When we spoke at the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony at the Union Buildings on Freedom Day, April 27, we paid tribute to the many eminent international guests who had travelled to our country to join us at the Inauguration Ceremony and the celebration of our First Decade of Democracy.
Addressing our foreign visitors we said: "Your presence among us when we confronted the apartheid crime against humanity gave freedom the possibility to emerge triumphant. Your presence among us today expands our joy that freedom's opportunities have given us the possibility to begin the long walk to a life of dignity for all our people."
The large contingent of our guests included delegations led by such leaders as the Kings of Lesotho and Swaziland, more than 20 African Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers, and almost 15 African Ministers; 3 Presidents and 1 Governor General from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Vice President of Brazil and 2 Caribbean Ministers; and 4 Ministers from the Middle East.
From the rest of Asia we had delegations led by President Gusmao of East Timor, the Vice Presidents of Iran and India, the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Congress, the former Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshiro Mori, and 6 Ministers. From Australasia there were three delegations, 2 led by Governors-General and the third by a Minister.
2 of the European delegations were led by members of Royal families, one by the Prime Minister of Norway and another by the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, another by the President of the Czech Senate, another by the Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Duma, another by the Deputy Speaker of the German Parliament, another by an Archbishop representing the Holy See, and others by 10 Ministers.
The United States and Canada were also represented by delegations led by Ministers. 23 national delegations from other countries were led by their Ambassadors. Only 15 of the member states of the UN were not represented at our celebrations, these being largely small least developed countries whose presence might have been limited by budget constraints.
We were also greatly honoured to receive the heads of the executive organs of the African Union, the Commonwealth and SADC, as well as the Speaker of the Pan-African Parliament. The EU was represented by its Resident Representative in South Africa.
We were similarly privileged to host 10 members of the Executive Committee of FIFA, including President Sepp Blatter, the President of CAF, Issa Hayatou, and others drawn from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and the Pacific.
We also had among us and in the celebrations that took place elsewhere in the world the comrades-in-arms who stood out as outstanding activists in the anti-apartheid struggle, during the long years that some thought that our conviction that we would emerge victorious was a mere pipedream.
As we have just indicated, victory celebrations also took place in many countries throughout the world. This enabled our friends across the world who could not come to our country, nevertheless to join us in rejoicing in our 10th Anniversary of Freedom.
For example, the United Nations held a special commemoration ceremony that was addressed by the President of the General Assembly, Secretary General Kofi Annan and others.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended a celebratory event in Stuttgart, hosted by the South African Consul General in this part of Germany and CEO of Daimler Chrysler, Jurgen Schrempp. At this occasion, Chancellor Schroeder said:
"Democratic South Africa has come closer to the ideal of a fair world because of people with courage and farsightedness.Germany supports the African continent and this is not only a question of morals. It is especially also a question of political and economic sense. Nobody can live in security if his neighbours do not live in peace and security.
"The development of Africa into a continent of peaceful development and participation within the economic possibilities of globalisation is in the interest of our One World. South Africa has achieved much and all those who have contributed can be proud of the past ten years. Germany will stand by South Africa with regard to the challenges ahead."
The US Senate also met to approve a resolution congratulating us on our 10th Anniversary. The Chair and three other leading members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tabled the resolution, these being Senators Lugar (Chair), Biden, Alexander (Chair of the Africa Subcommittee), and Feingold.
In his statement, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said: "I rise today to recognise the 10th anniversary of majority rule in the Republic of South Africa and to commend the South African people for the momentous social and economic achievements they have made since establishing a more inclusive democracy.Today is Freedom Day in South Africa, a day to celebrate the end of apartheid, and the beginning of majority rule in that country."
British Prime Minister headed a long list of dignitaries who visited South Africa House, our High Commission, to convey their tributes. These included the Duke of Kent, representing HM the Queen, the Speaker of Parliament, the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), over 100 MP's from all parties, religious leaders and others, all of whom wrote short messages in the Book of Celebrations.
Prime Minister Blair wrote: "To our friends in South Africa whose courage, determination and integrity inspired and still inspire us."
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "It is a great joy to be with you to celebrate this wonderful Anniversary - a new freedom won after so many years of struggle. The trade union movement was proud to have played a part in that heroic and ultimately successful endeavour."
The Moderator of the Free Churches, David Coffey said: "Your country and its people continue to inspire the World. May God bless South Africa."
The Leader of the House of Common, Peter Hain, wrote: "When the struggle was hardest, we stood together."
On behalf of the UK Jewish Community, Rabbi Barry Marcus wrote: "With best wishes for a fruitful and successful future in South Africa."
The Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said: "Many, many congratulations to the people of South Africa. We in the Muslim Council of Britain are proud of your achievements during the last decade. We pray for your greater success and may you be the model for tolerance, freedom and participation for all communities."
Across the Atlantic, the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Celso Amorim, read President Lula da Silva's speech at a gala dinner hosted by our Ambassador, Mbulelo Rakwena. In that speech, President Lula said:
"It is with enormous pleasure that I come here to celebrate the conquest of freedom and the consolidation of democracy in the Republic of South Africa. Ten years ago, the world celebrated the extraordinary victory of a fearless people, who never gave up their dreams, nor agreed to be cowed by discrimination and violence.
