It is an honour for me to address this important gathering on an initiative which is long outstanding. As DIRCO, we have been looking at different mechanisms of engaging more closely with our Esteemed Colleagues of the GRULAC region, and I am delighted to see that this has come to fruition.
Our thanks to Mr Nacerodien and the PRAU team for making this possible.
We are gathered here today against the backdrop of an historic visit to our country of the Cuban Five heroes. The ruling party and its Alliance partners have welcomed Cuba’s National Heroes in South Africa in celebration of their release from incarceration in the USA. As South Africa we also owe a huge debt to these brave revolutionaries who fought side-by-side with South Africa’s liberation forces against the Apartheid army in Southern Angola. Their sacrifices and commitment to fighting oppression in all its guises was a direct contributor to the freedom that all South Africans enjoy today. Pivotal amongst this was the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola in 1988 that paved the way for the independence of Namibia in 1990 and South Africa in 1994.
Source: Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Author: Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Available: http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/speeches/2015/land0625.htm