EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH

Report by Mr Antonio Di Pietro, Chairman of the Delegation, for the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development, on the visit by the Delegation’s Bureau to

Johannesburg and Cape Town

30 January – 2 February 2005

Brussels, 7 February 2005 LMG/nal

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 1 PE 351.341 Introduction

The visit to South Africa by the delegation’s Bureau was part of the delegations’ work programme for 2005, adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 17 December 2004. Two delegations from the European Parliament visited South Africa during the last parliamentary term: the first visit was led by Mrs Miet Smet in 2001, and the second was led by Mr Gerard Collins in 2003, during which the Sixth EU-South Africa Interparliamentary Meeting was held.

On 17 November 2004, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr , addressed a formal sitting of the European Parliament. The Seventh EU-South Africa Interparliamentary Meeting is to take place this year.

Situation in South Africa

Since the first elections in April 1994, democracy has become more established in South Africa. The Constitution was adopted in February 1997, and the 1999 elections, in which 80 political parties took part, resulted in a second term for the African National Congress (ANC), this time led by Mr Thabo Mbeki, ’s former Vice-President.

Another general election was held on 14 April 2004, in which the ANC, once again led by President Mbeki, held onto power. The ANC won 70% of the vote and 279 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly. The Democratic Alliance (DA) won 12.37% of the vote and 50 seats, and the Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP), led by the charismatic Mangosuthu Buthelezi, won 6.97% of the vote and 28 seats. All those we spoke to thought that the elections had been fair, although the Head Whip of a Parliamentary group, from the DA, thought that there had been a certain amount of bias in the broadcast media in favour of the ruling party.

The New National Party (NNP), which previously stood for apartheid, won barely 1.65% of the vote and 7 seats. Mr , the NNP leader, recently announced that he would be joining the ANC. He is now Minister for the Environment. (In South Africa, there are two periods in each parliamentary term when a Member may cross the floor.) The ANC thus has an absolute majority in the parliament, meaning that the only possible threat to its domination would come from internal wrangling.

Democracy appears stable, although certain structural problems could weaken it: economic inequality and the existence of a dual economy, corruption, racism, unemployment and crime. The situation in neighbouring Zimbabwe and South Africa’s muted reaction to the occupation of land in that country have led to criticism of the Mbeki government from the international community, and a drop in the foreign investment so vital to the industrial development of the country.

Mr Mbeki’s new government, which took office on 27 April 2004, has promised to pursue reforms to boost democracy. Some progress has been made in establishing the rule of law, transparency and a multi-party system. However, corruption is still rife: in 2003.

In the past, President Mbeki has denied the link between AIDS and HIV. This brought strong criticism from the international community and claims that his stance was just an excuse for not addressing the problem by organising the mass distribution of anti-retroviral drugs such as Nevirapine, or mounting prevention campaigns at state level. Calculations show that 5.5 million

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 2 PE 351.341 people in South Africa (the total population in 2003 was 45.3 million) are HIV positive, and that almost 700 000 children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. According to the South African Medical Research Council, 25% of deaths in 2000 were caused by the disease.

Recent revelations by leaders including former President Nelson Mandela and Mangosuthu Buthelezi, head of the Inkhata Freedom Party, that members of their immediate families had died of AIDS have reopened the debate on the disease.

The aim of the macro-economic Growth, Employment and Redistribution Programme (GEAR), launched by former President Mandela, is to create jobs and boost economic growth through fiscal and monetary stability. The ANC government’s manifesto includes the privatisation of sectors such as transport, electricity, the arms industry and telecommunications. In the short term, this has not had a positive effect on jobs, for which the ANC has come in for criticism from some of its traditional allies such as the Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

The macro-economic effects on the economy have been significant, especially in terms of economic growth (around 3%) and combating inflation and public debt. However, this is clearly not enough to create the jobs required for the new generations entering the labour market, or to counter the current levels of structural unemployment, as growth in South Africa is much weaker than it is in Asia.

The average per capita income of USD 3 200 does not reflect the uneven distribution of wealth. The main challenge South Africa faces, therefore, remains that of combating imbalances in the distribution of wealth between whites and blacks, in spite of efforts over recent years to encourage black business activity in the economy. The disparity in the distribution of wealth is one of the largest in the world (Gini coefficient: 0.58). Fifty per cent of the population currently earns less than USD 2.5 per day. Poverty mainly affects the inhabitants of rural areas; its effects are felt along racial lines, and it is worse in households for which women alone are responsible. Forty-five per cent of the population lives in poverty – it affects 57.2% of blacks and coloureds and 2.1% of whites.