"During the course of the period of repression, the South Africans learnt the value of peace and human life. Today we pay homage to all those who fought and succumbed for these noble values, those who opposed tyranny and arbitrary rule. In the person of Oliver Tambo, I express acknowledgement to those who made this great victory of human dignity possible. The South African people have recovered the pride of their nationality and optimism in the future."
The rest of humanity joined us in the extraordinary way it did because the struggle against apartheid became a united struggle of the peoples of the world against racism and racial domination.
Reflecting on this, the UN Secretary General said: "When we remember the struggle against apartheid, we recall it as a struggle which galvanised the entire world community - one that rallied people and Governments behind a common objective: the objective of reaffirming the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of all peoples."
In his message at South Africa House, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, wrote: "Congratulations! London is proud to have played a small part in supporting the struggle."
President Lula said: "Today's celebration also belongs to us. We, Brazilians have special pride in having contributed, together with millions of people all over the world, so that we could be here today. In the course of decades we have supported the heroic struggle against the racist and colonialist regime."
US Senator Alexander said: "The struggle to end apartheid in South Africa captured the imagination and garnered the support of millions of peoples worldwide, including the people of the United States."
Senator Alexander was as correct as was President Lula when the latter said that South Africa's celebration "also belongs to us." The victory we scored in 1994 belongs to the whole of humanity. It was therefore right that that humanity should get together in our country and everywhere else in the world to celebrate that shared historic achievement.
But humanity came together not only to celebrate an historical event. Humanity joined hands to celebrate our First Decade of Freedom because it recognised the need for all of us once more to come together in a powerful international solidarity movement that would pursue common goals shared by the peoples of the world.
In his speech at the United Nations, Secretary general Kofi Annan said: "I am delighted to be with you on this special occasion. This is a day that is being celebrated by millions of people far beyond the borders of South Africa. For it is an anniversary that gives concrete meaning to abstract concepts: the concept of humanity, and the concept of hope."
And we can also draw on the words of President Lula who said: "I wished my election for the Presidency of Brazil to be the victory of hope over fear. I got inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela. Upon leaving prison, he said: 'Our march towards freedom is irreversible. We cannot afford to allow fear to stop us.' "
Inevitably, the question that came into all our minds across the globe as we celebrated the victory scored a decade ago, was - what about the future! We asked that question with regard to South Africa.
But we asked it with regard to the rest of the world as well because, as Kofi Annan said, our 10th Anniversary was celebrated throughout the world because that victory and what we have done in its aftermath have given "concrete meaning" to the concepts of humanity and hope, and demonstrated the victory of hope over fear.
The challenges we have faced and continue to confront are both domestic and universal. The scourges of poverty and underdevelopment with all their consequences afflict billions across the globe. Many countries are grappling with the task of building cohesive and successful multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-faith societies.
Racism and racial discrimination continue to inflict enormous harm and damage on entire peoples and societies. Half of humanity, the women of the world, carries the yoke of oppression and discrimination, simply because of differences in gender and unacceptable social practices and prejudices that have evolved over the millennia.
The struggle continues everywhere in the world to find the ways and means by which to build a global neighbourhood of universal peace, shared prosperity, equality among the peoples and celebration of the richness of the human experience born of our diversity.
Humanity joined in a global struggle to defeat the apartheid crime against humanity, thus defined because apartheid was the very antithesis of all these objectives. After the defeat of Nazism, it became the concentrated expression of everything that all humanity sought to expunge from the ordering of human relations.
It was for this reason that, as Senator Lamar Alexander said, "the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa captured the imagination and garnered the support of millions of peoples worldwide."
Fully cognisant of our responsibility to ourselves as South Africans, and the debt we owed to the rest of humanity, we have tried our best during our First Decade of Freedom to build a new society based on the humane values that the apartheid system sought to deny.
It is because of what we have done that Prime Minister Tony Blair could convey his best wishes "to our friends in South Africa whose courage, determination and integrity inspired and still inspire us."
It was for the same reason that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan could say boldly that what we have achieved, with the continued support and involvement of the peoples of the world, "gives concrete meaning to abstract concepts: the concept of humanity, and the concept of hope."
It seems obvious that the task all humanity now faces is to strengthen the bonds of global human solidarity demonstrated so visibly and joyfully when the peoples of the world came together to celebrate our First Decade of Democracy.
In the past, confronted by the apartheid crime against humanity, the nations of the world succeeded to unite in the strongest international people's solidarity movement of the 20th century, securing the defeat of apartheid in 1994.
What was done, as well as the human condition globally, constitute the clarion call that, once again, the nations of the world must unite in the strongest international people's solidarity movement of the 21st century, to "give concrete meaning to abstract concepts: the concept of humanity, and the concept of hope."
As Chancellor Schroeder said, we must combine to bring about this result because "nobody can live in security if his neighbours do not live in peace and security."
Like Nelson Mandela and Lula da Silva we must, in word and deed, say - our global march towards a humane world of hope that is free of fear for all human beings is irreversible. We cannot afford to allow fear of bold action to create a new world to stop us!
