Commemorating the Women's March of 1956
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August 2006 dfa NowYour voice to be heard Commemorating the Women’s March of 1956: President Thabo Mbeki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and members of the ANC Women’s League at the Union Buildings, Tshwane, 9 August 2006 Editorial Note Welcome to another informative issue. August is women’s month and in joining the million echoes salut- The DFA Now is an internal newsletter of Department ing all the great women of the world, the DFA Now has included of Foreign Affairs published by the Directorate: Content the following extract from a poem written & composed by: Mvuyo Development. Mhangwane entitled ‘To our liberation’s heroines’ in recognition of the unselfish contribution that women has and continue to make in Editor-in-Chief: Ronnie Mamoepa working for a better world - Amandla “the mighty Mbokodo!” Editor: ... Transport your memory to August 9th, 1956 Paseka Mokhethea Visualise the determined face of Lilian Masediba Ngoyi Acknowledge the gallant gait of Helen Joseph Editorial Committee: Applaud the resolve in Radima Moosa’s voice Genge, MP: (Acting) Chief Dir: Policy, Research & Analysis; What a formidable convoy of untouchable rocks? Khoza, G: Dir: Operations Centre; That sent shivers down apartheid’s evil heart Moloto, J: Dir: Office of the Deputy Minister; Rendering Strijdom and his brutal accomplices panic-stricken Dikweni, NL: Dir: Economic Policy and Programming; Mashabane, D: Dir Humanitarian Affairs; Laying a solid foundation for April 27th, 1994 Nompozolo, Mathu: Chief Dir Human Resources; You set a trend for nations to emulate Shongwe, LV: Dir: Office of the DG; Banished fallacies and myths about female powerlessness to the Malcomson, D: Dir NEPAD, ARF, Programme & grave Information Management; Mabhongo, X: Dir : United Nations; Mountains of accolades are due to you ... Malawana XL: Operational Services A NOTE OF THANKS: Design and Layout: Shaune van Wyk, Zimele Ngxongo The Department’s Change Management Committee (CMC) would like to take this opportunity to express its sincere appreciation of the support Pitures: Andrew Mohamed, Jacoline Prinsloo, Sanjay and commitment shown by all Department’s staff here at Head Office and Singh at our Missions abroad during the implementation of the change projects up to now. Please be informed that the success of projects like the new The views expressed in this newsletter do not security system and the new telephone system came about because of your valuable co-operation. The Committee hereby calls for your continued neccessarily reflect those of the DFA or the editors. support for other future projects of the Department. Because without you The deadline for contributiions is 11 September 2006. there would not be any measure of whether the project have brought about Contributions may be sent to cbe300 or mokhetheap@ the relevant positive change or not. foreign.gov.za Again, a big thank you to all the staff of the Department. All enquiries: Paseka @ Tel: (012) 351-1569 • Fax : (012) 351-1327 From the DG’s desk Colleagues will recall that the De- of staff that the Department has once institutions; the monitoring, evaluation partment closed its accounts for the again achieved an unqualified Audit and reporting of performance; certain financial year 2005/06 on 31 March Report, for 2005/06. This means that, technical matters relating to the African 2006. Since that time, Finance and in the opinion of the Auditor-General, Renaissance Fund; and certain proce- Human Resources have been hard at “the financial statements [of DFA] fairly dures within the ICT environment that work compiling and reconciling, total- present, in all material respects, the fi- are indeed being addressed within the ling and balancing, which for an organi- nancial position of the Department of current upgrade of systems and proc- sation as large as DFA, with 113 or so Foreign Affairs at 31 March 2006 and esses. However, the Auditor-General branch offices abroad and numerous the results of its operations and its cash noted that, in the ICT area, the Depart- foreign currencies to work with, is no flows for the year then ended, in accord- ment has made notable progress in ad- mean feat. The Department’s Annual ance with the modified cash basis of dressing some of the risk exposures. Financial Statements were duly sub- accounting determined by the National The Department will certainly be mitted to the Accountant-General and Treasury of South Africa, as described addressing these matters vigorously the Auditor-General by the deadline of in note 1.1 to the financial statements, in the current financial year in order to 31 May 2006. and in the manner required by the Pub- fulfil its obligations. It only remains for The Auditor-General has spent lic Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act me as the Director-General to thank the past two months auditing the fi- No. 1 of 1999).” each and every personnel member of nancial statements of the Department Without qualifying his opinion, the the Department and the Department’s