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President Thabo Mbeki accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Public Enterprises, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Jeff Radebe respectively, will today, Wednesday, 2 July 2003, conclude a three-day state visit to Jamaica with an address to the Caribbean Regional Economic Community, Caricom, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union.

This will be the second time that a South African Head of State is invited to address Caricom, with former President Nelson Mandela having been the first to address the regional economic community.

President Mbeki today, Wednesday, 2 July 2003, held further bilateral discussions with his Caricom Heads of Government counterparts, from the Bahamas, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, Chile and Belize with a view to boosting bilateral political, economic and cultural relations between South Africa and Jamaica on the one hand and South Africa and the Caricom on the other.

During the visit, the President and his delegation paid homage to Marcus Garvey; visited the National Heroes Monument and Mandela Park. The President was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Kingston before addressing the Faculty of Sciences at the local university.

President Mbeki and his delegation will return back to South Africa on Thursday, 3 July 2003.

For more information, contact:
* Ronnie Mamoepa at 082 990 4853
* David Hlabane at 082 561 9428 or
* Nomfanelo Kota at 2782 377 7208

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs, 2 July 2003.