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8 June 2005

Questions
Mr P D N Maloyi African National Congress (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether the Freedom Charter is merely a pamphlet drawn up by a political party; if not, what is the position in this regard;

(2) whether it has been found that the rejection of the Charter by a section of the population over the years led to and enhanced more racist policies; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) to what extent does the vision expounded in the Freedom Charter inform government policies?
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REPLY:

(1) Madam Speaker, the Freedom Charter was not drawn up by a political party. It was produced by the people of South Africa from all classes, races and cultures. United in their diversity, they adopted the Freedom Charter in Kliptown on 26 June 1955, in which they eloquently articulated the kind of society they wanted to live in. The ANC thereafter adopted the Charter as its guiding document.
The Freedom Charter is therefore one of the most crucial political documents ever produced in our country.

It should be recognised and celebrated by all as a document that created the foundation for our non-racial, free and democratic South Africa and our Constitution. It is also through the Charter that political conditions were created for political tolerance and reconciliation in our country.

(2) It took almost 40 years from 1955 to 1994 for the aspirations of the Freedom Charter to be realised. In all these years the Charter was an illegal document in this country, and various oppressive laws and policies were passed by successive apartheid governments in total contradiction of the principles articulated in the Freedom Charter. They were threatened by the non-racialism it espoused, and by the call for the restoration of human rights to all the people of this land. We now have an opportunity to embrace the Charter as a foundation of our democracy, together as a united nation.

(3) The Freedom Charter envisages a society in which all people have a right to live where they choose; to be decently housed; to live in comfort and security; to have accessible quality health care, to have free, compulsory, universal and equal education, access to wealth and for our country to play a role in creating a better continent.

In the 11 years of our freedom we have worked hard to make this vision a reality and have achieved a lot, although much more still needs to be done. The Charter remains a living guide and inspiration, informing government’s policies and programmes.

Question No. 10

The Leader of the Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether, as leader of the Moral Regeneration Campaign, he intends investigating allegations that the ruling party received an R11 million advance from a state oil company (name furnished) through a black empowerment company (name also furnished), which in turn had invoiced the state oil company for a product that was never delivered, resulting in the taxpayers effectively paying twice for the same shipment; if not, (a) why not and (b) what are the implications for the credibility of the Moral Regeneration Campaign if allegations of government corruption are ignored; if so, what action has he taken or does he intend taking to reassure the taxpayers that their money is not being illegally diverted to a political party and that the moral fibre of the Government is setting an example for the citizens to follow;

(2) whether, as part of his investigation, he intends establishing if the ruling party abused its position to obtain an unfair financial advantage during the 2004 elections, if not, why not; if so, how does he intends to carry out this task?

REPLY:

Honourable member, the Moral Regeneration Movement is a partnership between government and civil society that is working towards promoting positive values in our society. It is not within its terms of reference for the Moral Regeneration Movement to investigate allegations of corruption. There are a number of existing state agencies which are tasked with this responsibility. The Honourable Member would therefore be advised to take this matter to these relevant agencies if he wishes for some kind of investigation to be carried out.

Question No. 11

Ms S Rajbally (MF) to ask the Deputy President:

Whether the Presidency intends undertaking any visits to India to create links with that country in the global effort to reduce poverty?

REPLY:

There are no visits currently being planned for that purpose. However, co-operation between India and South Africa, aimed at poverty reduction, is already taking place in terms of the Delhi Declaration which was signed during the State Visit to India by President Mbeki in October 2003.

In terms of the declaration, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership based on shared values, democracy, economic development with social justice and a just and equitable global order. It was specifically agreed that bilateral co-operation should contribute to the empowerment of the marginalised and disadvantaged citizens in both countries.

Furthermore, South Africa, together with India and Brazil established a forum for trilateral co-operation known as the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum or IBSA on 6 June 2003. In terms of this co- operation, priority is placed by the three governments on the promotion of social equity and inclusion, through the implementation of effective policies to fight hunger and poverty, to support family run farms, and to promote food security, health, social assistance, employment, education, human rights and environmental protection. The Forum seeks to share experiences in combating poverty, hunger and disease in all three countries.

As a strategic partner, India is also committed to contributing financially towards the implementation of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the realisation of the goals set.

It is our firm commitment as government to maintain ties of mutual benefit between our two countries in our global effort to reduce poverty.

Question No: 12

Ms L Jacobus (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) To what extent is the Government’s involvement in peace initiatives in Africa bringing about peace and stability on the continent;
(2) whether there are any threats militating against the desired outcomes in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

South Africa is strongly committed to finding African solutions to African problems. We are presently the tenth largest troop contributing country to the United Nations with a total of 2 325 South African National Defence Force members serving in three United Nations Peace Missions in Africa.

Our practical commitment to Peace goes beyond that endorsed by the United Nations. This is reflected by our involvement in the African Union mandated African Mission in Sudan with 320 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and 59 South African Police Service members deployed.

Our involvement in peace and stability goes beyond that of traditional Peacekeeping. Examples of this are our involvement in securing peace and stability in Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi and the Great Lakes region in general. It should be stressed that South Africa only involves itself in Peace talks and Peacekeeping operations at the direct request of the African Union or United Nations and follows the clear path of multilateralism.

It is not always easy to measure success in the short-term - within the parameters of Peacekeeping. This is also the case with regard to other tools utilised in the context of conflict resolution.

However, the greatest measure of success is the development of democracy and the various institutions that involve themselves in the democratic process. It is important to note that governments in Africa that come to power through unconstitutional means are no longer tolerated.

We are witnessing a strong growth of democracy and the democratic process, notably in countries that have previously been involved in conflict. This development is reflected by the fact that national elections will be held in some of the countries in transition this year. The elections began in Burundi this week with the first round, the communal elections, and are scheduled to take place as well in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d’Ivoire later in the year.

Issued by: The Presidency
8 June 2005