CAADP Shows Great Promise In War Against Malnutrition In Africa

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

"The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is having a positive impact on food and nutrition security in countries that are implementing it," according to the just released 2015 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR).

The ATOR, was released on Tuesday, this week, by the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS).

ReSAKSS, is a program facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), during the opening of the 2016 ReSAKSS Annual Conference in Accra, organized by IFPRI in partnership with the African Union Commission.

Notably, the 2015 ATOR examines the current status of nutrition in Africa, including progress in meeting the 2014 AU Malabo nutrition targets, and highlights the importance of dietary quality and diversity. 

It further stresses the importance of strengthening capacities for nutrition mainstreaming, monitoring and evaluation.

It has stated that, “Undernourishment is lowest among countries that have adopted the CAADP process,” and that, “The rates of reduction in undernourishment are faster in CAADP countries especially those that have been in the process the longest and those that have gone through most of the stages of the process.”

Officially opening the 2016 ReSAKSS annual conference, AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, represented by Dr. Janet Edeme, Acting Director for the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), said achieving a nutrition revolution would require informed plans and investments coupled with leadership for effective implementation.

“The complexity and multi-sectorality of nutrition demand for better coordination of interventions in order to make real and effective impact. By investing in a nutrition revolution, we are reducing malnutrition at all levels of the population including children and women, as spelt out in Africa’s Agenda 2063,” she said.

“Improving food security is not only about making sure people are consuming adequate calories, but ensuring that diets provide adequate nutrients for the healthy growth and development of Africa’s children and the health and wellbeing of all people,” said Ousmane Badiane, IFPRI Director for Africa.

“This report shows that policymakers must not only monitor nutrition outcomes but set ambitious targets and design appropriate strategies to achieve these. The first step to reducing poverty and promoting economic growth in Africa is to reduce hunger and malnutrition which rob the continent of its human resource potential.”

According to IFPRI, more key findings of the report include, 

Statistics and trends indicate a need for more concerted effort in tackling a triple burden of malnutrition in Africa that includes reducing under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity.

And, "the potential nutritional impact of existing food policies (including agricultural subsidies) should be reviewed, and reforms should be initiated for those policies that are likely to have adverse effects on people’s dietary quality and body weight."

Essentially, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems, complete with key nutrition indicators and contextualized evidence, are needed to evaluate the impact of comprehensive investment plans on nutrition and attainment of the international, continental, and national commitments for growth, development, and nutrition.

Overall, "the analysis of CAADP indicators shows that countries that have been in the CAADP process the longest and those that have gone through most of the levels of the CAADP process have tended to register better outcomes in most of the indicators reviewed, thus highlighting the positive impact of CAADP.'

"It is essential to harness the potential for science, technology, and innovation to reduce postharvest losses and food waste; promote product diversification with nutritious foods; improve processing to extend shelf life and make healthy foods easier to prepare; and improve storage and preservation to retain nutritional value, ensure food safety, and extend seasonal availability," the study adds.

Agenda 2063 A Living Programme

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

Agenda 2063 is not just another document that will gather dust in offices of the African Union and it's member states.

That much is clear as the recent seminar aimed at enhancing understanding of the African Union and strengthening the skills relevant to its statutory operations was successfully delivered. 

The seminar which was held in  Midrand, South Africa was organised by the African Union Leadership Academy as part of a wider executive training programme for members of the diplomatic corps. 

34 members of the AU’s Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) who participated in the seminar have strongly cemented their commitment of developing the continent.

Facilitated by renowned African scholars and experts from the African Union Commission, the aim has been repeatedly articulated that the way forward would be the strengthening the African Union’s capacity for driving and achieving the goals of Agenda 2063 by providing members of the PRC with a unique opportunity to reflect on their experience and interaction with the AU. 

In particular the seminar resolved to create more awareness and importance of various instruments that are relevant to Agenda 2063; re-examining the role and responsibilities of AU and member states in supporting the AU drive towards achieving Agenda 2063 goals; sharing of, and learning from, challenges and success stories.

Other issues under discussion included,  impact of the organisation’s history on its functioning; Africa Peace and Security Architecture, preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention; enhancing the effectiveness of the African Union; reflections on the continental Agenda 2063 and the African Union as a norm entrepreneur and African Union democracy instruments.

At the opening event session held on Tuesday 27^th September Ambassador Jean Mfasoni, Adviser to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, remarked that “In order for the AU, its Member States and its organs to contribute effectively to this vision (Agenda 2063) and to fulfill the set mandates, there is a need to have a common understanding on how to get there and the respective responsibilities of each party. This experience sharing seminar will help us towards this direction.”

