputy President of South Africa, hon Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members of the House, respected invited guests and community leaders who are seated in the gallery, it is an honour and a great privilege to pass a vote of thanks to an outstanding leader of our people, a great son of the Namibian nation, His Excellency President Hifikepunye Pohamba, on this historic occasion of his state visit to South Africa. [Applause.]
His Excellency President Pohamba delivered a profound, passionate and historic address in this august House. He has done so in an intellectually sound manner. He catalogued the historical, political, fraternal and cultural ties that bind the people of Namibia and South Africa. He amply demonstrated how these ties have made the two sister Republics inextricably interdependent.
I speak of a special kind of tie. The ties that were cemented during difficult times in the modern history of our two countries. These are the ties that were established during the struggles against colonialism and apartheid. These ties were not only forged through cultural links, but were cemented in the trenches and in prisons. Hence, the strong solidarity between the South West Africa People's Organisation, Swapo, and the ANC, as well as other liberation movements on our continent.
We recall that many of our leaders shared prison cells on Robben Island with our Namibian comrades, such as the renowned Andimba Toiva ya Toivo and others. Namibia and South Africa enjoy special relations that have translated into strong economic co-operation. We believe that this co- operation is making a significant contribution to the economic development of our two countries, consistent with the historical and neighbourly ties that happily exist between us.
In line with His Excellency President Pohamba's call, we commit ourselves to encourage more economic co-operation for the benefit of our respective countries and people. Today, our relations with Namibia have been taken a step higher with the signing of the agreement established in the binational commission, BNC, between our two countries.
The BNC is a strategic mechanism to co-ordinate bilateral relations between the two countries which will be chaired by the heads of state and will meet on an annual basis. It will provide the required momentum to our bilateral co-operation and partnership. President Pohamba, we would like to take this opportunity to profoundly thank you for the inspiring address to our NA. It is truly historic for all of us, particularly for people of my generation. [Applause.] We want to confirm that the people you were addressing - the leaders, hon members, South African public - were addressed in a free, democratic and nonsexist South Africa, like Namibia is. This is the freedom you fought for, and this is the freedom you saw in your lifetime. This is the freedom we promise we will nurture and will continue to follow in your footsteps to protect.
The passionate manner in which you delivered your historic address to this House reminds us of the pledge that was made by the founding father of Namibia, former President Nujoma, and our late President of the ANC, whose 95th anniversary we celebrated just a week ago. They made a pledge in 1986 that they would never consider Namibia free until the women in these two countries were truly free. [Applause.]
So, we thank you for the visionary leadership that you have provided to your home country, but also to the entire continent. When you were called upon to lead our regional organisation as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, you excelled. The leadership role that you played on the continent, the African Union, is an inspiring and exemplary one.
Today we can look back with pride at the distance that we have travelled in terms of our regional integration agenda, thanks to your personal contribution and that of leaders of your stature - the way you always strive to work with all our leaders, march together as one, with His Excellency President Zuma.
I warned the officials this morning when you were having your four-eyes meeting that they should have anticipated that you were going to take more than 30 minutes because it was important for the two of you, first, to do a catch-up, but also to do an analysis of our own neighbourhood and the continent.
We have just listened to a brilliant address by an outstanding leader of an independent Namibia a country that got her independence in 1990, a country that has since held many democratic multiparty elections every five years, a country that helped quicken steps to free South Africa.
Namibia has therefore become a model for democracy on our continent. It was therefore perfectly correct that you graciously accorded our esteemed guest, His Excellency President Obama - I am sorry, Pohamba ... [Laughter.] ... this rare opportunity to address the elected members of our NA. They are now awake this side of the room!
This gesture affirms the importance and the value that we attach to our relations with our neighbour, our strategic ally and partner. We wish to thank you kindly for honouring and opening the doors of this august House to our distinguished guests.
To President Jacob Zuma, we thank you, sir, for having made it possible for President Pohamba to visit our country and for the brotherly manner in which you hosted him since his arrival. The bond between South Africa and Namibia has never been so strong. It is a bond rooted in history, common experience, shared values and a vision for our region and the entire continent. Forward to sustained economic development and freedom from hunger, disease and ignorance for all our people and the nations across the continent, particularly the women and children of our two nations! Thank you very much. [Applause.]