Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, Excellencies, ambassadors and high commissioners, members of the diplomatic corps present, guests, compatriots and South Africans, I greet you. It is only proper for me to congratulate you, hon Minister, on your forward- looking and reflective speech which, of course, sets the tone for the department's work going forward.
Let me also join you, as you have done previously, in mourning the untimely and unnecessary death of Anton Hammerl, whose violent death leaves a bitter taste. On behalf of the committee, I want to express our condolences to his loved ones and the entire journalism fraternity. Let me also acknowledge the efforts of the department in trying to locate Mr Hammerl before we sadly learnt of his fate and your ongoing attempts at finding his mortal remains in that vast country. We wish you every success in the difficult but necessary task of bringing the family some form of closure.
Since I became a member of this committee and my subsequent election as the chairperson of the committee, I have closely monitored the department's implementing the mammoth mandate it is entrusted with with the limited resources at its disposal. I have noted with trepidation that the departmental budget, as with the previous year's budget, shows a decrease in real terms. This could, of course, be attributed to, amongst other things, factors like the global economic recession and the fact that the department's activities in missions abroad are conducted in foreign currency, which destabilises the actual budget figures negatively.
Hon Minister, let me congratulate you and your department on the clean bill of health you have received once again, for the seventh year in succession. [Applause.] I am indeed happy to note that, while there is room for improvement, the matters of emphasis pointed out to you in previous audits are being progressively addressed.
We wish to express our sincerest appreciation for the hard work, leadership and dedication displayed by both the political principals, the management and the staff of the Department of International Relations and Co- operation. Minister, having got used to good governance and excellent financial management, we expect no less going forward.
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the new director-general of the department, Ambassador Jerry Matjila, on his appointment. It is noteworthy that his appointment is from the ranks of the department. This, in my view, will ensure constancy and continuity.
Ambassador Matjila, you are indeed taking over a well-run, efficient and effective department. You have stepped into the shoes of a dedicated public servant, former director-general Ayanda Ntsaluba, under whose leadership this department learnt through trial and error until it found the right combination. We are also cognisant of the fact that you were part of the collective leadership that brought the department to where it is today and that you will, of course, place your own leadership qualities at the disposal of the department. We wish you success with your enormous responsibilities going forward.
We have observed that the Public Diplomacy and Protocol Services Programme has again received a reduced share of the budget. However, we are encouraged by the very many initiatives that you, personally, and the department are embarking on in spite of this to keep the South African public informed on the activities of the department. The importance of public diplomacy cannot be overemphasised. I have already alluded to its necessity, more so now that we are back in the United Nations Security Council.
We have noted some administrative challenges, though, around the high mobility of skilled workers. My understanding is that this mobility does not necessarily represent a flight of skills or vacancies in the sense that there are no warm bodies attached to these posts, but that at any one time, transfers or deployment of staff is done internally within the department to missions in Africa and abroad, thus leaving the positions at head office temporarily vacant until their return. Now from this scenario, Minister, two issues emanate: Firstly, what is the impact of these transfers and how does the department cope with the vacuum brought about by these temporary shifts that take place within the department, especially because some of these shifts are done at the senior management level? Secondly, these posts reflected as vacant when the occupant is temporarily seconded or transferred create an inaccurate picture of a department with a high vacancy rate and staff turnover, when indeed that is technically not the case.
Minister, I want to propose that this is correctly captured in departmental reports, so as to correct this skewed view, especially because these documents are for public consumption. Naturally, as a committee of Parliament we will always be concerned about strategies for retaining human resources and creating the necessary effective demand management plans.
In addition, the committee will intensify its oversight over the department in the following areas: the completeness of the asset register and its accuracy; timely submission of monthly reconciliation reports by missions; clearance of old debts and advances incurred through interdepartmental payments; balancing the division of the budget according to the budget priorities in line with the department's Strategic Plan and mandate; the progress made in engaging with relevant state departments for the speedy processing of security vetting for persons being posted abroad; and the operationalisation of the consular emergency response team, especially because of the number of disasters taking place anywhere in the world, civil wars and deaths affecting South Africans in different parts of the world. In this context, a co-ordination instrument to assist citizens in distress abroad is indeed crucial.
Furthermore, we have noted the announcements regarding policy initiatives which include the White Paper on Foreign Policy, leading to the proposed Foreign Service Act, the establishment of the South African Development Partnership Agency, Sadpa, and the proposed South African Council on International Relations, Sacoir. We are looking forward to further developments and progress reports in this regard.
South Africa's second tenure in the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, is indeed a sign of confidence by the international community and their acknowledgement of South Africa's contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. It is not inconceivable, though, that the challenges South Africa met in its first encounter still remain, and all peace-loving nations and our own people can see that in order to impact positively in this organisation, all processes must be hard fought.
Nonetheless, it must correctly remain South Africa's resolve to continue pressing for reform of the UN and other institutions of global governance, such as the IMF and the World Bank which, of course, has arrogantly continued to favour the rich nations at the expense of the poor and developing ones.
The crisis in confidence in the credibility of the UN is a consequence of the post-Second World War and Cold War realities which have long since passed their sell-by date. Today's realities demand a fundamentally transformed UN, responsive to the challenges of the 21st century and sensitive to the needs of especially Africa, the poor and other developing nations.
