Application for Daily Allowance

Analysis of the 2015 State of the Nation Address and its implications for the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation

13 February 2015

1. Introduction

At the annual opening of Parliament, The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is an address to the nation by the President of the Republic of South Africa. The President addresses a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament, the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). It focuses on the current political and socio-economic state of the nation. The State of the Nation Address also allows the President of the Republic of South Africa to describe the government’s foreign policy imperatives. 1 From the State of the Nation Address, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (the Department) may have to make slight adjustments to its orientation during the financial year which will have implications on the oversight conducted by the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation (the Committee).

2. A reflection on the 2014 State of the Nation Addresses

2014 was a unique year in terms of the regular scheduling of the SONA. This is due to the fact that a State of the Nation Address is held at the opening of Parliament in February, and another was held following national elections that took place in May 2014. In the 2014 SONA held in February 2014, President Zuma focused on highlighting the historical narrative which shaped the country’s foreign policy, the prominence of Africa in South Africa’s foreign policy and discussing some of South Africa’s successes particularly in terms of climate change negotiations. President Zuma noted that “democratic South Africa’s foreign policy was shaped many decades ago during the fierce international campaign to isolate the apartheid state. ANC President Oliver Tambo played a key role in that regard, assisted by among others, the late Johnny Makatini, former head of International Affairs”.2

On the importance of Africa, President Zuma had noted that “Africa has remained at the centre of our foreign policy. We have worked hard to strengthen support for the African Union, SADC and all continental bodies whose purpose is to achieve peace and security. We have also prioritised the promotion of regional economic integration, infrastructure development, intra-African trade and sustainable development in the continent”.3

Expanding on this further, President Zuma noted that “this year we also submitted our third country report to the AU African Peer Review Mechanism which was well received”. On South Africa’s role regarding conflict resolution, President Zuma noted that “we continue to support peacemaking and conflict resolution. Progress is being made in negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan on

1 South African Government Information, (2011). 2 South African Government Online, (2014). 3 Ibid.

Research Unit | D. Madlala: (021) 403 8303 1 outstanding issues following the secession”. Adding to this, President Zuma informed the people of South Africa that “following requests from Sri Lanka and South Sudan for assistance in bringing about peace and reconciliation, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, has been appointed as South Africa’s Special Envoy to the two countries”. The President continued to state that “his expertise in conflict resolution and negotiations as well as our country’s experience in this regard, will greatly assist the two countries to resolve their problems”.4

President Zuma then shifted to South Africa’s strategic relationships, stating that “we will continue to strengthen relations with Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and countries in the South. Participation in international multilateral forums such as the G20 have been beneficial for the country. And joining the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) group in December 2010 counts as among the key achievements of the fourth administration”.5

Regarding South Africa’s perspective on global governance, President Zuma stated that “we will continue to serve diligently in the United Nations in promotion of strong international governance. We will also continue promoting the reform of the UN Security Council and global financial institutions”.6

President Jacob Zuma concluded his statement of South Africa’s International Relations priorities by discussing some of the country’s accomplishments. President Zuma stated that “it was also a great honour to host the Fifth BRICS Summit on 27 March 2013 in Durban, which saw the participation of African leaders to discuss developmental cooperation with BRICS”. President Zuma added that “as President of the COP17/CMP7 United Nations Climate Change conference which was hosted in Durban in 2011, South Africa successfully placed the world on an unassailable course, through the adoption of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action”.7

In the SONA that took place 17 June 2014, President Zuma focused on domestic priorities and emphasized that South Africa would build on the issues highlighted in the National Development Plan and the Presidency Twenty Year Review. President Zuma only touched briefly on areas of International Relations policy, by noting that Africa would remain a priority of South Africa's engagement in International Relations. President Zuma also noted as follows:  South Africa will continue to support regional and continental processes to respond to and resolve crises, promote peace and security, strengthen regional integration, significantly increase intra-African trade and champion sustainable development in Africa.  This will entail supporting and executing decisions of the African Union as well as the promotion of the work of its structures.  South Africa will also continue to promote South-South cooperation by utilising membership and engagements with formations and groupings of the South.