This gathering was important as the PRC is a crucial decision making and oversight body of the African Union, which acts on behalf of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Executive Council. 

The PRC also has responsibilities inter alia, of facilitating communication between the AU Commission and member states, considering the AU’s budget and monitoring the implementation of the AU’s budget. 

In this regard, it is critical to the implementation of the programmes and projects under the continental Agenda 2063 development framework. 

These aim to achieve the AU vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa by 2063.

The Presidency

Address by President Jacob Zuma during the National Day of Reconciliation celebrations, Zeerust, North West

16 December 2016

Programme Director, Minister Nathi Mthethwa,
Premier of the North West,
Province, Mr Supra Mahumapelo,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
MECs,
Members of the National and Provincial Legislatures,
Mayors and Councilors,
Motlotlegi Kgosi Gopane,
Magosi a a tlotlegang,
Honoured guests, 
Fellow South Africans,
 
Dumelang!
 
We are honoured to be here in Gopane today to commemorate a very important day in our history, the National Day of Reconciliation.
 
The 16th of December represented a painful division between black and white people in this beloved country for more than a century until 1995. The Afrikaner people celebrated this day as a day of victory against the Zulu army under King Dingane in 1838, at the battle of the Ncome River in Natal. 
 
In 1910 the Union government declared the 16th December a national holiday.
In 1952 the apartheid government renamed this day as the Day of the Covenant, where they claimed to have made a covenant with God in 1838 that they will observe and celebrate 16th December if they win against the Zulu people.
 
The 16th of December is also the day on which the ANC’s military wing, uMkhonto Wesizwe, was established to take up arms against an intransigent and cruel apartheid state.
 
President Mandela declared 16 December as the National Day of Reconciliation in 1995.
 
This was significant to have Madiba, who was the first commander of Umkhonto Wesizwe and led the ANC in taking up arms against the apartheid state, declaring that we should reconcile and rebuild our country. He and the democratic government turned a day that was a source of division, into a day that brings South Africans together. 
 
As we celebrate this achievement of our nation, we should also remember that reconciliation is a two way process. While black people are implored to come to bury the pain of the past and move on, white compatriots should also be ready to accept and support the imperative of transformation and redress. 
 
The implementation of measures to deracialise the economy, such as black economic empowerment, affirmative action and land reform remain critical for us to achieve true and meaningful reconciliation.
 
All these are provided for in the Constitution of the Republic, which is 20 years old this month. We should drive these programmes together, as we rebuild our country.
 
We should thus not regard reconciliation as an easy matter. 
 
It is profound and requires a lot of work by all of us. Today we must all recommit ourselves to walking this important journey together.
 
Fellow South Africans,
 
Commemorating the Day of Reconciliation here in Gopane todayalso carries immense historical significance. 
 
Gopane is one of the villages which experienced bloody confrontations between the people on the one hand and the apartheid government and its collaborators on the other, where people were brutally killed over the issue of passes, between 1957 and 1958. 
 
The conflict, as most might be aware, started in Dinokana, where the women, mounted resistance against carrying passes.
 
They were inspired by Kgosi Abraham Moiloa’s resistance to the Bantu Authorities laws, the black spots removals and the pass laws on the one hand. They were also inspired by labour migrant formations such as the Bahurutshe Association on the other.
 
A spiral of anti-pass conflicts spread to other villages in the Lehurutshe area, which included Gopane, Mosweu, Witkleigatand Motswedi.
 
Many people fled to exile in Botswana. Some succumbed to harsh conditions or starvation and died, while some were brutally assaulted by the apartheid authorities and their collaborators.
 
As we conclude the year in which we marked the 60th anniversary of the women’s march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria against passes, we salute the women and all people of Gopane and surrounding villages of Zeerust, for their contribution to the fight for freedom of movement, the fight against pass laws.
 
We also salute traditional leaders in this area, who resisted apartheid policies, often at great cost.
 
Some were banished, while their people were exiled to Botswana, constituting the first batch of exiles and refugees to that country, at the time when it was still called Bechuanaland.  
 
It is these committed men and women who made Lehurutshe an important rural hotbed of anti-apartheid activism over many years since the late 1950s, which made it a safer terrain for later anti-apartheid political activities.
 
This area is therefore also significant as it served as a very critical passage route for anti-apartheid activists as they left the country for exile.  
 
Many activists, including former President Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki, President Oliver Tambo and many others used the Zeerust route to Botswana to exile in various countries, such as Tanzania, Zambia, England and many others.
 
