Pretoria: South Africa has taken note of the negative remarks on South Africa attributed to Mr Guy Scott, the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia. In view of this development, the South African Government has decided to take the matter up through the appropriate diplomatic channels. Accordingly, we shall be summoning the High Commissioner of Zambia to South Africa to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to seek an explanation behind the remarks and what it means in the context of our bilateral relations.
Cape Town: When the OAU met at its Summit of the last Millennium in Algeria in July 1999, our leaders adopted the historic Algiers Declaration which observed that “The end of the Second Millennium represents for Africa, the demise of an era characterised by colonisation and its tragic trail of domination, plunder and negation of the African personality”. And that: “It is therefore with the most profound respect that we bow to the memory of all the martyrs of Africa whose supreme sacrifice has paved the way for the continent to regain its freedom and dignity.”
Geneva: Our countries [see listing of 74 states below] are deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. While this has been known since nuclear weapons were first developed and is reflected in various UN resolutions and multilateral instruments, it has not been at the core of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation deliberations for many years. Although it constitutes theraison d’être of the NPT, which cautions against the "devastation that would be visited upon all mankind by a nuclear war and the consequent need to make every effort to avert the danger of such a war and to take measures to safeguard the security of peoples", this issue has consistently been ignored in the discourse on nuclear weapons.
Pretoria: The South African Government has today, 23 April 2013, taken note of the postponement – yet again – in the case of Professor Cyril Karabus, who has been going through a prolonged court case in the United Arab Emirates since August 2012. The appeal case has now been postponed to 29 April 2013.
At the invitation of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Honourable Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa attended the renewed JBCC between South Africa and Lesotho in Pretoria from 17-18 April 2013.
South Africa and Norway co-chaired an international conference on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Oslo, Norway, on 15 and 16 April. The Conference gathered more than 200 participants from 84 countries of all regions of the world, representing UN Member States, UN staff, national and regional human rights experts as well as participants from civil society. the Conference was co-chaired by Mr. Jerry Matjila (South Africa) and Ms. Bente Angell-Hansen(Norway). Their summary of conclusions:
Pretoria: President Jacob Zuma will be undertaking a working visit to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria on 14-15 April 2013 for bilateral consultations with H.E. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The two countries enjoy close bilateral cooperation through the framework of the South Africa-Algeria Bi-National Commission of Cooperation (BNC), whose work is centred on the following key areas of interaction: quality of life and human resources; people to people relations; energy and infrastructure; natural resources; defence, safety and security, and trade.
The Third Session of the South Africa- Ethiopia Joint Ministerial Commission held its meeting in Durban on 28 March 2013, led by H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and H.E. Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Co-operation of the Republic of South Africa. Minister Nkoana-Mashabane opened the meeting, expressing her appreciation for the efforts made by both parties, following the signing of an Implementation Plan during the previous JMC, held in 2012. She further recalled the strong leadership role of former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, and expressed confidence that Prime Minister Ato HaileMariam Desalegn would continue his legacy.
Pretoria: At the invitation of His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, paid a State Visit to the Republic of South Africa from 25 to 26 March 2013. During his visit, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Zuma and met with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. The two sides applauded the phenomenal progress in bilateral relations which in the space of fifteen years has evolved from a Partnership to a Strategic Partnership and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Durban: It is indeed a momentous occasion for South Africa to host the Fifth BRICS Summit, the first time on African soil. The BRICS Summit process has its origins in the extraordinary vision of our founding Leaders who constituted this grouping at a time of global uncertainty and transition during the financial crisis. The dire need for providing additional impetus to global governance reform debates was recognized. The growing interdependence between nations of the world required joint efforts to address common challenges. Our Leaders urged us to establish this Forum out of recognition of the importance of ideas in the realization of the vision and objectives of BRICS.