Finally, violence – particularly rape and murder – continues to be a nightmare for the government, as it seriously hampers the country’s ability to attract investment.

South Africa’s international role

On a regional level, South Africa has played a key role in the search for solutions to the various conflicts that have occurred in the Great Lakes region, Congo and Angola.

Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa are the countries most closely involved in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), the ambitious plan to generate development in Africa via democracy and good governance. However, the crisis in Zimbabwe has cast a large shadow over the viability of NEPAD.

South Africa is also an active member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Union, has special status under the Cotonou Agreement, and is the seat of the recently established African Parliament.

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 3 PE 351.341 Relations with the European Union

The European Union is South Africa’s most important strategic partner. Trade with the EU accounts for more than 40% of South Africa’s total trade. Politically, links with the EU and its Member States are solid and were forged in the days when the EU was lending its full support to the fight against apartheid.

This strategic partnership is reflected in the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA), which includes provisions on a free trade area, financial aid, development cooperation, the resolution of trade disputes, economic cooperation, social and cultural cooperation and political dialogue. The TDCA entered into force on 1 May 2004, after it was ratified by all the parties involved. Before ratification was complete, the provisions on development cooperation and trade had been provisionally applied since 1 January 2000. The review of the agreement – which must take place within five years of its entry into force – and the new financial perspectives will entail a rethink of South Africa-EU cooperation.

The TDCA includes two separate agreements on science and technology, and wines and spirits. The agreements regulating trade in wines and spirits were signed on 28 January 2002 and include aid to the tune of EUR 15 million to help restructure the sector in South Africa.

Negotiations on the chapter on fisheries reached an impasse when the South African side revealed it was not prepared to discuss access to its waters. Negotiations on the matter were suspended by mutual agreement.

The TDCA also set up a Cooperation Council between the EU and South Africa to ensure the smooth operation and proper application of the agreement, and to guarantee regular contact between the parties. To date, the Cooperation Council has met four times. In addition to close Community involvement, the Member States are heavily represented in South Africa, and most of them have set up bilateral aid programmes with the country.

Although South Africa is a party to the Cotonou Agreement, it does not benefit from the financial instruments or preferential trade arrangements of that agreement. EU development aid is provided through the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development and totals EUR 885.5 million for the period 2000 to 2006. South Africa also has a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank that amounts to EUR 120 million per year. The EU is thus the biggest donor to the country, providing aid equal to 1.5% of South Africa’s annual budget.

Those we spoke to told us that, especially at provincial level, there are coordination problems involving the financial management of projects.

Agricultural reform

The South African government has launched a major programme of agricultural reform, the key elements of which are as follows:

· Land restitution, in response to more than 65 000 requests from individuals and groups, which – it is hoped – will have been answered by December 2005. It will take the form of financial compensation (particularly for requests applying to urban areas) or the return of

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 4 PE 351.341 land, and will affect almost 3.5 million people whose families fell victim to the legislation of 19 June 1913.

· Redistribution and rural development. In 2000, the government promised to transfer 30% of the land involved before 2015. By 2001, redistribution projects involved one million hectares of land. (Many people believe that the effects of the government’s actions are too long-term.)

· Government mediation when there is an agreement between the buyer and the seller of land.

· Reform of the legislation on land ownership.

This programme has come in for criticism from several quarters for being too slow. This slowness is due firstly to a lack of funding, and secondly to the fact that the sale and distribution of land is done on a voluntary basis.

Meetings with members of the government

The delegation had several meetings with members of the government. With the Minister for Health, Mrs Mantombazana Edmie Tshabalala-Msimamg, different aspects and achievements of the government’s health policy were discussed. Comments made by the Minister in the past on the link between HIV and AIDS had been heavily criticised, especially by the European Parliament delegations that had visited South Africa during the previous parliamentary term. The Minister mentioned the sterling efforts made by President Mbeki’s first government to bring drinking water to every home in South Africa, and the major effects this was having in the fight against certain diseases. Priority projects for the current government include establishing national coverage for the drinking water and electricity networks, and establishing healthcare for all.