Last Sunday, we laid to rest a veteran of the struggle, Mr Riot Makhomanisi Mkhwanazi, with whom I was arrested near this area here in Zeerust in 1963, leading to us serving 10 years on Robben Island. 
 
We once again thank the people of neighbouring Botswana profoundly, for their solidarity and selfless contribution to our struggle for liberation. 
 
We come from a painful past as South Africans. We have been able to come this far in 22 years because we took that conscious decision to move on, and build a new nation.
 
That was the best decision any nation coming from conflict could ever take. It was also in the best interest of the country and generations to come.
 
Indeed the journey towards reconciliation continues, and there are various aspects to it. I mentioned the need for redress.
 
There is also the need to assist families that were directly affected by apartheid atrocities, who lost their loved ones in painful circumstances, to find closure and healing. 
 
Government is currently engaged in a programme of finding missing persons and also handing over of the remains of former political prisoners who were executed by the apartheid government to their families.
 
At least 130 political prisoners were hanged for politically-related offences in the period between 1960 and 1990. The state retained custody of the remains of the deceased, thereby denying their families the opportunity to receive or bury them. 

The apartheid state buried the deceased political prisoners as paupers in cemeteries in and around Tshwane, despite the fact that their families were willing to receive the bodies for burial. 
 
Of the 130 hanged political prisoners, 47 have already beenexhumed by other parties, groups or individuals. 
 
Eighty three remain to be recovered, and these are the remains of former members of the Pan-Africanist Congress who were executed in the 1960s as well as United Democratic Front activists who were hanged in the 1980s.
 
The democratic Government launched the Gallows Exhumation Project on 23 March 2016 at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria to begin the exhumation of the mortal remains of the 83 political prisoners.
 
This week, on 14 December 2016, the remains of twelve Eastern Cape PAC members who were executed in 1964, for the Mbasheriver construction site incident were exhumed at Rebecca Street Cemetery in Tshwane. The remains of other two activists who were also executed for their part in the Mbashe incident, shall be exhumed in January 2017. 
 
This leaves government with 71 remains to be exhumed. 
 
We acknowledge the work of the Missing Persons Task Team and the Truth and Reconciliation Unit in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development who undertake this difficult task.
 
It is a taxing and painful period for the families. We trust that this process will assist them to find closure.
 
Compatriots,
 
Reconciliation is also about providing support to those who sacrificed life’s comforts to free this country and people, the former combatants who served in the liberation armies, Umkhonto Wesizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army or APLA.

Government is working hard to ensure that the socio-economic needs of former combatants are met. Many are unable to look after themselves and cannot provide for their children.
 
Government established the Department of Military Veterans in 2014 so that it can take care of the reintegration of former combatants into civilian life and to provide the necessary socio-economic and psycho-social support. 
 
The full establishment of the department has also taken longer than planned which has affected some of our veterans.
 
It has come to our attention that some of our former combatants are not on the database of the department and have not been receiving benefits that they are entitled to. It becomes a sore point that the former members of apartheid forces against whom they fought, receive these benefits.
 
I went to visit one of the members of the Ashley Kriel MK unit in Cape Town on the 7th of December, Mr Patrick Presence in hospital in Cape Town. His circumstances are a stark reminder of the presence of many others whose families suffer in silence. We wish him and many other veterans in ill health a speedy recovery.
 
While there are difficulties, the delivery on some of the benefits to military veterans as stipulated in the Military Veterans Act of 2011 increased this year. 
 
The Department of Military veterans is currently providing more than five thousand bursaries to military veterans and their dependents for basic and higher education.
 
To date, almost fifteen thousand military veterans are being provided with free healthcare support. 
 
Government is also on course to provide one thousand houses to military veterans. Currently, close to two thousand destitute military veterans are provided with support through the Social Relief of Distress programme run by the Department of Social Development.
 
Government will not rest until the services reach all our veterans who served in the liberation movement, as we continue the journey towards reconciliation.
 
Compatriots,
 
The National Day of Reconciliation is also about coming to terms with the painful tragedy that occurred in August 2012 in Marikana in this province, where about 44 people were killed, the majority of them by police, during a strike at Lonmin Mine in Rustenburg. 
 
The incident was painful and traumatic, not only for the families, but all South Africans.
 
We appointed a commission led by retired Judge Ian Farlam who made findings and several recommendations. We issued a detailed statement on the 11th of December outlining what various government departments are doing to implement the recommendations.
 
Among the actions being taken is the provision of housing in order to improve living conditions by government and also the mining company.
 