4 South African Government Online, (2014). 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 South African Government Online, (2014).

Research Unit | 2015 State of the Nation Analysis 2  Similarly South Africa will continue to promote mutually beneficial relations with countries of the North.  South Africa will continue to deepen economic development, trade, and investment partnerships with the BRICS through the work of the BRICS Contact Group for Economic and Trade Issues.8

3. An international Relations perspective on the 2015 State of the Nation Address

The 2015 SONA reflected on key aspects of International Relations that will require some attention from the Committee in terms of how it assess the Departments implementation of South Africa’s foreign policy. President Zuma stated that from this year, schools must also practise the African Union anthem, in preparation for the celebration of Africa month in May, as South Africa implements the African Union decision in this regard. 9 This further indicates South Africa’s commitment to the African Agenda and the vision for a future Africa embodied in Agenda 2063.

President Zuma noted that this SONA took place yet again during a difficult economic climate and reflected further that the IMF revised down to 3.5%, the GDP growth forecasts for global economic growth in 2015.10 This would undoubtedly have an impact South Africa’s potential growth during the year, thus giving further impetus to the increasing emphasis being placed by the Department on Economic Diplomacy.

Further reflecting on the important role that is played by Economic Diplomacy, President Zuma noted that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows that South Africa doubled its Foreign Direct Investment inflows to 88 billion rand in 2013 while 2014 projections are also positive.11

President Zuma raised concern that South Africa’s ambition of achieving a growth target of 5 per cent by 2019 is at risk, because of the slow global growth as well as domestic constraints in energy, skills, transport and logistics amongst others. 12

Energy security remains a critical focus area for South Africa. As such, President Zuma reflected on the long term energy master plan within which South Africa will pursue gas, petroleum, nuclear, hydropower and other sources as part of the energy mix. President Zuma noted that South Africa has signed Inter-Governmental Agreements and carried out vendor Parade workshops in which five countries came to present their proposals on nuclear energy. These included the United States of America, South Korea, Russia, France and China. President Zuma emphasized that all these countries will be engaged in a fair,

8 South African Government Online, (2014).

9 Presidency, (2015). 10 Ibid 11 Ibid 12 Presidency, (2015).

Research Unit | 2015 State of the Nation Analysis 3 transparent, and competitive procurement process to select a strategic partner or partners to undertake the nuclear build programme.13

With regards to hydro power, President Zuma noted that the Grand Inga Hydro-electrical Project partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo will generate over 48,000 megawatts of clean hydro-electricity. South Africa will have access to over 15,000 megawatts. For sustainability, Government will establish strategic partnerships for skills development with the countries that will partner with South Africa in the Energy Build Programme, while also generating skills locally. 14

During the 2015 SONA, President Zuma also discussed steps that will be taken by the government to deal with migration issues. President Zuma expressed that in order to attract foreign skills to the South African economy, the government plants to invite dialogue with various stakeholders on the Migration Policy. The government will also prioritise the review of visa regulations to strike a balance between national security and growth in tourism. 15 This is notable because migration policy and visa regulations have a direct bearing on the Consular Services provided by South African missions as well as the work conducted by South African diplomats in attracting tourists as well as Foreign Direct Investment to South Africa.