for 2005/06. A great deal of pressure Auditor-General has nevertheless Internal Audit team for the effort, dili- was placed on officials of Finance and drawn attention to four matters, re- gence and dedication displayed daily Human Resources and indeed of the duced from the six matters emphasised while working to achieve DFA’s objec- whole Department to satisfy the many in the previous financial year. These tives in this scrupulous manner that questions of the Auditor-General and concern, broadly, the management of eventually earned the Department an his staff. It is indeed a great pleas- debt by the Department (both internal excellent ‘unqualified’ audit opinion and ure for me to inform all our members and as owed by other departments and the respect of the taxpayers. 2 DFA Now • August 2006 International relations President Thabo Mbeki with DRC President Joseph Kabila RSA/DRC Relations beyond the July 2006 Elections: Quo Vadis? The historic Presidential and General elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were held on 30 July 2006. These were historic elections in the sense that they were the first democratic elections in the history of that country in over forty years, since that country got independence on 30 June 1960. South Africa, in support of these elections, sent a 108-member National Observer Mission, to observe these historic elections. South African IEC also sent 128 Information Technology (IT) experts and logisticians, to support the DRC IEC in the 62 designated centres. This was over and above the comprehensive support the South African Government has offered to the DRC Transitional government since August 2004. CRITICAL CROSSROADS: SOUTH AFRICA AND THE DRC HERE ARE MORE parallels The DRC has also not been spared bat whereas close to four million others between South Africa and the from turbulent history. Since 1960, the have died as result of indirect conse- TDRC. Both are societies in DRC or Zaire as it was known then, has quences of the war. More have been transition from turbulent histories. The been subjected to decades of misrule, displaced internally and externally as DRC is at critical crossroads, South tyranny and rampant corruption under refugees in the neighbouring states. The Africa was caught up in way back in former Presidemt Mobutu Sese Seko, DRC is, therefore, a real and devastat- March 1994, before the historic demo- who was overthrown by Laurent Kabila ing tragedy to face the continent and the cratic elections that marked the ulti- in 1997. Upon seizing power, Kabila re- international community at large at the mate demise of apartheid and paved named Zaire the DRC. Kabila remained beginning of this millennium. way for the advent of our nascent de- in power until January 2001, when he mocracy. South Africa, after more than was assassinated. He then was re- Despite this troubled history, the a decade of Democracy is still very placed by his son Joseph who is still the DRC is potentially the strongest econ- much a society in transition, and deal- current President pending the outcome omy in the region. The DRC is a vast ing with daunting challenges, albeit of the elections. Since1997, the country country almost the size of Western Eu- of a different magnitude compared has been involved in the civil war that at rope. The DRC has a huge resource to those of the DRC. South Africa’s some point pitted Angola, Namibia and endowment including oil, diamond, traverse thus far remains impressive Zimbabwe against the neighbouring gold, copper and almost 80% reserves and can be salutary to the Congolese states of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. of the world’s coltan – contained in cell people. Over 300 000 people were killed in com- phones and laptops. Continue on pg 4 ... DFA Now • August 2006 International relations ... Continue from pg 3 BACKGROUND: WHY SOUTH AFRICA’S PROLONGED ENGAGEMENT IN THE DRC? Part of explanation to this question lies in the principles and goals of South Africa’s Foreign Policy since 1994. These can be collapsed mainly into three. These are: • Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy; • Economic Development; • The Promotion of Peace and Stability. Public Service and Administration, (DDR) processes; As explicated elsewhere in the Defence, the South African Police • Police: capacity building for DFA documents, South Africa’s en- Service, Home Affairs, Provincial the Congolese National Police gagement with the African content and Local Government, Transport, (PNC) focusing inter alia on VIP including the DRC is guided by the Trade and Industry, as well as the protection training as well as broader foreign policy objective of Independent Electoral Commis- crowd control consolidating the African Agenda. sion. Priority was given to critical • Transport: refurbishment of It within that broad context that areas of supporting governance airports as well as the railway South Africa, as is the case with structures, electoral support, se- lines; Burundi, Ivory Coast, Sudan, got curity sector reform, and electoral • Trade and Industry: involved in the DRC as well.