Importantly, the issue of compensation, particularly for loss of support for the deceased families, for unlawful arrest and detentions, is being attended to.

The South African Police Service is ready to pay.
 
Government lawyers are working with the legal teams of the affected persons or families of the deceased to finalise the claims.
 
We cannot bring those who died back. However, we can and must do our best to ensure that the lives of their children improve. 
 
Other remedies include taking steps against all those, particularly within the police service, who were found to have committed criminality in the way they handled the situation at Marikana. 
 
The prosecution authorities are working on the matter and some senior police officers have been charged.

Yesterday, I received a report from the Claasen Board of Inquiry, which I appointed to look into the fitness of the National Police Commissioner to hold office. I will study the report and make an announcement in due course.
 
The Marikana tragedy contradicted everything we stand for as a nation and country whose Constitution is founded on the belief in fundamental human rights including the right to life and security. The Constitution also includes labour rights and our country has mechanisms in place to resolve shop floor disputes. A labour dispute must not cause loss of life.
 
We don’t want to see such an incident happening in our country again. Not in our lifetime, and not in the lifetime of any South African.
 
Premier Mahumapelo established the Marikana Reconciliation, Healing and Renewal Committee to promote healing, cohesion and lasting peace among the communities in Marikana. 
 
It must be an ongoing process that will enable all to find healing.  
 
Compatriots,
 
In this 20th anniversary of our constitution, I urge all of us to work hard to make our constitutional provisions a reality that is felt by everyone.
 
Let us bury racism, tribalism, xenophobia and all other intolerances. These tendencies rear their ugly heads from time to time.
 
Let us support one another and build a South Africa that is united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous.
 
Let us work hard for national unity, nation building and reconciliation.
 
I wish all South Africans a meaningful and happy National Day of Reconciliation.
 
I thank you.

The Presidency

MTN and Intracom Telecom Puts 'StreetNode' To Work

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

Cape Town: Intracom Telecom announced on Monday this week that it has successfully completed the live field trial of StreetNode.

This is its SON (Self Organizing Network) based Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) platform, implemented by MTN’s South African operation.

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. 

Intracom Telecom is a global telecommunication systems and solutions vendor operating for over 35 years in the market.

The trial took place in Johannesburg and the aim was to evaluate the platform’s unique capabilities to provide the most advanced high-quality and high-availability services to MTN’s enterprise customers.

According to MTN, it was assessing ease of deployment and the capability of the platform.

The StreetNode solution was tested in both lab environment and external network, and the platform’s software-defined operation allowed activation and reconfiguration in the field in Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) mode, demonstrating unparalleled flexibility.

While traditional PtMP technology only allows homing to a single base station, the trial successfully proved that StreetNode automatically reconnects to alternative base stations in the event of the primary base station failing, thus re-establishing connectivity for subscribers rapidly.

The trial has also confirmed that non-technical telecom engineers could install and commission the StreetNode unit quickly and easily, even at night, assisted greatly by the unique auto-alignment feature of the platform.

Navindran Naidoo, Chief Technology Officer at MTN Group, commented, “StreetNode™ demonstrated the same features as its traditional WIBAS™ PtMP platform, but StreetNode’s auto-alignment feature and capability to automatically reconnect to an alternative base station when needed, is certainly an advanced feature.”

While John Tenidis, Marketing Director of Intracom Telecom's wireless solutions, added, “This was a great opportunity to supply our StreetNode™ to MTN and demonstrate our capabilities to continuously innovate and provide solutions to customers that are in need of differentiated services. We are pleased to work with MTN and look forward to further contributing to their critical projects with our products and services.”

According to Intracom Telecom, it has been active in the South African market since 2010 and has extensive experience in the design, implementation and support of PtMP networks in Africa.

"The company also innovates in the PtMP field featuring its SON-capable StreetNod platform, which is designed to implement any type of network architecture through software-defined radio operation.

The platform’s highly-compact form factor together with street friendly aesthetics, allow the platform to blend invisibly with street level furniture."

Africa-Arab Regions Advancing Agricultural Development and Food Security

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

Cape Town: The African Union reports that the 3rd Africa-Arab Ministerial Conference on Agricultural Development and Food Security kicked off under the theme, “Promotion of Africa-Arab Trade and Investments for Accelerated Agricultural Development and Enhancing Food Security.” 

Held in Khartoum, Sudan this week, the conference is under Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Sudan, engineer Ali Gadoom Elghali Osman, the African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, the Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Dr. Tariq Bin Musa El-Zadjali, graced the opening ceremony of the meeting.