The Minister mentioned the training system for health professionals, emphasising that it was particularly worrying that qualified professionals were leaving South Africa for other countries, and that those who had studied abroad were not returning to South Africa at the end of their studies. She also pointed out that the SADC had adopted an agreement stipulating that South Africa would not employ health professionals from other member countries of the SADC.

Finally, she pointed out that the government’s main policy concern centres around strengthening the link between health and development.

Discussions with the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, focused on the role of South Africa within the region and the world, United Nations reform and updating the agreement between South Africa and the EU. Mr Pahad was particularly interested in the establishment and development of the EU’s regional policy, as it could stand as a model for the development of the most underdeveloped regions of South Africa, especially KwaZulu Natal, and Limpopo.

Touching upon current bilateral relations, Mr Pahad criticised the subsidies provided under the common agricultural policy. When informed of the reforms taking place in the sector, he, like many others we spoke to, called for deadlines to be set for the completion of such reforms.

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 5 PE 351.341 Meetings with Members of Parliament

The delegation was received by the heads of both Houses of the South African Parliament: the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs Baleka Mbete, and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu. With Mrs Mbete, Mr Mahlangu and other office-bearers from both Houses, discussions were held on the state of relations between the South African and European parliaments. It was agreed that efforts should be made to improve dialogue and look into whether it would be possible to include parliamentary dialogue in the next review of the agreement between South Africa and the EU, by setting up a joint parliamentary committee. In this context, our delegation suggested that a group of South African Members of Parliament should specialise in relations with the European Parliament by setting up an EU friendship group, for example.

There was also an interesting exchange of views on international current affairs, including the crisis in the Middle East and United Nations reform.

The delegation had separate meetings with ANC and DA members of various parliamentary committees.

During the meeting with ANC Members of Parliament – attended by members of the committees on foreign affairs, justice and constitutional affairs, economics and trade, health and industry – Mr Mbuelo Terence Goniwe, ANC Chief Whip in the National Assembly, expressed his thanks for the EU’s overwhelming support and for the European Parliament’s engagement in interparliamentary relations.

The MPs explained that once democracy and its related institutions were fully established, the next step would be to forge a more significant role for civil society in the lives of citizens. However, like others we spoke to, the MPs pointed out that it is difficult to get people interested in democracy ‘when their stomachs are empty’. All citizens must be able to benefit from economic growth, and there must be a fairer distribution of wealth. It will thus only be possible to establish full democracy if this process goes hand in hand with shared development and an out-and-out war on poverty. The MPs thus asked that EU aid be focused on avoiding and removing trade barriers, and on unfair competition caused by subsidies and restrictions to free trade. This plea was also made on behalf of neighbouring countries in the region, especially those countries whose exports rely on one main product.

There was also an interesting discussion about parliamentary experiences. The South African MPs described how difficult it was to work as a parliament in view of the dearth of human resources in both Houses. They also welcomed the fact that the EU had agreed to continue with the Legislature Support Programme.

As the official extension of the programme – the continuation of the previous parliamentary support programme – coincided with the delegation’s visit, members of the delegation took part in the official presentation ceremony. The aim of the programme is to provide technical aid and more staff in order to help South African MPs carry out parliamentary work more easily, with more access to research.

The first programme started in 1996. EUR 10 million is earmarked for the second phase of the project, which will be of benefit to both the National Assembly and the National Council of

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 6 PE 351.341 Provinces. The programme also aims to foster relations between Members of the two Houses of Parliament and civil society.

The meeting with the Democratic Alliance Whip, Mr Gibson, touched upon the good level of cooperation with European Members of Parliament at the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. This could be seen particularly clearly in the good relations with Europe’s Liberal parties, especially those in Germany and the UK. As it had done in its meeting with representatives of the ANC, the delegation drew attention to the need to kick-start interparliamentary dialogue which, on the last few occasions, had taken place only in Europe, in spite of an agreement stipulating that meetings should take place on an annual basis, and that such meetings should be held alternately in Europe and South Africa.

On South African politics, Mr Gibson voiced his concern at the one-party situation in the country. This meant that it was easy for the government to have all its projects adopted in both Houses of Parliament. The fact that members of the opposition – especially those from the New National Party – had crossed the floor to join the ANC meant that the role of the opposition had been reduced to that of a mere spectator.

