FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Twenty-five years ago, our new democratic Constitution came into effect. In adopting this Constitution, we affirmed our commitment to a society based on democratic values, social justice and human rights.
We were also making a complete break with our past. This was a past of race-based social engineering that manifested itself through influx control, job reservation, group areas and the dreaded dompas. When our forebears drafted the Freedom Charter in 1955, whose principles have been incorporated in our constitution, and declared that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, they were seeking a society free from ethnic chauvinism, tribalism, racism and sexism.
It is therefore deeply disturbing how the recent incidents of anti-foreigner sentiment in parts of the country echo our apartheid past.
We have seen people being stopped on the street by private citizens and being forced to produce identification to verify their immigration status. We have seen some political leaders making unscientific statements about immigrants to exploit people’s grievances for political gain.
We have seen marches being led on people’s homes and their dwellings raided for evidence of criminal activity. We have seen people being attacked, hurt and even killed because of how they looked or because they have a particular accent.
This was how the apartheid oppressors operated.
They said some people could only live in certain areas, operate certain businesses or take certain jobs. Under apartheid, black people were deemed suspects by default and stopped by police when found in so-called white areas. Black people were forced to produce a dompas and if they could not do so, they were jailed.
We cannot allow such injustices to happen again.
The events in the Gauteng township of Diepsloot last week were a tragedy. In the course of a single weekend, seven people were killed, sparking protests. This loss of life is deplorable, as is the killing of a fellow African from Zimbabwe allegedly at the hands of vigilantes.
Crime is a serious problem in this country. It affects all communities and people are justifiably tired of living in fear of criminals.
Contrary to what is claimed by some anti-immigration groupings and individuals, the perpetrators of crime are both black and white, male and female, foreigner and citizen.
Crime, not migrants, is the common enemy we must work together to defeat.
We cannot defeat crime through incitement, violence, intimidation and vigilantism aimed at foreign nationals, and specifically nationals from other African countries.
We acknowledge many communities are frustrated by the apparent inability of the police to deal with criminals. Among the measures we are taking to capacitate the police is the recruitment of an additional 12,000 additional police officers.
We are also re-establishing community policing forums (CPFs) across the country. These forums bring communities and police representatives together to improve local safety and hold police accountable. Communities need to work with the police by actively participating in CPFs and reporting suspected acts of criminality.
Even as we intensify our fight against crime, there is no justification for people taking the law into their own hands.
At the same time, we recognise that illegal migration poses a risk to South Africa’s security, stability and economic progress. Illegal migration affects service delivery and places additional burdens on essential services such as health care and education.
Like any sovereign nation, we have the right to implement policies and measures that guarantee the integrity of our borders, protect the rights of South Africans and provide that all who reside in our borders have a legal right to be here.
Controlling migration is the responsibility of government.
No private citizen may assume the role of immigration or law enforcement authorities by demanding that foreign nationals produce identification. Under Section 41 of the Immigration Act, only a police member or immigration officer can ask someone to identify themselves as a citizen, permanent resident or foreign national. If these officers believe, on reasonable grounds, that the person is in the country unlawfully, they may be detained while an investigation into their status is conducted. When doing so, law enforcement authorities must respect that person’s rights and dignity. They may not do so in a manner that is degrading or humiliating.
Enforcement of migration legislation is a priority for government. We are working to ensure that syndicates perpetrating immigration fraud in collusion with corrupt officials are brought to book. This year alone, several people implicated in passport fraud have been arrested.
No private citizen or group has the right to enter businesses and demand its owners produce proof that their businesses are registered or legal. This is the competence of municipal, provincial or national authorities, including inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour and the South African Revenue Service.
Like all other businesses, foreign-owned businesses must obey the relevant laws, including health and safety regulations, have all the required permits and licences, and pay the necessary taxes.
We are a democracy founded on the rule of law. Acts of lawlessness directed at foreign nationals, whether they are documented or undocumented, cannot be tolerated.
Attacking those we suspect of wrongdoing merely because they are a foreign national is not an act of patriotism. It is immoral, racist and criminal. In the end, it will lead to xenophobia, whose consequences we have lived through in previous years. We do not want to go back there because in the main the people of South Africa are not xenophobic.
I want to appeal to all South Africans, but particularly to younger South Africans who thankfully never experienced the true brutality and dehumanisation of apartheid. Let us not become like the ones who oppressed us, no matter how legitimate the grievance.
Let us work together to resolve our country’s challenges without resorting to violence or vigilantism. Let us resist those who want to exploit the problems of crime and unemployment for political gain.
Today, our anger may be directed at nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria or Pakistan. Tomorrow, our anger may be directed at each other.
Let us heed the words of Martin Niemöller’s famous poem about the Nazis in Germany:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Let us focus on defeating crime, no matter who commits it.
