Deputy Chairperson, Chairperson of the NCOP and hon members, today, 25 May, Africans all over the world join together to celebrate Africa Day. It may be opportune for me to remark that this year's celebration of Africa Day coincides with the 10th anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad, African Union strategic framework for pan-African socioeconomic development.
As we take time to pause and reflect on what it means to be an African, we should assess progress made in Africa against the strategic objectives of Nepad, which include economic development, regional integration, human development, agriculture and food security, national resource management, and so forth.
Despite patchy pockets of success in achieving political stability and improving economic growth in a number of African countries, much more still needs to be done to eradicate grinding poverty and to democratise many African countries. Africa has the highest number of despotic and oppressive governments, and leaders who want to rule forever.
In the majority of cases where elections are held, pre- and postelection violence is the norm. As we speak, Cte d'Ivoire is recovering from pre- and postelectoral violence, with many around the world pledging their support to assist it in achieving some form of stability. Libya is also in turmoil, with the man at the helm hellbent on treating the country as his fiefdom.
Often, the noble strategic objectives of Nepad, the AU, economic and regional bodies such as SADC, the Economic Community of West African States, Ecowas, and so on, are undermined by the lack of political will and leadership of many African heads of state, who refuse democratic reforms or regional integration of their economies. In addition, it is the way in which those objectives are sought and the immediate steps taken to implement them which leave us concerned about the seriousness of African leaders to change the African situation for the better.
However, in conclusion, I believe that, as Haile Selassie said on this day in 1963 in Addis Ababa:
We remain persuaded that in our efforts to scatter the clouds which rim the horizon of our future, success must come, if only because failure is unthinkable.
I thank you, Deputy Chairperson.
Die ADJUNKMINISTER VAN LANDBOU, BOSBOU EN VISSERYE: Voorsitter, onlangs in 'n gesprek met 'n sakeman van Wes-Afrika, het hy die wens teenoor my uitgespreek dat Suid-Afrika vir Afrika kan help om te ontwikkel sodat Afrika meer soos Suid-Afrika kan word. Hy het sy gesprek met my afgesluit: "Afrika is so ver agter julle."
Kan Suid-Afrika dit doen? Ja, Suid-Afrika kan. Ons is ekonomies twee keer sterker as Nigeri, en amper drie keer so sterk soos Egipte. Suid-Afrika se ekonomie is 80 keer sterker as die gemiddelde Afrikastaat. Daarbenewens het ons die beste paaie-, krag- en telefoonnetwerke in Afrika, en ons aandelebeurs is een van die tien grootste aandelebeurse in die wreld. Amper die helfte van alle teerpaaie in Afrika is in Suid-Afrika.
As ons oor Afrika praat, moet ek s dat ons ook realisties moet wees. Ek is kwaad vir Afrika se probleme van korrupsie en magsmisbruik. Ek is moeg vir konflikte in Afrika en televisiebeelde van jong soldate in kamoefleeruniforms wat vol bravade agter op 'n bakkie staan met 'n swaar masjiengeweer in die hand en 'n band vol koels om die nek. Ek word moedeloos as ek nog 'n keer moet kyk na Afrika-babas wat met dowwe o en uitgeteerde lyfies l en hoop op kos.
Kommunikasie-infrastruktuur is 'n belangrike voorwaarde om Afrika te ontwikkel. Vodacom en MTN het byvoorbeeld die "pay-as-you-go"-konsep ontwikkel en groot sukses in Afrika behaal. Hulle is tans van die vernaamste selfoonverskaffers in 'n hele klomp Afrikalande.
Daar is baie ander voorbeelde van sulke suksesse. Shoprite Checkers is tans die grootste voedselnetwerk in Afrika, met amper 200 winkels in 15 lande. Suid-Afrikaners bedryf Kameroen se spoorwe. Ons bou paaie en bre in Malawi en Mosambiek. Deur MultiChoice en die Suid-Afrikaanse Uitsaaikorporasie, SABC, bereik Suid-Afrikaanse televisieprogramme nou reeds 48 Afrikalande, terwyl Media24 tydskrifte in Nigeri en Kenia verkoop. Suid-Afrika het binne 10 jaar een van die top lande met beleggings in Afrika geword waar ons 'n groot verskil gemaak aan die lewenstandaard van baie Afrikane.
