Speech delivered by Dr Mathews Phosa, Treasurer General of the
African National Congress at an ANC Progressive Business Forum
Briefing for British and European business and industry leaders at the
Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in London. The event was co-hosted
by Lonmin PLC on 29 October 2009.
It is a partnership and relationship
that we wish to continue and expand at
all times. This point was made by our
President when he visited your Prime
Minister in April last year and repeated
recently when he met with your High
Commissioner to accept her credentials
as your countries representative in
South Africa.
It is one of the major reasons that I
P
am here today as the Treasurer General
B
of the African National Congress. I
F
also convey the wishes of our party’s
N
leadership as well as that of the
President to strengthen and deepen our
E
commercial relationship.
T
In that regard, you have been a W
mining partner of ours for a very
long time. Your recent substantial
O
investments by Barclays into our local R
bank, ABSA, as well as Vodafone into
K
our own Vodacom critically enhanced
that preferred partner relationship
I
N
between us.
It is my fervent hope that my
G
visit can, in time, unlock further
|
opportunities for both British and South
e
It has been 15 years since all South host of the IPL Cricket League.
African investors. v
Africans voted for the first time and we These successful efforts will be
I am told that I can now go and drink
are proud of our achievements during followed next year by the hosting of
e
coffee here at the South African coffee
this short period of democracy. the Soccer World Cup. In preparing for
n
shop Vida e Caffe and have lunch at
Our model of democracy has been such a major event there is a massive
our restaurant group, Spur.
t
praised worldwide and some of the effort under way to substantially
Financial services groups such as
s
architects of our political miracle are improve our infrastructure and to build
Old Mutual, Investec and Standard
in demand around the globe to assist a number of new stadiums.
Bank utilize London as a springboard to
with negotiations in the hotspots of In addition to these efforts we have
identify opportunities in Europe.
the world. continued to play a leadership role in
It is my fervent hope that even
Former Presidents Nelson Mandela the Southern African region and on
more British companies will utilize our
and FW de Klerk won the Nobel Peace the African continent. The fact that we
major cities as a similar springboard
Prize for their own efforts in ensuring were able, through visionary leadership,
to broaden your business activities
that South Africans are now united and to move our country to a stable
into Southern Africa and the African
can look towards a more peaceful and democracy, also meant that we are
continent.
prosperous future. viewed as a trusted partner by many
On a political level, we believe that
During this post-democracy period we countries across the globe.
we have been a sound and trusted
have had four Presidents and, like you,
partner for our friends in multi-lateral
we have had the head of government Britain and South Africa: a
forums such as SADC, the African
retire during tenure. We are, in fact, partnership
Union, the G20 and the United Nations.
following the example of Europe in As we stand here today Britain is South
We will continue to utilize those forums
becoming a normal democracy. Africa’s second largest trade partner
to work for the advancement of the
During this period of 15 years we after China.
agenda of political and commercial
have successfully played host to the It is, however, a partner that we have
partnerships that will further enhance
Rugby World Cup, the Cricket World trusted and valued over the centuries
our agenda of South and Southern
Cup and recently successfully and and one that has stood by us during
Africa as a favoured developmental,
seamlessly stood in for India as the both good and bad times.
political and commercial partner.
145
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