With best regards,
SOUTH AFRICAN STATEMENT AT THE 24TH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD-UNESCO
SOUTH AFRICAN STATEMENT
214TH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
UNESCO
4 April 2022
Chairperson of the Executive Board
President of the General Conference
Director-General
Distinguished Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a distinct honour and privilege for me to present this statement on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of South Africa.
One of the key outcomes of the 41st Session of the General Conference was the adoption of the Operational Strategy for Global Priority Africa for the period 2022 to 2029. The Strategy identifies five Flagship Programmes with objectives, activities, outputs and performance indicators, and we are looking forward to its rigorous implementation and monitoring across the various sectors. Importantly, more resources will be required from both the regular and extra-budgetary sources for the successful implementation of these programmes.
Madam Chairperson,
One of the flagship programmes of the Operational Strategy is Fostering Cultural Heritage and Capacity Development. As we are all aware, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, a universal instrument for the identification and protection of the world’s natural and cultural heritage that are of outstanding universal value. While much has been achieved in the past 50 years in implementing this Convention, much more still needs to be done, especially in regard to the African continent.
The persistent under-representation of Africa on the World Heritage List and conversely, its over-representation on the World Heritage List in Danger, calls for urgent attention. The Operational Strategy for Priority Africa highlights this challenge and identifies capacity building as one of the crucial activities to be undertaken to address this gap.
While we appreciate that the World Heritage Centre continues to train a number of African experts, there is a need to ensure that those experts are effectively utilised on the African Continent and beyond. In this regard, closer collaboration between the World Heritage Centre and regional institutions is necessary and encouraged, particularly with the African World Heritage Fund. We welcome the efforts of the new Director of the World Heritage Centre, Mr Eloundou-Assomo, to enhance this collaboration.
We furthermore believe that we should use the 50th Anniversary not only to reflect on the progress achieved over the past 50 years, but also to raise the level of ambition for the next 50 years. It is for this reason that South Africa has decided to host, in December of this year, the closing event to celebrate this significant milestone. We do hope that the Director-General will be able to grace this celebratory occasion.
Madam Chairperson,
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the cultural and creative industries sector, not only in South Africa but also on the African continent and beyond; reversing many of the gains made in the last two decades. In South Africa, the cultural and creative economy provides our communities, especially women and the youth, with a significant level of employment opportunities and contributes approximately three percent to our Gross Domestic Product. To address the challenges of unemployment and poverty now faced by those working in the creative industries, our government has embarked on numerous relief programs to assist these creative workers.
During the recent regional consultations on cultural policies for the African region in preparation for Mondiacult 2022, South Africa presented proposals for its consideration. Firstly, we highlighted the fact that Covid-19 has propelled the sector to speedily move towards the digitization of the creative industries economy. Secondly, we recognise the need to work together to create international demand for African cultural and creative work, and we should consider establishing a continent-wide export council for African cultural exports. This, in the long run, we believe will mitigate the impact of the pandemic and increase the demand and value of Africa’s cultural products.
In this regard, we commend the initiatives undertaken by UNESCO, under the leadership of the Assistant Director-General of Culture, in the creative industries sector. UNESCO undertook a mapping exercise of the African Film industry and together with Netflix, initiated a film project entitled “Folktales Reimagined”, to provide opportunities for African filmmakers to partner with film production companies. This is a perfect example of how the implementation of UNESCO’s projects can have a catalytic impact on cultural renewal and production at grassroots level, and where countries, cultures and communities can experience the brand of UNESCO more tangibly.
We are pleased to note that a similar, specialised mapping exercise has also been initiated focussing on designers in the African fashion industry, including South Africa, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast. We believe that if fully implemented, this initiative has the potential to facilitate the integration of the work of African fashion designers in the global fashion value chain. South Africa stands ready to partner with UNESCO in this regard.
Madam Chairperson,
COVID-19 has impacted the education sector and redefined the way teaching and learning takes place. Among others, digital tools are being utilised to bridge educational gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this has at the same time exposed and brought to the fore the digital divide between the connected and the unconnected, revealing just how far behind many are with access to digital technology. People without robust internet access are being left behind intellectually, academically and economically.
Although we are not yet certain of how much learning has been lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor how wide the gaps may be for disadvantaged children, we do know that learners from poorer countries have experienced a significantly higher loss of learning; that earlier grades were more susceptible to learning losses; that losses were higher for mathematics and reading; and, that girls were more affected. Previous gains made in achieving SDG4 have thus been negatively impacted.
We are therefore looking forward to the upcoming Transforming Education Summit to be hosted during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2022, as well as the Ministerial pre-Summit that will be hosted by UNESCO in June. It is crucial that the declarations of this Summit should commit member states to concrete plans and actions, including commitment on resources required to bridge the gap.