Commissioner Tumusiime informed the meeting of the establishment and operationalization of the Facilitation Unit comprising coordinators from the African Union and League of Arab States who are presently working on implementation of the Sharm El-Sheikh Joint Action Plan (JAP). 

She, however, revealed that "the implementation of the JAP is riddled with financial and administrative difficulties, which necessitates new mechanism for mobilizing resources and implementing activities for achieving the defined programme goals."

Commissioner Tumusiime further pointed out that "Africa and Arab countries have low agricultural investment rates relative to the average for developing countries." 

“The solution to this impasse rests in catalyzing the private sector, which has abundant resources for boosting the agricultural sector in the two regions,” she said. 

While, engineer Ali Gadoom Elghali Osman, pointed out that the Joint Conference could not have come at a better time as both regions are faced with food shortages and global commodity price increases. 

“Therefore, this motivates Sudan to exert maximum efforts to work closely with the AU and the  Arab League  to dedicate and exploit its vast natural and agriculture resource base, especially in the light that Sudan has been nominated among three countries designated to be the world’s ‘food basket’,” he said.

Engineer Osman further called for concerting efforts towards joint development cooperation programmes and enhancing agricultural infrastructure that would act as an attractive factor for African Arab Investments.

And Dr. Tariq Al-Zadjali called for increased cooperation in agriculture to guarantee the food security in the African-Arab region. He further called on the private sector in both regions to support the implementation of the JAP. 

Al-Zadjali urged Member States of the two organizations to provide an enabling environment for the sector private to invest in the agricultural sector, including transparency in tax and excise systems, removal of administrative restrictions, land allocation and catalyzing creation of private companies.

Moreover, the Senior Officials Meeting concluded by drafting the “Khartoum Declaration on Promoting African-Arab Investment for Accelerated Agricultural Development and Attainment of Food Security.”  

The Conference was attended by senior officials from Member States of the African Union and the League of Arab States. 

Also in attendance were representatives of the African Union Commission, the League of Arab States Secretariat, Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Food Programme and private sector organizations.

SADC Sustainable Development Needs A Pumped-Up Education Sector

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

The SADC education space suffers from a lack consistent and informative reflections. 

Although education has previously been identified as a pillar for human progress and for the development of an economically marginalized Southern African region, little seems to be reported on the processes employed in bettering the regions's education sector.

Take, the SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme (SADC REEP) for an example.

In existence for more than 20 years now, was represented at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Japan in November 2014.  

The Conference marked the end of the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), 2005-2014. And the launch of a new Global Action Programme for Education for Sustainable Development whose overall goal is “to generate and scale-up action in all levels and areas of education and learning in order to accelerate progress towards sustainable development”.  

Moreover, the programme is one of five official exhibitions for Africa at the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development.  

And then, representatives put together a workshop on ESD Policy, and were involved in the Global Regional Centres of Expertise Pre-Conference, which a number of SADC Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) participated in.  

SADC REEP also participated in the Post-Conference on ESD and Teacher Education, where the SADC ESD Teacher Education Network's activities were showcased. As evidence of its contribution to ESD over the years and to the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development.

In 1993, the SADC Environment and Land Management Sector (ELMS) created a programme to support environmental education processes in the region.

It is also important to note that the initial phase of this programme entailed a series of workshops for environmental education practitioners in the region.

These workshops were to build capacity for environmental education. They also sought to establish the form of environmental education needs for the SADC sub-region. 

And the first workshop was held in Windhoek, Namibia in 1994.  With the second one held in 1996 in Howick, South Africa.

These workshops were complemented by other research processes which were designed to assess the state of environmental education in the region.

Based on information gathered during this initial phase. A formal programme document was developed and submitted to the SADC Council of Ministers for approval.

The Council of Ministers which had ratified the proposal, agreed that the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) should be an implementing agency of the programme. 

The SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme is a project of the SADC Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) Directorate.

And since 2013, the SADC REEP have collaborated with the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) to develop an innovative capacity building programme on 'Climate Change Adaptation in Trans-frontier Conservation Areas in Southern Africa'. 

Meanwhile, South Africa has experienced an increased demand by African countries for technical assistance support in the field of agriculture. 

According to the SA Department Of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "A technical assistance programme (TAP) called the African Agricultural Development Programme (AADP) was established as a contribution towards regional stability and the sustainable development of the economies of African countries."

The TAP has been identified as vital vehicle for Southern African Development Countries’ (SADC) regional development with potential long-term benefits for the whole region.

