Ten years is a short time in the life of a country. What challenges has the South African leadership faced since the dismantling of apartheid?

During the apartheid era, South Africa was a country divided along racial lines and other classifications. It was isolated from the rest of the world and had no full participation in crucial affairs of the world. The new government that came to power in 1994 under Dr Nelson Mandela, and his successor President Thabo Mbeki, had to respond to these challenges, hence the current South Africa that has positioned itself as a land of hope, democracy, unity, diversity and many constructive possibilities.

South Africa’s black majority were severely disadvantaged under the apartheid system. What is the situation now? 

All South Africans are now able to cast their vote without fear of persecution. They are able to participate in the country’s political and socio-economic affairs. 

But despite the tremendous strides made by the country, we're still faced by the challenge of "Two Economies in One Country." One is advanced and skilled, becoming more globally competitive. The second, mainly informal, is marginalised and unskilled. If such a trend continues unabated, we could have a country with islands of wealth and prosperity surrounded by violent waves of poverty that could lead to instability. 

The lives of black South Africans have improved, particularly in the areas of housing, employment, participation in the economy, and skill enhancement, among others. 

Do South Africans then have good reason to celebrate 10 years of independence and freedom?

Yes, the achievements and challenges of the past 10 years have been enormous and all merit celebrating by all South Africans.

South Africa also celebrates Reconciliation Day. What does it stand for?

We have just started our second decade of freedom and democracy and one of the challenges in the first decade was to reconcile our people, who were divided by the apartheid system. 

Such a day allows us to reflect on the strides we have made as a people determined to build a united South Africa that cherishes diversity. It also serves as a day to honour our fallen heroes and heroines who contributed dearly to our struggle. The mission in Dar es Salaam, in collaboration with the Tanzanian government, has been commemorating the day in Mazimbu and Dakawa, which are important places in our struggle for freedom. 

Reconciliation Day also recognises the fact that South Africans alone would never have made without friends such as Tanzania. We are happy that such a friendship exists as we continue to tackle global challenges.

HIV/Aids has devastated South Africa. What is the government doing to tackle the problem and what can Tanzania or East Africa learn from South Africa in this regard?

HIV/Aids is one of those challenges that we cannot tackle without a hands-on policy. South Africa has come up with a comprehensive response to the pandemic. Expenditure has increased a hundred-fold, from R30 million ($2.6 million) in 1994 to over R3.6 billion ($313 million) in 2003/04 as the comprehensive care and treatment programme is rolled out. 

After a rapid increase in the 1990s, HIV infection has stabilised; from 22.4 per cent in 1999 to 24.5 per cent in 2000, 24.8 per cent in 2001 and 26.5 per cent in 2002. 

We have also learned that we cannot tackle the problem without focusing on other structural problems of the economy such as unemployment, poverty, access to housing and other problems that impact on the individual’s well being. 

South Africa has many things to learn from East Africa and one of those is how to get the HIV/Aids campaign to the grassroots. So, there is room for all of us to learn from each other.

South Africa is technologically more advanced than its northern neighbours. How can we benefit from this?

South Africa is faced by the challenge of "Two Economies in One Country" and the government policy in the next decade is to make specific interventions to uplift the Second Economy. One of the interventions is skills development, so that we reach the ideal of One Economy. We also continue to interact with other countries on the continent. The African Union has a new development project, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), which challenges all of us to pool resources from within the continent instead of seeking help from outside.

What will the Black Business Seminar on Nepad to be held in Dar es Salaam be all about?

A Black Business Executives Circle, popularly known as B-BEC, is a network of high-ranking business executives of various South African organisations and black-owned businesses in South Africa. 

B-BEC is organising a visit to Tanzania, through our mission, to enable its members to network and take advantage of opportunities in this country. The group has made such visits to Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The visit to Tanzania, from August 24Ð29, will focus on mutual opportunities for development that exist in the country. We're confident that such a visit will drive our bilateral relations to a different level altogether. 

Your country is among the few that celebrate the International Women’s Day. What is its significance?

Our constitution stresses a non-sexist South Africa. This also signifies the importance of dealing with issues of violence against women. The day therefore allows us to reflect on the contribution that women have made to the betterment of our lives, and it also sensitises the nation that women can participate at every level of the economy. 

This is different from the previous system, where to be born a woman was to acquire the certainty that you would forever be a minor and an object owned by another.

So, the day is all about cherishing these values and we're hopeful that the continent will one day mark this day.

Tanzania stood by its South African friends during the liberation struggle. What can the two countries do to cement their relations?

As South Africans, we shall never forget the assistance that we received from Tanzanians. After 1994, the relations between the two countries have grown stronger, under the leadership of the African National Congress in South Africa, and Chama cha Mapinduzi in Tanzania. 

A lot has happened since 1994 in the fields of trade, investment, cultural exchange, education and people-to-people co-operation. However, there is still room to expand. The two governments need to engage constantly at the highest level. South Africa views Tanzania as a constructive partner in many ways, hence we are now geared to have our relations take another beneficial position. For example, the two countries still need to sign many agreements that will infuse logic and vibrancy in our bilateral relations. This is what we shall be focusing on.

It is said that South African investors have been slow in coping with the Tanzanian environment and this has led to labour disputes. What do you think should be done to smoothen relations between the two sides?

One would have expected such challenges of understanding each other to exist in any environment because, here, we're talking of people from different backgrounds. 

This is important in developing a working economic environment; hence, in South Africa, investors and labour are always in constant contact through an independent body called Nedlac. This body assists these crucial sectors of the economy to constantly interact on issues that impact on the country’s development. 

This definitely smoothens relations and the government has always kept that communication vibrant. 

Such an interaction also helps a country to have one voice on policy issues. Democracy in any case is all about debating and reaching a consensus. 

The South African community in Tanzania has organised fundraising functions to commemorate the 10th freedom anniversary. Who are the beneficiaries?

The South Africa Week, which is held in September each year, has made it easier for the South African business community in Tanzania to contribute collectively to this country’s development. 

There has been no decision on who will be the beneficiaries this year, but sectors such as women, children and health have been the ultimate focus. We all agree that while pursuing such trends we also need to focus on projects that are sustainable and those that allow beneficiaries to have assistance and later be able to contribute into the bigger economic picture. 

This has been South Africa’s policy since 1994, hence the current campaign of Vuk’uzenzele, a Nguni saying "Wake up and do things for yourself." It works for us and we believe it can work elsewhere.
 

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