He also criticised the government’s reform of the labour law, which he believed was not suitable for a country with such a high rate of unemployment. He also pointed to the shortcomings of the education system that resulted in a poor standard of teaching, meaning that young people entering the labour market were not sufficiently qualified to obtain long-term, high-quality jobs.

On United Nations reform, he pointed out that his party fully backed the government in its quest to make South Africa a member of the Security Council.

With regard to future elections, as young people who had not experienced the apartheid regime reached voting age, the ANC would lose the political capital it had gained during the fight for freedom. At the last general election, some would-be first-time voters failed to register, meaning that rates of abstention were higher.

Other meetings

The delegation also visited other EU-funded projects related to health and the protection of women against gender-based violence. It was disappointing to see that, despite major Community funding, there were no distinct signs of the EU’s involvement in – or contribution to – the projects.

The delegation took part in the launch of the Civil Society Advocacy Programme, for which the EU is providing funding to the tune of EUR 10 million. The aim of the programme is to promote constitutional democracy by providing civil society with relevant information about the institutions – listed in Chapter IX of the Constitution – that govern its participation in political life. The programme will aim in particular to ensure that those in rural communities are aware of their constitutional, democratic and socio-economic rights, and how to protect them. It will focus in particular on the poorest provinces, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

The Commission on Gender Equality, the South African Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman’s Office will all take part in the programme.

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 7 PE 351.341 The delegation visited the Reproductive Health and HIV Research Programme in Soweto. This project studies reproductive health and the improvements required. It focuses primarily on HIV/AIDS – including transmission and prevention, maternal health, abortion and contraception. There was also an interesting presentation that mentioned research involving microbicides – which, in terms of social acceptance, will be an easy alternative to introduce because they are used by women – and the lack of progress made regarding research into vaccines.

The delegation was also told that improving public health will involve overcoming a number of problems relating to the fact that those most affected have little hope for the future. Unemployment, poverty, poor-quality food and insecurity are at the root of this hopelessness. A study that focused on a community of 12 000 men and 10 000 women found that 77% saw their community as insecure, and 12% of the women had experienced sexual violence.

There was also a meeting with the leaders of the Themba Lesizwe Project in Cape Town, involving 12 NGOs whose activities focus on helping women and children who have suffered domestic or social violence of a physical or psychological nature. The support provided is psychological and legal, rather than medical.

The delegation was particularly interested in the project, especially in view of the fact that 149 rapes are reported every day in South Africa. The delegation also ascertained the considerable bureaucratic difficulties, encountered by both NGOs and the Commission delegation, in the application of the complex rules envisaged on the European side for the approval and financing of projects on the ground. One of the consequences of the new financial regulation is that in practice, given the complicated implementation of the tendering procedures by the Commission, the latter tends to entrust the management of funding to a restricted number of small organisations. These are then used as an ‘umbrella’ for the distribution of the financial resources to various projects, which are in turn carried out by other small organisations. In this way, the Commission both loses the opportunity of directly choosing small projects worthy of European support and obliges the various NGOs involved to take on a particularly onerous administrative workload, not least because there is no direct contact with the Commission. Furthermore, delegating the management of the smaller projects to umbrella organisations is likely to undermine the visibility of the European funding in them.

Finally, at a dinner with the Foundation for Human Rights, the delegation’s chairman, Antonio Di Pietro, presented a report on the value of the new South Africa and European constitutions and the need to develop international judicial cooperation.

Conclusion

Since its creation, the Delegation for Relations with South Africa has taken part in six interparliamentary meetings with South African MPs, but most of these have taken place in Europe, despite the fact that it had been agreed to alternate the meeting place between Europe and South Africa.

The last European Parliament elections were held in June 2004, and the last South African general election was held in April 2004. This means that the meeting took place at an appropriate time to consolidate and kick start relations. This was the main objective of the visit, which took place two months after the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, addressed the European Parliament in November 2004.

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 8 PE 351.341 South African and European parliamentarians agreed to re-establish yearly meetings. It was suggested that the next interparliamentary meeting be held in October, in Brussels or Strasbourg. This meeting had already been included in the delegations’ work programme adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 17 Dec 2004.

In addition to meetings with members of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, the delegation also met members of the government, although this did not include the President of the Republic. Matters discussed with members of the government included cooperation between South Africa and the EU, and assessment of the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement. Both sides agreed that institutional interparliamentary dialogue should be included in the agreement.