To conclude the 2015 SONA, President Zuma reflected directly on South Africa’s foreign policy priorities. President Zuma emphasized that to contribute to building a better Africa, South Africa continued to support peace and security and regional economic integration in the continent. As such, a number of key outcomes have resulted, namely:  The African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC), of which South Africa is a contributing and founding member has been operationalised.  The South African National Defence Force and SA Police Service continued to participate diligently in the conflict prevention and peacekeeping in the continent.  South Africa also continued to support conflict resolution initiatives in Lesotho, Sri Lanka and South Sudan, led by the Deputy President. 16

President Zuma then shifted to South-South cooperation by noting that economic cooperation with South Africa’s BRICS partners was strengthened when the first two intergovernmental agreements were concluded on the occasion of the sixth BRICS Summit. This was the Agreement on the New Development Bank and the Treaty Establishing a Contingent Reserve Arrangement.17

President Zuma then discussed the importance of South Africa’s North-South Dialogue by noting that countries of the developed North would remain important strategic partners for South Africa through which the country is able to advance its national and foreign policy.

13 Presidency, (2015). 14 Ibid 15 Presidency, (2015). 16 Ibid 17 Ibid

Research Unit | 2015 State of the Nation Analysis 4 President Zuma emphasized that South Africa has a valuable partnership with the European Union in amongst others, the infrastructure Investment Programme for South Africa valued at approximately R1.5 billion. The renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act beyond September 2015 and a pledge to support African-led peace initiatives in the continent are among the significant outcomes of the United States-Africa leadership Summit held in the US last year.18

President Zuma also touched briefly on South Africa’s policy of participating in institutions of global governance. In this regard, President Zuma stated that at a multilateral level, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations which brings into sharp focus the need to transform the UN Security Council and other international institutions. 19

President Zuma made mention of efforts to have national liberation heroes, Moses Kotane and JB Marks reburied in South Africa. In this regard, President Zuma thanked the government and people of the Russian Federation for looking after the remains of those liberation heroes with dignity for so many decades. 20 This can be a seen as a good example of the importance of South Africa’s bilateral relations and the need to further strengthen ties with our strategic partners in years to come.

4. Issues for Committee Consideration

1. President Zuma stated that from this year, schools must also practise the African Union anthem, in preparation for the celebration of Africa month in May. Will the department play a role in this regard, through the Public Diplomacy Branch of the Department?

2. President Zuma mentioned that the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act beyond September 2015 and a pledge to support African-led peace initiatives in the continent are among the significant outcomes of the United States-Africa leadership Summit held in the US last year. Can the Committee be provided with an update on these outcomes by the Department?

3. President Zuma noted that for sustainability, Government will establish strategic partnerships for skills development with the countries that will partner with South Africa in the Energy Build Programme. Will the Department be working with the Department of Energy in this regard?

4. President Zuma commented on the first two intergovernmental agreements were concluded on the occasion of the sixth BRICS Summit. This was the Agreement on the New Development Bank and the Treaty Establishing a Contingent Reserve Arrangement. When can these agreements be expected to be processed by Parliament?

18 Presidency, (2015). 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid.

Research Unit | 2015 State of the Nation Analysis 5 5. Conclusion

From the 2015 State of the Nation Address it can be concluded that holistically, there is little that will change in the priorities emphasised by the Department. The continuity regarding the foreign policy of South Africa will mean the Department is likely to continue on its current orientation and maintain the political priorities which are consistently reflected in the Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans of the Department. The Committee which is mandated to conduct oversight on the Department has the role of ensuring the successful implementation of foreign policy and the prioritisation of South Africa’s national interest. As such, the Committee will closely monitor whether the Department is fulfilling its mandate and achieving domestic priorities.

6. References

South African Government Online, (2014). State of the Nation Address by His Excellency Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of the Joint Sitting Of Parliament, Cape Town. Available from: http://www.gov.za/speeches/view.php?sid=43620 (Accessed 14 February 2014).

South Africa Government Online, (2014a). State of the Nation Address by His Excellency Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of the Joint Sitting of Parliament, Cape Town/ Available from: http://www.gov.za/speeches/view.php?sid=46120 (Accessed 18 June 2014).

The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, 2015. State of the Nation Address by His Excellency Jacob G Zuma on the occasion of the Joint Sitting of Parliament, Cape Town. Available from: http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=19024 (Accessed 13 February 2015).

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