According to SADC REEP, the main component of this programme is a course on climate change adaptation that is specifically designed for southern African trans-frontier conservation areas (TFCAs). 

"The course is designed for a range of stakeholders who seek to strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in conservation contexts. The course is geared for reflexive engagement with own practice, is interactive, based on practical pedagogical approaches, and is designed to actively facilitate workplace-based and community-based action and change in practice towards sustainability and adaptation.

Further, "The course is constituted of four on-course modules and a workplace based assignment. Part of the course entails developing a deeper understanding of climate concepts and issues through interpreting climate data and using these to assess climate risk and vulnerability, plan and implement climate change adaptation strategies, use adaptive management approaches as well as enhance understanding and use of participation strategies in climate change adaptation."

Pragmatically, the course has involved 39 practitioners from 18 TFCAs across 15 SADC countries working on 18 change projects on adaptation to climate change on the TFCAs. 

"Each change projects spans across the countries involved in the TFCA and the members are involved in parts of the change project. To this end, the change project is enhancing collaboration at TFCA level that is contributing to transnational collaboration, an outcome of the SADC Agenda."

Strong Partnerships Key In Solving Socio-Economic Troubles, Says AUC

> Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

Cape Town: “We must share as members of the international community to contribute to a better world for all. The political crisis and conflicts in several parts of the world including in our own backyard in Africa, have local, regional and international dimensions”.

These are the words of Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

Speaking during the Africa Week 2016 High Level Inaugural Event on “Strengthening Partnership for Inclusive Sustainable Development, good governance , peace and stability on Africa”, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York earlier in October, with the week-long series of events paying particular attention on Africa's development.

Mwencha further called for strengthened partnerships, cooperation and collaboration both in Africa and globally, to address unprecedented socio-economic and political challenges.

He observed that with the ongoing migration crisis, escalating threats of terrorism, adverse effects of climate change, shrinking resources, conflict and insecurity, impunity, rising intolerance and gender inequity, there is need to collectively address the universal challenges.

Mwencha noted that to ensure effective cooperation, coherence, synergy and coordination of the diverse AU organs, institutions and Regional Economic Communities, the AU is keen on supporting the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), which he said, presents enormous potential and opportunity for partnership in harnessing the needed various competencies, resources and capacities towards attainment of durable peace in Africa.

In echoing similar sentiments, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his remarks, underscored the need for the international community to support African countries, and directly and actively work with all relevant national and regional stakeholders, including the African Peer Review Mechanism, to improve good governance, and the conduct of elections and to ensure that civil society has the freedom to play its vital role. 

Ki-moon noted that the UN has worked tirelessly to strengthen peace and security in Africa and noted the Organization’s support for implementation of the African Peace Security Architecture in moving ahead with the African Union initiative to silence the guns by 2020, as well as working alongside it to consolidate peace in the Great Lakes, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and other troubled spots. He qouted the age-old African word of wisdom stating “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together’.”

Conversely, Maged Abdelaziz, the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa observed that with the enormity of the ambitions contained in both Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, coupled with the accelerated timelines set for their achievement, calls for new partnership approaches in support of Africa’s efforts.

Maged noted that the key to successful implementation of the First 10-Year Implementation Plan for Agenda 2063 stresses the need to maximize partnerships, particularly in the areas of resource mobilization, technology transfer, and capacity building. Similarly, Goal 17 of the 2030 Agenda emphasizes on the need for revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development as critical for the achievement of its goals.

Meanwhile, other High Level participants included principals from UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), NEPAD and APRM.

The Presidency

Address by President Zuma on the occasion of celebrating 20 years of signing into law of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa

10 December 2016

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa,

Ministers and Deputy Ministers present

MECs, Executive Mayors,

Members of the national and provincial Legislatures,

Heads of Chapter 9 Institutions,

Traditional Leaders

Faith Based Organisations

Fellow South Africans,

 

Bagaetso Dumelang!

Sanibonani! Avhuxeni! Molweni!

 

We greet you all today as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the signing into law of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. We are marking this day under theme; ”Celebrating 20 years of the Constitution – transforming society and uniting the nation’’.

The Constitution is the birth certificate of the democratic South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the democratic South Africa. It commits us, individually and collectively, to build a nation based on the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom, through constitutionalism and the rule of law. 

 

It sets out how the state will be constituted and run. It outlines our rights and responsibilities as citizens and the creation of particular institutions to support and safeguard our democracy. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and all laws passed by parliament must be in line with the Constitution, in our constitutional democracy.

