Jacob Zuma

Johannesburg: In the international balance of forces, we note a move towards a more multi-polar world. The West can no longer determine the global agenda, as there is a major shift accompanied by increasing economic and political power of countries of the South, especially those organised around Brazil, Russia, India, China and, recently, South Africa (BRICS). Also in the South, we have seen the resurgence of left parties and movements in Latin America who have largely rejected policies of neo-liberalism. These developments have opened more space for progressive alternatives than there has been since the end of the Cold War. But the balance of forces in favour of the progressive forces should not be exaggerated.

Cape Town:  Your visit has generated a lot of interest, excitement and optimism in our country, given the historical relations between Nigeria and South Africa. As we head towards celebrating 20 years of freedom next year, we remain highly appreciative of the solidarity that the South African liberation struggle and our people enjoyed from successive governments and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have a duty to take these historical relations further.

Algiers:  South Africa and Algeria called on fellow African nations to pay “greater attention” to the continent’s security issues, during a visit to Algiers by South African President Jacob Zuma. “We should devote more time to security issues in Africa,” Zuma told reporters after meeting his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika. “We are convinced that we, as Africans, should devote more time and greater attention to security issues in the continent, especially following the recent events in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic,” he added.

Pretoria:  We meet again, to reflect on our important task of strengthening friendship ties between South Africa and the world. We meet to reflect on our key foreign policy goal, to contribute to building a better Africa and a better world.  Our national hero and pioneer of our foreign relations perspective and strategy, former ANC President, Oliver Reginald Tambo, had this to say about our foreign relations perspective, in his address to the First Congress of the Angolan ruling party, the MPLA in Luanda in 1977.  He stated:  “We seek to live in peace with our neighbours and the peoples of the world in conditions of equality, mutual respect and equal advantage”.

Pretoria:  We humbly greet you all in the name of the fallen heroes of the South African National Defence Force.  We have gathered here to pay tribute to our young servicemen who were part of the South African National Defence Force contingent who lost their lives in combat last week. The attack on our base in the outskirts of the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, saw the loss of 13 young and brave men and resulted in the injury of 27.

Durban:  It is my honour and privilege to welcome you all to the warm African shores.  We meet here for the first BRICS Summit on African soil. Our fifth anniversary in the cradle of humankind completes the first cycle of BRICS Summits.  It is appropriate that we celebrate BRICS achievements, including our contributions to the further strengthening of the global agenda to ensure a more equitable and prosperous world for all.

Addis Ababa:  We are truly honoured to be among those invited to witness a potential turning point in the history of the DRC and the region. The signing of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region is yet another opportunity to comprehensively deal with the complexities facing the DRC and the region. This Framework in itself does not provide all the answers, it is an instrument that points the Government of the DRC, its immediate neighbours and the international community in a direction that will take this country out of the current morass.

Cape Town: This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Organization of African Unity which has been succeeded by the African Union. We pay tribute to the OAU for its relentless struggle for the decolonization of our continent, including contributing to our own freedom. We will continue to work for a stronger and more effective organization of our Union. The NEPAD programme as well as the African Peer Review Mechanism have just celebrated their tenth year of existence. As the convener of the NEPAD Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative, South Africa continues to work with other champions to implement high impact infrastructure projects in the continent.