The delegation also attended the launch of two major EU-funded projects. The first involves parliamentary assistance, and is the continuation of a previous programme, although it has been adapted to take account of the new circumstances with regard to the development of democracy in the country. The programme will focus on contact with the citizens.

The aim of the second project is to encourage civil society to take part in the democratic life of the country by providing more information to citizens about their rights and the legal ways of protecting them.

Finally, it was agreed at the meetings with the Chairs of both South African Parliamentary Chambers to exchange information on regular basis between both parliaments, specially information on issues concerning the development and implementation of the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement.

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 9 PE 351.341 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH SOUTH AFRICA

Bureau visit to South Africa

30 January - 3 February 2005

JOHANNESBURG - CAPE TOWN

Participants list

Members Group Country

Mr Antonio DI PIETRO, Chairman ALDE Italy · Committee on Legal Affairs

Mr Sergio MARQUES. 2nd Vice-chair PPE-DE Portugal · Committee on Regional Development

EPP-ED Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats PES Group of the Party of European Socialists ALDE Group of the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals of Europe

Secretariat

Mr Luis MARTINEZ GUILLEN Administrator Ms Nekane AZPIRI LEJARDI Secretariat

Political Groups

Mr Mr Niccolo RINALDI Advisor ALDE Group

Interpreters

Ms Livia RIBOLDI Italian booth Ms Anna Lisa VENTURI Italian booth Ms Lisa RONCONNI English booth

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 10 PE 351.341 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH SOUTH AFRICA

Visit of the Bureau of the Delegation

30 January - 2 February

JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN

1.1.1. PRELIMARY DRAFT PROGRAMME

Individual arrivals of Members in Johannesburg, and transfer to the hotel Hilton Hotel 138 Rivonia Road Sandton Johannesburg Tel: 27 11 322 1550 Fax: 2711 322 1818

Saturday 29 January 2005

Arrivals in Johannesburg and transfer to Hilton Hotel

Sunday 30 January 2005

Arrivals in Johannesburg and transfer to Hilton Hotel

17h30 Depart to a 17h30 Meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz PAHAD

at the EC Ambassador’s Residence 249 Aquila Street Waterkloof Pretoria Tel: 27 12 347 0929

19h30-21h30 Dinner hosted by the Mr. Lake, Head of the European Commission Delegation to South Africa at Residence:

249 Aquila Street Waterkloof EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 11 PE 351.341 Pretoria Tel: 27 12 347 0929

Monday 31 January 2005

Check-out and departure from the hotel for Baragwanath Hospital 1.2. 08h30

9h30-11h30 Visit to budget line AIDS project at Baragwanath Hospital, tour & Briefing Purpose of the visit: To hear of the work being undertaken by the project focussing on contributing factors to the spread of the disease (concurrent sexual partners, high STI levels, migration of labour, etc.) and the interventions planned and underway to address these

11h30 Drive to Nelson Mandela & Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s home

12h15 Drive to Constitution Hill

Visit to Constitution Hill 13h00-13h30 · Launch: Civil Society Advocacy Prog 13h30-14h30 · Lunch 14h30-15h30 · Tour with Justice Albie Sachs

Purpose of visit The Civil Society Advocacy Programme is a 10 Million Euro initiative intended to bridge the gap between civil society and the constitutionally created institutions designated to protect both first generation rights and socie-economic rights. The launch at Constitutional Hill is significant as each of the institutions (Human Rights Commission, Commission for Gender Equality and Office of the Public Protectors) will or has opened an office at the Constitutional Court complex set in inner-city Johannesburg. Some 100 stakeholders, from Judges to human rights activists shall be invited to attend. The tour of the Constitutional hill area includes the court and the prison where political prisoners were held in the past and will be conducted by a well known Judge and human rights activist.

15h45 Departure for Johannesburg International Airport (arrival approx. 16h45)

18h10-20h10 Flight SA363 to Cape Town

21h10 Arrival of the delegation in Cape Town, and transfer to the hotel: (hired cars and drivers to be waiting at airport to transfer to:)

Arabella Sheraton 1 Lower Long Street EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 12 PE 351.341 Cape Town Tel: 27 21 412 9999 Fax: 27 21 412 9001

1.3. Tuesday 1 February 2005

09h00-22h00 Possible activities for the day (Cape Town)

· Meetings with Ministers (Health, Foreign Affairs, Finance, etc.)