 

The constitution arose out of many hours and days of hard work by men and women who were members of the Constitution Drafting Committee of the then Constitutional Assembly, which was capably led by Deputy President Ramaphosa.

In much the same way that the Freedom Charter was drafted, the Constitution drafting process touched thousands of people across the length and breadth of South Africa, who were called upon to make their voices heard.

After two years of public consultation and much debate, the new Constitution was finally adopted on 08 May 1996 by an overwhelming 87 percent of the members of the Constitutional Assembly. Following adoption, the text was referred to the Constitutional Court for certification, which was done on 04 December 1996. 

 

President Mandela signed the Constitution into law on 10 December 1996. The Deputy President joined Madiba here in Sharpeville on the day for the signing ceremony. Madiba chose Sharpeville as the venue to symbolise the beginning of a new era. The people of Sharpeville suffered one of the most brutal atrocities of the apartheid era, when people were mercilessly killed in March 1960.

Today is also International Human Rights Day, commemorating the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

This year’s International Human Rights Day theme is “Stand up for someone’s rights today!”

Bakwethu

Namhlanje, sigubha iminyaka engamashumi amabili selokhu uMongameli Nelson Mandela asayinda khona umthethosisekelo omusha wezwe lakithi.

Lomthethosisekelo waqeda inqubo yobandlulo, waletha uhulumeni wentando yeningi. Abantu baseningizimu Afrika bazizwa bevikelekile kakhulu ngenxa yalomthethosisekelo, ngoba uvikela amalungelo abo.

The Constitution defines the structure of government. It outlines the division of South Africa into nine provinces, and establishes the structure of national, provincial and local spheres of government and the principles that govern the interaction between the spheres.

Importantly, our Constitution contains an important democratic principle called the separation of powers. That means that the power of the state is divided between three different but interdependent components or arms, namely the executive (Cabinet), the legislature (Parliament) and a single independent judiciary (Courts of law).

 

A key feature of the Constitution is a well-developed system of checks and balances. These include judicial review, the independent judiciary, legislative oversight over the executive and the establishment of Chapter 9 institutions, which are mandated to promote and protect various human rights. Our courts are trusted final arbiters in disputes in society.

To maintain this role, our judiciary needs to jealously guard its independence, impartiality, dignity, accessibility and effectiveness. Other arms of the state must support the judiciary to maintain this role. Access to justice continues to improve in the country.

Last month a new High Court was opened in Limpopo, thus ending the need for the people of Limpopo to travel to Gauteng to access high court services. Government continues to improve access to justice through services such as the increase in legal aid funding and supporting courts such as maintenance courts and small claims courts to help the vulnerable and poor access justice.

It is important to note that the three arms of the State continue to work together in a spirit of cooperation. Where problems arise, these are discussed and resolved. An important meeting took place last year at the Union Buildings to discuss problems in the working relations between the Executive and the Judiciary, for the first time ever in our democracy.

 

This was a very important signal that the system works, and that mechanisms exist to iron out any difficulties. There is ongoing work to implement the decisions of that meeting, led by Deputy President Ramaphosa.

 

The President hosted another meeting between the Judiciary, parliament and the Executive in Cape Town last year, to discuss working relations.

 

When the three arms function effectively and smoothly, the people benefit.

Parliament also continues to function effectively, with members of parliament conducting their oversight work over the government.

They ensure that government departments do what they are supposed to do in providing services to the people, and also that budgets are spent in line with the work that needs to be done.

The chapter 9 institutions include the Office of the Public Protector, Office of the Auditor-General, South African Human Rights Commission, Independent Electoral Commission, the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural Religious and Linguistic Communities and the Commission on Gender Equality.

The institutions are accountable to the National Assembly and have to report on their activities and the performance of their functions to the Assembly at least once a year.

We urge members of the public to use the Chapter 9 institutions to highlight any possible violations of their rights as stated in the Constitution. We also urge all arms of the state to support the Chapter 9 institutions in their work.

The checks and balances also include the Public Service Commission, which must be independent and impartial in the interest of the maintenance of effective and efficient public administration and a high standard of professional ethics in the public service. The Bill of Rights remains one of the fundamental features of our Constitution, affirming the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. 

 

One of its key features are the rights of assembly and association as well as the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media, which key cornerstones of our democracy.

 

The Bill of Rights also contains socio-economic rights, including rights to education, healthcare, social security or water and electricity. Much work has been done since 1994 to ensure the enjoyment of these rights to the people. Concrete steps have been taken since 1994, to remove the laws upon which institutionalised racial discrimination was based.