Ek wil egter ook met Afrikaners praat. Baie Afrikaners onttrek hulle en hoop die probleme gaan weg. As hulle eerlik is oor hul posisie, het hulle op die oomblik nie baie keuses nie. Of jy emigreer, of jy raak betrokke en help om vir die Afrikaner 'n plek in die son in Afrika te skep maar dit kan nie in isolasie gedoen word nie. Die feit is dat as Afrika tot niet gaan, is Suid-Afrika in die moeilikheid.
'n Britse joernalis het onlangs aan my ges, "Julle Afrikaners kan nooit brugbouers in Afrika wees nie vanwe julle geskiedenis." Is hy reg? Wat is die houding teenoor Afrikaners in die res van Afrika? Ek s vir u, behalwe in Suid-Afrika, waar Malema s ons is almal misdadigers, is ek orals in Afrika nog altyd oorweldigend positief ontvang.
Tans is daar 24 Afrikastate wat versoeke gerig het vir Suid-Afrikaanse boere om by hulle te kom boer, maar dan s ek daar is 'n voorwaarde. Dan moet Afrikaners nie permanent voel hulle word geteiken nie, wat maak dat al hulle energie na binne gaan om te oorleef. Dan moet ons veilig voel om energie na Afrika te kan uitreik in belang van al die mense, want die wreld gee nie meer om vir Afrika nie. As ons nie self na hom gaan kyk nie, gaan daar niks van ons oorbly nie. Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Chairperson, during a recent discussion with a businessman from West Africa, he expressed the wish to me that South Africa should assist Africa in developing to become more like South Africa. He ended the discussion with me by saying: "Africa lags so far behind you."
Can South Africa do it? Yes, South Africa can. South Africa's economy is twice as strong as that of Nigeria and almost three times as strong as that of Egypt. South Africa's economy is 80 times stronger than the average state on the African continent. Apart from that, we have the best road, electricity and telecommunications networks in Africa, and our stock exchange is one of the ten largest in the world. South Africa has almost half of all asphalt roads in Africa.
If we discuss Africa, I must add that we need to be realistic. I am angry at Africa's problems of corruption and the abuse of power. I am tired of conflicts in Africa and television images of young soldiers in camouflage uniforms, full of bravado, standing on the backs of trucks with heavy machine guns in their hands and bands of bullets around their necks. I am despondent when I once more have to look at emaciated African babies with dull eyes just lying and hoping for food.
Communications infrastructure is an important prerequisite for developing Africa. For example, Vodacom and MTN have developed the "pay as you go" concept, which has been very successful in Africa. They are currently the principal cellphone providers in many African countries.
There are many different examples of success stories like these. Shoprite Checkers is currently the largest food network in Africa, with almost 200 stores in 15 countries. South Africa is operating Cameroon's railway service. We are building roads and bridges in Malawi and Mozambique. Through MultiChoice and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, South African television programmes are already reaching 48 African countries at the moment, whilst Media24 is selling magazines in Nigeria and Kenya. Within 10 years, South Africa has become one of the countries with the largest investments in Africa, and we have made a noticeable difference in the standard of living of many Africans. However, I would also like to speak to Afrikaners. Many Afrikaners withdraw with the hope that the problems will simply go away. If they are honest about their position, they will realise that they currently don't have many choices. You can either emigrate or become involved and contribute to creating a place in the sun in Africa for the Afrikaner - but this cannot happen in isolation. The fact remains that if Africa is destroyed, South Africa will be in trouble.
A British journalist recently told me: "As Afrikaners you will never be able to mend fences in Africa because of your history." Is he correct? What is the rest of Africa's attitude towards Afrikaners? I can tell you that apart from South Africa, where Malema has called all of us criminals, I have only ever experienced an overwhelmingly positive reception in the rest of Africa.
Currently there are 24 African states that have made requests for South African farmers to farm in those countries, but then again I would say that it should come with a precondition. Afrikaners should not permanently feel like they are being targeted, causing them to internalise all their energy to survive. We should feel safe to extend our energy to Africa in the best interests of all its people, because the world no longer cares about Africa. If we ourselves don't take care of Africa, there will be nothing left of us. Thank you very much. [Applause.]]