Parliament will be in recessions at that time and it is expected that most parliamentarians will be at their constituencies or travelling in the week prior to the Opening of Parliament and the President’s State of the nation Address. However, we shall try to set up further meetings with relevant Portfolio Committee Chairs.

08h00 – 09h30 Working Breakfast Meeting with ANC Chief Whip – Mbulelo Terence GUNIWE - Members of the Foreign Affairs, Justice and Constitutional, Economy, and Commerce Committees were also present - at Arabella Sheraton private breakfast room “The Chefs Table”

09h45 Depart for Saartjie Baartman Centre

10h00 – 11h30 Themba Lesizwe project visit - Saartjie Baartman Centre

Purpose of the visit: Themba Lesizwe is an EU funded network that supports work in the field of victim empowerment which is of great importance in a country such as SA where violent crime and abuse of women is exceptionally high. The Sara Bartman Centre in Cape Town is an affiliated organisation that has benefited from funding. The Centre houses abused women and their children, providing a one-stop model of care (police, home affairs, medical assistance, counselling, etc.) which stands above many other centres in that it also assists women in skills development and job placements to enable them to move forward with independent lives, thus breaking the cycle of violence.

12h30 Lunch & briefing - Five Flies restaurant - private room for briefing with MEC for Health & Superintendent General of the Western Cape over lunch – a la carte menu.

14 – 16 Keerom Street (Natalie) Cape Town T) 27 21 424 4442

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 13 PE 351.341 14h00 Depart for visit to Kyalitsha

14h30 – 15h30 Partnerships for Primary Health Care visit to Kyalitsha

Purpose of proposed visit: To view at first hand the difficulties of providing comprehensive primary health care in poor and marginalised communities

16h00 – 18h15 Meeting with Minister of Health, Mrs Mantombazana Edmie TSHABALALA-MSIMAMG

18h30 Depart hotel for FHR cocktails and Dinner

19h00 – 20h00 Cocktails with Foundation for Human Rights Granger Bay Beach Road Mouille Point +27 +21 440 5700

20h00 – 22h00 FHR Dinner with activists at Cape Technikon Hotel School Granger Bay Beach Road Mouille Point +27 +21 440 5700 Purpose of proposed meeting The Foundation for Human Rights is the premier grant-making institution in its field in South Africa. The FHR is now in its second programme of EC assistance and targets particularly rural and vulnerable groups in society for support as well as conducting research and supporting public interest litigation which is a growing, albeit contentious, mechanism to access to justice in South Africa. The FHR will invite key stakeholders from the human rights sector such as Judges, Ministers, Academics and Activists to the lunch to enable the visiting delegation to discuss the key issues in South African society with front-line actors. The FHR will also show a 10 minute video presentation of their work.

1.4. Wednesday 2 February 2005

08h00-09h30 Working Breakfast with "Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Mr GIBSON, at Arabella Sheraton private breakfast room “The Chefs Table”

09h30 Depart for Parliament

10h00 - 14h00 Visit Parliament

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 14 PE 351.341 10h00 - 11h00 Meeting with the "Legislature Support Programme" managers 11h00-12h15 Meeting jointly with Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Baleka MBETE and Chairperson of National Council of Provinces, Mr Mninwa Johannes MAHLANGU

12h00-12h45 Launch of LSP (speeches by Speaker, Chair of EP delegatioon, Deputy Secretary of Parliament Mr M Coetzee and M Lake)

13h00 – 14h00 Finger lunch at Parliament Purpose of visit: As per the request of the visiting EPs, meetings have been requested with the Speakers of both houses (Speaker of NCOP passed sway late last year therefore Deputy Speaker has been contacted, Deputy has since been made Speaker). These meeting will be followed with a brief presentation by Parliament of its past and present programmes of support funded by the EC, including gains made and challenges that remain. The latest programme, the "Legislature Support Programme" (LSP) began in mid-2004 and the occasion of the visit by the Bureau members has been deemed opportune in order to formally launch the LSP at Parliament.

1.5. p.m. 1.6. Departures from Cape Town

1.7. 1.8.

1.9.

1.10.

DELE/nal 2.2.2005

EPADES\DELE\D-ZA\CR\555477\EN 15 PE 351.341