Some countries have adopted the posture and boastfulness of being the world's foremost democracies, in some instances arrogating to themselves the mantle of world police of democracy and human rights and selective exporters of democracy par excellence. Yet, in contradiction, they cling to an unreformed United Nations which, in its current form, is patently undemocratic and not sensitive to the security, stability and development needs of poorer nations. Indeed, the unequal power distribution in the UN system makes a mockery of the UN Charter, which propagates the equality of nations.
I am aware, hon Minister, that South Africa's positions in decisions taken at the UN are a result of broad consultation processes among South Africans and with regional organisations, notably the African Union, AU, and AU sister countries. However, in the true nature of international relations, these facts are sometimes distorted, misrepresented, misunderstood and, in some instances, downright fabricated by critics not well disposed towards our country.
Proceeding from lessons learnt from our previous stint in the UN Security Council, our foreign policy positions are constantly put under the spotlight. While appreciative of your heightened efforts in this regard, in spite of the real decline in your budget allocation and the constraints hamstringing these efforts, we nonetheless need a robust diplomatic strategy which will ensure communication and engagement with the public on these issues.
Now, let me turn to some of the vexed political issues. In April, South Africa once again vigorously debated in the UN Security Council in support of the plight of the people of the Western Sahara and argued that the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, Minurso, be accorded a human rights monitoring mechanism. This followed allegations of gross human rights violations by the Moroccan security forces. The failure to get this concession from the UN Security Council serves to confirm that South Africa must continue to exert pressure for UN reform.
This tendency towards double standards, following closely on the heels of a swift decision-making process and action on Libya and Cte d'Ivoire, undercuts the effectiveness and credibility of the UN. I want to reaffirm our support for the department's efforts to help bring about peaceful resolutions to conflicts afflicting Africa and the world.
We remain extremely concerned about the continued violence which threatens to reduce Libya to rubble, with devastating consequences for those the world claims to protect - the civilian population. While South Africa voted in favour of UNSC Resolution 1973 for the enforcement of a no-fly zone and protection of civilians in accordance with Resolution 1970, we must ask the question: Are the Nato military actions in Libya consistent with what we voted for? Is Nato acting in pursuit of Resolution 1973 or have they become another party to the war? Is it still about the protection of civilians or has the mission changed to a regime change, as some Nato leaders themselves seem to suggest?
What is happening in Libya once again confirms the correctness of South Africa's perspective that there is no substitute for peaceful resolution to conflict and, this being the case, we support the AU's attempts to facilitate dialogue between the Libyans. As you will know, President Zuma was in Libya yesterday in pursuit of this particular goal.
Furthermore, we express our principled support for the people of North Africa and the Middle East for their calls for political reforms and democratisation.
The progressive steps taken by the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing must indeed be welcomed. This is a welcome respite for the caged Palestinians who have been suffering under the illegal, immoral and inhumane blockade. These people are now in a position to seek much-needed medical help, food and fuel supplies.
We are equally encouraged by the Palestinian unity talks between Hamas and Fatah and hope that this will end the polarisation of the Palestinian people and usher in a new period of unity and cohesion, which will allow them as a united people to confront the challenges of their subjugation. South Africa must remain firm in its support of the right to self- determination and self-governance of the Palestinian people, living side by side in peace with Israel. Israel must also realise that only a peaceful settlement will guarantee its own strategic interests.
In the aftermath of the haze left by what some have termed the "Arab spring" in North Africa and the Middle East, the matter of the economic blockade of Cuba, which continues to visit untold hardships on that island nation, and the Cuban Five, who are still languishing in US prisons, run the risk of receding into obscurity. I wish to impress upon the hon Minister that she should continue to pursue this matter.
We are encouraged by the department's resolve to continue contributing to socioeconomic development on the African continent. A lot of ground has been covered under the African Renaissance Fund, ARF. It is a welcome development that the ARF will be replaced by the South African Development Partnership Agency, Sadpa.
It is also encouraging to learn that this financial year a conference engaging the African Diaspora will be held. These brothers and sisters are a rich source of experience and must be engaged with on the development agenda of the continent.
President Zuma, as SADC mediator in Zimbabwe, has been applauded, even by his critics, for efforts to bring about positive movement towards the resolution of the conflict in that country. His facilitation team has removed some of the hurdles and it is gratifying that the Global Political Agreement, GPA, partners themselves have agreed on a draft text of a roadmap which is reportedly forward-looking in levelling the playing field for free and fair elections. I have also learnt that the GPA partners have agreed on calling for the lifting of sanctions, which is an encouraging step for the resuscitation of the economy of Zimbabwe.
Partnerships with the countries of the South are critical in order to advance not only South Africa's own developmental needs, but also the African Agenda. Participation in the India-Brazil-South Africa, Ibsa, Dialogue Forum is important as a vehicle for transforming global governance in favour of the interests of the South. Recently, South Africa joined the Brazil, Russia, India and China formation, Bric, and President Zuma attended the third Brics summit in China during April. I have no doubt that our participation in Brics will bring hope for Africa.
In order for us to reap the benefits of being among the highest contributors to the international organisations which we belong to, we must utilise our allocated quota for positions in these bodies. Another related activity is to aspire to filling high-level strategic positions, especially in these organisations, to be able to exert influence on decision-making in these structures.
Lastly, hon Minister, let me join you in the call for the parties in the Sudan to adhere to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, which is the only roadmap that will bring lasting peace and prosperity to that country. Let us also congratulate you and wish you all the best with the work that is being done in Madagascar to bring about a lasting solution to the problems afflicting that country. I thank you so much. [Applause.]