Issue 267 | 24 March 2017 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ SOUTH AFRICA CONDEMNS THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM The South African Government condemns in the strongest terms terrorist attacks in any form and from whichever quarter. The South African Government joins the international community in strongly condemning the cowardly terrorist attack that took place at the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament in London on 22 March 2017, which resulted in the deaths of several people, leaving scores injured. On behalf of the Government and the people of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma has extended his heartfelt condolences to the Government and the people of the UK and other affected nations, in particular the families and loved ones of the deceased, and wished the injured speedy recoveries. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s Consular Services division is in contact with the South African Embassy in London following the attacks and has confirmed that no South African citizens have been affected. ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ PRESIDENT ZUMA HONOURS BIKO, TAMBO ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY President Jacob Zuma has paid tribute to South Africa’s national heroes who fought for the country’s liberation during the Human Rights Day celebrations, on 21 March. Speaking in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape where this year’s Human Rights Day was commemorated, President Zuma heaped praise on anti- apartheid activist Steve Biko and stalwart Oliver Tambo, among others, who he described as selfless leaders who fought for the human rights and dignity of all South Africans. Other speakers at the event included the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, as well as Eastern Cape Premier, Phumulo Masualle. This year marks 40 years since Biko died while in detention in police cells in Pretoria in 1977. Tambo would have been 100 years this year, had he lived. He died in 1993 on the eve of South Africa’s free democratic elections. The theme of Human Rights Day this year was: “The Year of OR Tambo: Unity in Action in Advancing Human Rights”. “The marking of this day was born out of huge sacrifices made by brave men and women who fought for freedom in the face of extreme brutality by the apartheid regime,” President Zuma told thousands of people who attended the event. “Our country now enjoys a stable constitutional democracy where everyone is entitled to equal human rights because of the sacrifices of the people of Sharpeville, Langa, Soweto, KwaMashu, Tzaneen, Zeerust, Giyani and many other parts of our country,” said President Zuma. Earlier in the day, the President, accompanied by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, visited the Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance where President Zuma laid wreaths at Biko’s grave. In an emotional ceremony, President Zuma, joined by Nontsikelelo Biko, the widow of Steve Biko, unveiled and handed over the Biko monument to the family. The handover marks the launch of the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Black Consciousness Movement leader’s death. President Zuma also announced that in September, the month of Biko’s tragic death, government would join the family, AZAPO and the Black Consciousness Movement in commemorating his life and contribution to South Africa’s liberation. Source: – SAnews.gov.za ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ PRESIDENT ZUMA ATTENDS SADC EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT IN SWAZILAND The summit discussed, among other things, the Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration: Industrialisation and Regional Economic Integration. President Jacob Zuma attended the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government that took place on 18 March 2017, in Swaziland. The summit further discussed, among other things, food security following the armyworm outbreak currently affecting crop production and food security in the region. The regional bloc leaders also discussed the request from the Union of Comoros and the Republic of Burundi to join the SADC. President Zuma also, on 17 March 2017, participated in the SADC Double Troika Summit, which was convened to receive and discuss a progress report on the implementation of SADC decisions in relation to the political situation in the Kingdom of Lesotho as well as an update on the political and security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In his capacity as SADC Facilitator in Lesotho, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a report to the summit on the Kingdom of Lesotho. The extraordinary summit was preceded by the SADC Council of Ministers’ Meeting and the SADC Ministerial Retreat under the theme “The SADC We Want”. On the SADC Ministerial Retreat, deliberations focussed on three thematic areas: SADC Vision progress, challenges and prospects; SADC’s institutional capacity to deliver on its mandate; and resource mobilisation. ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ PRESIDENT ZUMA LAUNCHES INVEST SOUTH AFRICA ONE STOP SHOP The President formally announced InvestSA in the State of the Nation Address and also informed business leaders in February 2016. President Jacob Zuma on Friday, on 17 March 2017, officially launched the Invest South Africa One Stop Shop (Invest SA OSS) at the offices of the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria, which has been established to improve the ease of doing business in South Africa. Businesspeople had informed government on many occasions of the difficulties and delays they incurred when having to move from one department or institution to another to obtain licences and other services. The groundbreaking and enabling programme will enable investors to use one centre to obtain services and to shorten and simplify administrative procedures and guidelines for the issuance of business approvals, permits and licences. This should help remove bottlenecks faced by investors in establishing and running businesses in the country. The Invest SA OSS will further serve to coordinate provincial OSS investment centres, incorporating the special economic zones, provincial investment agencies, local authorities and the relevant government departments involved in regulatory, registration, permits and licensing matters. Last year, the President established an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Investment where the President, Deputy President and ministers whose departments provided enabling services for investors, came together to discuss ways of improving the way the services are provided so as to ease delays and frustrations for investors. ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ AMBASSADOR SETLHAPELO’S PASSING A LOSS TO THE COUNTRY The passing of South Africa's Ambassador to Eritrea, Roy Setlhapelo, has been described as a great loss to the country. These are the sentiments shared by his family and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The 62-year-old Ambassador Setlhapelo died at a Pretoria hospital on 20 March, after a succumbing to a brain tumour. Oabilwe Roy “Tiny” Setlhapelo was born on 20 March 1955 in Alexandra Township. He was the seventh-born child of Isaac Mocuminyane and Jerminah Dijeng Setlhapelo. He completed his Matric at Orlando West High School, Soweto. He was part of the 16 June 1976 Soweto Student Uprising and subsequently went into exile, where he joined the African National Congress and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and assumed the nom de guerre, Maxwell Ganya. As a section commander in Platoon 1 of Company 2 in MK’s June 16 Detachment, he underwent military training in Angola, Odessa (Ukraine), the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Zambia. During his time in exile, he completed his Bachelors and Master’s of Arts degrees in History from the JATE University in Szeged, Hungary, in 1992. Shortly after his return to South Africa, he joined the then Department of Foreign Affairs in 1995, and completed, among others, a Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham, Graduate School, United Kingdom. He also completed special courses at the South African Institute of Foreign Service, the Institute of Public Administration of Dublin, Ireland, and the Executive Development Programme of the Bangalore Institute of Management in India. His diplomatic career at DIRCO included Deputy Director of the European Union (EU) Desk; Counsellor at the South African Mission to the EU in Brussels, Belgium; Director of the South African Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, where he was awarded a Category A Merit Award for excellent service rendered; Counsellor and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the South African Embassy in Havana, Cuba; Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the South African Embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay; and Chargé d’Affaires and Head of Mission at the South African Embassy in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. In 2011, he was appointed Director for the Levant in the Middle East Branch. In June 2016, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the South African Embassy to the State of Eritrea. He met his untimely death on 20 March 2017, after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Eva; sons, Kgomotso and Karabo; and grandson, Kitso; as well as five siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. DIRCO’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, says they're devastated by his death. "We are all devastated, and his Excellency Ambassador