During the first ten years of democracy alone, seven hundred and eighty nine laws or amendments aimed at reconfiguring South African society were approved by Parliament. Government further introduced a new regulatory environment to promote black economic advancement and affirmative action, in order to reverse the legacy of racial discrimination in the workplace and the economy.

Laws promoting, amongst other, employment equity, broad-based black economic empowerment and the prevention of unfair discrimination were enacted to promote economic transformation. The dismantling of the legal framework of apartheid and the transformation of many state institutions has led to visible improvement of the socio-economic conditions of millions of people.

On food security, land reform and agrarian reform for instance, Government has distributed nearly eight million hectares of agricultural land to previously disadvantaged individuals against a targeted 24 million hectares. The implementation of the land reform programme continues, as part of ensuring redress and true reconciliation and healing.

 

Land restitution and reform is provided for in Section 25 of the Constitution. More efforts are being put into speeding up the land reform programme. Households are being supported to participate in subsistence farming in rural areas, while the development of agricultural parks is designed to promote a thriving agricultural economy.

Government continues to restore dignity through the provision of housing and quality basic services to our people. Over 3.7 million houses have been built since 1994. A lot more must still be done to upgrade informal settlements.

Government continues to build dams and other infrastructure, to extend water supply and sanitation to many families.

The rollout of electricity has increased in terms of the number of households. We have moved from 10 million in 2007 to 15.4 million with access to electricity, which is 91 percent.

Our Constitution enjoins us to educate our children and youth to become future leaders and proficient citizens. That is why Government has expanded access and improved the quality of education. There has been a steady increase in the overall matric pass rate to reach 71 per cent in 2015. We want to see more learners achieving bachelor passes in the year 2016.

Since 1994 we have almost doubled the number of students in Higher Education Institutions to close to a million students. Enrolments at Training and Vocational Education and Training Colleges stood at more than seven hundred thousand in 2014. In 1994 the figure was one hundred and fifty thousand. The doors of learning are being opened indeed.

Advances have been made towards building a healthy nation. South Africans now live longer with the average age being 62 years in 2014. More importantly, we have made dramatic inroads in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

 

Uhulumeni wentando yeningi ususindise izimpilo zabantu abaningi abaphila negciwane lesandulela ngculaza ngokubanika amaphilisi. Sikhuluma nje badlulile ezigidini ezintathu (3 million), abantu abathola ukwelashwa osekwenze izimpilo zabo zangcono, bakwazi nokusebenza.

Konke lokhu kwenziwa ukubakhona komthethosisekelo othi abantu badinga impilo engcono.

Umthethosisekelo uthi futhi abantu abampofu, ikakhulukazi izingane nabakhubazekile, abathole izibonelelo kuhulumeni. Beqile ezigidini ezingu 16 million abathola izibonelelo zezingane, ezabadala nezabakhubazekile. Lokhu kuyasiza ukuthi sixoshe indlala. 

Government still needs to reach children under the age of one and those living in remote areas and farms. Work continues to make South Africa safer for all. Police work round the clock to fight crime.

We thank members of the community who cooperate with the police and report crime. We also extend our gratitude to members of the public who do not engage in unacceptable behaviour such as buying stolen goods, which perpetuates crime.

Compatriots

The Constitution says we must heal the divisions of the past. In this regard, we all need to play our part in building a non-racial society. The recent reported displays of racism in the country indicate that more work must still be done to fight racism.

However, we should also acknowledge that a lot of progress has been made in promoting unity in our country. We will not allow a few racists to win the day and take us backwards. Further work is being done to promote a society free of all forms of discrimination.

Government is leading the process through finalising the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance for implementation, working with key stakeholders.

With regards to promoting gender equality, we are pleased that the Constitution has enabled us to advance more women in our society, with 42.5 per cent of women having been elected into legislative bodies in 2014.  

Work must continue steadily to achieve 50 percent, in recognition of the role women play in society and our own Constitution which enshrines non-sexism.

Today marks the end of the campaign of 16 days of activism of no violence against women. In this regard, we urge all of you to continue to be vigilant and promote safer homes, communities and workplaces for women, every day of the year. Women have a right to safety and security.

 

Fellow South Africans,

Our Constitution is our precious heritage.

It has been an excellent guide in the journey of building a new national democratic society in the past 20 years of its existence. Let us stand together as a united, sovereign, democratic state, and strengthen our efforts of building a nation free from poverty, inequality and unemployment, together.

It is my privilege and honour, on behalf of all arms of the state, to congratulate South Africans on this 20 year milestone! 

Long live the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa!

 

I thank you.

The Presidency