Madam Chairperson,
Global Priority Africa has highlighted the importance of higher and TVET education on the African continent and commits UNESCO to developing quality assurance instruments to support the capacities of national authorities to transform these institutions, and to improve the quality of qualifications.
South Africa has identified TVET colleges as key institutions to address youth unemployment by equipping young people with the competencies and skills which will enable them to thrive in the transforming economy. In this regard, South Africa has embarked on a process of remodelling and redesigning the curricula of its 50 TVET colleges with a particular focus on STEM. We welcome UNESCO’s continued partnership in this regard.
Madam Chairperson,
During the 41st session of the General Conference held in November 2021 the Recommendation on Open Science was unanimously adopted by States Parties. South Africa recognises the important role that the natural and social sciences sectors play in building equitable societies. As you will recall, South African researchers demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic the importance of sharing with global partners the results of their rigorous research and vitally important insights into the fast evolving virus. It is only when we advance international cooperation in science, technology and innovation that we can address the challenges that we all face today.
In this regard, South Africa is proud to host and fund the African Open Science Platform, a database which will provide access to research, policies, and technologies. If there is one thing we have learnt from the pandemic then it is the need and the urgency of sharing information. The Open Science Platform provides an opportunity to share scientific knowledge between governments, the private sector and the scientific community.
In December 2022 South Africa will host the World Science Forum with a theme “Science for social justice”, which demonstrates our desire to intentionally cross the divide between the natural and social sciences. The conference will discuss the important role of science in addressing social issues such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, climate change and global cooperation in the natural sciences sector. We welcome UNESCO’s role and participation in this conference.
With 2022 declared the International Year of Groundwater, we acknowledge the role that UNESCO is playing on the African continent and appreciates the important mapping exercise that is currently being undertaken on Africa’s groundwater resources. The availability of potable ground water is critical for Africa’s survival and development, especially given that much of the continent is water scarce or water stressed. It is therefore extremely important to develop responsive and impactful programmes in this sector. We were furthermore pleased that the 9th World Water Forum was recently hosted in Dakar, Senegal, the first time that an African country hosted this Forum.
In conclusion, Madam Chairperson,
As we move towards the end of the International Decade for People of African Descent, we must redouble our efforts to fight against the dual scourges of racism and related intolerances. As the Secretary General of the United Nations recently said, and I quote: “Racism plagues our world. It is abhorrent, it is ugly, and it is everywhere. We must reject it and condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification”.
It is for this reason that South Africa welcomes UNESCO’s Roadmap against Racism and Discrimination, pursuant to the General Conference Resolution 210 EX/Decision 5.I.B. We urge the Director-General to lead the efforts in putting anti-racism and anti-discrimination at the heart of UNESCO’s programmes.
I thank you.
Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo
SOUTH AFRICA’S STATEMENT AT THE SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF UNESCO
SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF UNESCO
SOUTH AFRICA’S STATEMENT
15 MARCH 2022
PARIS
Madam President,
Thank you for affording my Delegation the opportunity to reflect on the agenda item before us: the impact and consequences of the current situation in Ukraine in all aspects of UNESCO’s mandate.
Today we are reminded of the founding mission of UNESCO, an organisation that was established with a purpose to build the defences of peace in the minds of men. Our forebears, in their wisdom, and mindful of the devastation visited upon humanity by the Second World War, sought to build an international organisation that would pursue the objective of achieving peace through building trust between the peoples of the world, and breaking down the differences that have all too often led to conflicts and wars.
This conflict in Ukraine and many others that we continue to experience in different regions of the world challenge the very foundation upon which this organisation was established.
Madam President,
As stated during the emergency session of the UN General Assembly, South Africa remains deeply concerned about the violations of the UN Charter and international law; the loss of lives; the humanitarian crisis destruction of property, including heritage assets, disruption of education and the forced displacement of people as a result of the war in Ukraine.
We recognise that the conflict will no doubt result in human suffering and destruction, the effects of which will be deeply felt not only in Ukraine, but across the world. Already the global economy is negatively impacted with the increase in the prices of fuel and food.
It is for this reason, Madam President that South Africa has called on both Russia and Ukraine to find a diplomatic and political solution to the conflict.
We note on-going efforts by the parties to the conflict to give negotiations a chance in order to bring an end to the suffering experienced by the people of Ukraine and all those affected by the conflict.
We therefore call upon the international community to urge the two countries to intensify their negotiations in order to find a sustainable and comprehensive solution to the raging conflict and bring an end to the human suffering and destruction of property in Ukraine.
Our actions and decisions as UNESCO an organisation for peace, must lead to the creation of a constructive and conducive atmosphere for negotiations. UNESCO, whose mandate is to promote peace and harmony through education, culture, science, communication and information, has a heavier burden and duty to support the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Political and security issues should be handled by the relevant multilateral bodies, such as the United Nations Security Council.
