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20 April 2009

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sibusiso Ndebele officially welcomed former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Durban International Airport earlier today Monday, 20 April 2009.

Obasanjo arrived in KwaZulu-Natal, as part of the Election Observer Mission, for South Africa's fourth democratic general elections taking place on Wednesday, 22 April 2009.

Premier Ndebele said: "South Africa is committed to free and fair elections. We are, therefore, pleased to have international election observers in our country to assess the conduct of our election process on the basis of international standards. These elections are not only important for South Africa, but for the entire African continent. Elections in Africa are now the norm and we want to learn from each other. Elections are the most important part of democracy and, therefore, this practice must be continued.

President Obasanjo is very experienced and has contributed immensely to the well-being of our continent. Because of his vast experience and stature, the different political parties will listen to him. We are very glad to have him in South Africa as part of the Election Observer Mission. We would like to welcome him to our beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal and we trust that he will enjoy his stay with us," the premier said.

Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Spokesperson to Premier Ndebele
Cell: 083 644 4050
E-mail: masitryl@premier.kzntl.gov.za

Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
20 April 2009