South African History Online

Durban, 18 March 1995

Master of Ceremonies;
Mr Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary-General of the OAU;
Honourable Ministers;
Premier Frank Mdlalose and members of the
Provincial Cabinet;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Last week-end at the United Nations Social Summit, leaders of southern
African states had the opportunity to consult on matters regional. Even in those
exalted surroundings of global discourse, the stark reality was obvious to us
that charity should begin at home.

The consultation was made urgent by our concern over the situation in the
region. On the one hand, the fact that there is relative peace and stability is
heartening. But we are all too aware, that peace is more than just the absence
of war. The dark clouds still hovering above our landscape, particularly in
Lesotho and Angola are matters of serious concern. Thus we sought to examine how
we could further co-ordinate our efforts to bring about lasting peace.

We were due to have a Summit of these leaders today in Harare to take this
discussion forward. But it had to be postponed due to circumstances beyond our
control.

I have given this background because I think these matters are at the heart
of our august gathering today. One could go further to refer to political
conflict in other parts of Africa; or even the deaths, though on a much smaller
scale, that continue to plague this Province of KwaZulu-Natal.

This is a reminder to us all, closeted in these beautiful surroundings, that
we shouldn't, for a moment, forget the mothers and fathers, the children and
grand-children who yearn for our urgent intervention to bring them more than
just a respite from war. They deserve lasting peace and lasting security.

Only in this way shall we deserve the accolades often heaped on us as
leaders.

For me, this occasion is laden with emotion. Certainly when any award is
granted, it does evoke strong feeling. But that feeling is multiplied many-fold
when the award is indigenous and carries the mantle of Mother Africa.

I therefore wish, from the bottom of my heart, to thank the Trustees and
management of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes
(ACCORD) for the honour bestowed on me. I wish particularly to express my
gratitude to the distinguished foreign dignitaries who have travelled long
distances to share this moment with us.

The principles underpinning ACCORD's operations are the very ideals for which
humanity has striven for centuries: peaceful resolution of conflict, human
rights and good governance. Weaving all these ideals together is the vexing
issue of security.

For, it is not merely good logic but the reality of life, that, in the end,
society's freedom from hunger, ignorance and disease is, more often than not,
the dividing line between war and peace. The pursuit of the collective
well-being of humanity; to ensure that all persons live life to the full, is an
ideal whose time has come.

Humanity is suing for a new world order, premised, above everything else, on
this objective. The task is daunting and the obstacles unlimited. But that quest
has so captured the imagination of peoples that it can no longer be concealed
behind fancy rhetoric.

Africa deserves all these rights. Its children deserve as much of a regular
diet of protein as any other. They have the right to computers and instruments
of modern communications. Like children elsewhere, they are born to play with
gay abandon confident about a bright future.

Certainly, colonialism and the selfish ordering of world affairs - past and
present - have undermined Africa's development. And it is only just that Africa
should demand her fair share of world resources; that we should challenge the
untenable global division of power and wealth.

But Africa has long traversed past a mind-set that seeks to heap all blame on
the past and on others. The era of renaissance we are entering, is, and should
be, based on our own efforts as Africans to change Africa's conditions for the
better. If Africa's children, like all other children, should shelter a light of
hope in their hearts about what life can offer, then we, as their parents and
leaders, deserve to be judged by the same standards as anyone else.

In this regard, we face the urgent task of deepening the culture of human
rights on the continent. We are called upon to ensure that our social structures
reflect the will of the people. Our approach to issues of political power should
proceed from the premise that it is an expression of popular will, and not a
mysterious force wielded by a chosen few.

This applies to all African states. It is even more pertinent to those states
which, by the sheer size of their population and the attention accorded them by
world media, are seen as standard-bearers of Africa's political culture and
mores.

From this flows many challenges. For instance, how do we ensure that civil
society in its various forms becomes an active participant in formulation and
implementation of policy! How do we, individually and collectively, utilise
rationally and to maximum effect, the resources the continent possesses! How do
we eliminate the scourge of political and religious intolerance!

These, we are aware, are questions that Africa has firmly and boldly put on
the agenda. Our confidence in the continent as a whole, our challenge to the
malaise of Afro-pessimism that seems to grip developed countries from time to
time, is that Africa is set on a course to ensure thorough-going democracy, good
governance, peace and all-round security for its peoples.

We dare say to the world: recognise the historical millstone that weighs
around our necks; acknowledge and assist us to deal with the depths from which
we have to launch our revival; but do not judge us by lower human standards.

The continent's challenge is one that equally faces South Africa. For, behind
the glitter of city lights, the halo of a relatively advanced technology and the
smoothness of paved roads, lies the reality of a rate of illiteracy that is
among the highest on the continent; poverty, homelessness, landlessness and
malnutrition that beset millions.

As such, if we appreciate the efforts of Africa's leaders to re-order the
continent's affairs for the better, it is because they underpin our own humble
endeavours. We are fully conscious that our programme to build a better life for
all our people will benefit from a continent and sub-continent redefining
themselves, as much as it will contribute to that effort.

We can only succeed if we work together; in as much as we worked together to
succeed against apartheid. And for the enormous sacrifices that Africa endured
to complete her emancipation, we in South Africa shall forever be proud and
grateful.

Never again shall South Africa be the fountain-head of conflict in the region
and further afield. Never again shall our country be the source of armaments
used to suppress communities and to wage aggressive wars against neighbours.
Never again shall we spend our people's resources to develop weapons of mass
destruction.

Democratic South Africa is committed to full equality in our relations with
our neighbours and all other nations.

In promoting peace and preventing conflict, South Africa will work
hand-in-hand with our neighbours and through multilateral forums such as the
SADC and the OAU. In this regard, we welcome and are part of the OAU initiative
for an early-warning mechanism and the shift from conflict-management to
conflict-prevention.

However, we do recognise that while governments have an important role to
play to foster a culture of peace and tolerance, it is crucial that civil
society takes an active part in these efforts. It is for this reason that we
appreciate the ACCORD initiative.

Perhaps the central message of this occasion is that we should all help
develop a network of all such initiatives on the continent. Through such a
continental network, we can strengthen Africa's monitoring capacity, research on
how to prevent and eliminate conflict, and impart the skills of mediation. This
would draw on work of this kind that is already being done in many parts of
Africa by research centres, universities and other institutions.

As such, the continent could develop creative and effective peace and human
rights instruments, characterised by co-operation between governments and civil
society.

It is with this sentiment that I humbly accept the Africa Peace Award. May
peace and prosperity reign on the African continent.