Madam President,
The conflict in Ukraine has once more exposed the fault line that still persists in the world today: racism and related intolerances. We deplore the ill-treatment and discrimination of African citizens and students fleeing from the conflict in Ukraine and call on all the parties to ensure the free movement and protection of our citizens in line with international humanitarian law.
In this regard we wish to recall various decisions of the General Conference requesting the Director-General to strengthen UNESCO’s contribution to the fight against racism and related practices and to provide a detailed timeframe for the implementation of UNESCO’s roadmap against racism and discrimination.
Madam President,
In conclusion South Africa will not support any decision that does not foreground the call for a peaceful resolution of the Conflict in Ukraine.
I thank you.
Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday 28 March 2022
Last week we held our fourth South Africa Investment Conference as part of our ambitious drive to raise R1.2 trillion in new investment over five years.
The value of the investment commitments made at the conference was R332 billion, bringing the total value of commitments to date to R1.14 trillion. With just one year to go, we have now reached 95% of the target we set in 2018.
The Investment Conference was significant for several reasons.
Firstly, this was an impressive amount of investment commitments in the midst of a pandemic that has dampened the global investment climate for more than two years.
Such is the appetite of global investors for our economy that this year saw pledges from traditional trading partners in the European Union, United States, China and the United Kingdom, but also from Canada, Mauritius, Norway, Turkey and Pakistan. We also had funding pledges from the United Arab Emirates, where we are currently participating in Dubai Expo 2020.
Secondly, firms that already have a footprint in South Africa are increasing their existing investment commitments, signifying a renewed vote of confidence in our economy even at this difficult time.
The expansion plans of existing mining operations include an additional R10 billion investment by Anglo American, R11.8 billion by Impala Platinum, and R2.8 billion from Ivanhoe Mines to expand its Platreef mine in Limpopo. In the automotive sector, the Ford Motor Company has committed R16.4 billion to expand the manufacture of the next generation Ford Ranger, and there are commitments of R800 million by BMW and R350 million by Volkswagen.
Thirdly, the range of projects represented at this year’s conference illustrate the diversity of our economy and that potential investors see far more opportunity across several sectors than they did in previous years.
We have secured investment pledges in mainstay sectors like mining, agriculture and automotive, but also in renewable energy production, pharmaceuticals, clothing and textiles, infrastructure and logistics, telecoms and the digital economy.
Our creative industries have been given a major boost by multimillion rand investments in film and television production by the world’s largest media companies like Warner Media and Netflix. After nearly 15 years in the making, the eThekwini Film Studio in KwaZulu-Natal will soon become a reality following a R7.5 billion investment from Videovision Entertainment.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this year’s conference was marked by increased domestic investment, most notably from black industrialists.
Thanks to a concerted campaign by government, we are continuing to increase the participation of black industrialists in the nation’s economy. Over the last five years, some R32 billion has been invested in nearly 800 black industrialists and entrepreneurs through funding initiatives within the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, with close to 120,000 jobs either saved or created.
At this year’s conference, black industrialists made investment pledges in mining and steel production, automotive, component manufacturing, consumer goods, bulk fuel storage, and ship-building and repair in the Saldanha Industrial Development Zone.
Importantly, these investments are not confined to the traditional economic centres.
As the commitments turn into projects, they will create jobs and improve livelihoods not only in the cities and metros, but also in small towns and rural areas. This will spur the growth of local economies, leading to more opportunities and to the improvement of people’s quality of life.
As one of the CEOs at last week’s conference said, the truest measure of the success of these investments lies in the extent to which they give opportunity to every South African to realise their potential.
Since the first South Africa Investment conference in 2018, these investments have brought jobs, work and training opportunities all over the country, from data centres in the Western Cape to e-hailing services in Gauteng, from food and beverage production and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the Eastern Cape to mines in the North West and to factories around the country.
Delegates to the conference said that our reforms around energy, transport, telecommunications and immigration, and the progress of sectoral master plans, have improved investor confidence, as has government’s effort to increase private sector participation in our infrastructure build programme.
I am currently on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where we are making a case for investors in the Gulf and beyond to come invest in South Africa. Our pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 is showcasing not just our agricultural and tourism offerings, but also what we have to offer in manufacturing, defence, aerospace, e-mobility and many other areas.
Several investors in these foreign markets often express surprise at just how diverse the South African economy is and the range of opportunities that exist.
In what often appears to be a sea of bad news, we are encouraged by the diversity and extent of the investment commitments made at the 4th South Africa Investment Conference.
These investments – like those made at past conferences – are good for employment, good for transformation and good for the country.
With best regards,