In his "New Year Message 2001", President Thabo Mbeki declared that "the year 2001 should, for us, mark the commencement of the African Century." These words set the tone for South Africans to begin the year 2001 with a new commitment to working hard towards the realisation of the African Century and achieving the goal of a better life for all. The pursuit of these ideals is assisted by the example of India, which is not only the world's largest democracy, but which has demonstrated the possibility and the imperative of entrenching democracy as well as achieving socioeconomic development.For South-African relations, 2001 began on a high note. The Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) which was held from 12 - 14 March 2001, in New Delhi, illustrated the fact that relations between South Africa and India are growing stronger. The year 2001 saw the elevation of the JMC to Ministerial level. The South African delegation consisted of two Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs , Dr NC Dlamini-Zuma and the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Dr Ben Ngubane, and included eight government departments. The JMC is an important mechanism of communication between the two countries in order to appraise, and extend cooperation taking place between the two countries.
During the JMC the Ministers paid calls upon H.E. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Honourable Prime Minister; Shri Jaswant Singh, Honourable Minister of External Affairs; Smt Vasundhara Raje, Honourable Minister of Small-Scale Industries; shri Pramod Mahajan, Honourable Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Information Technology; and Dr M. M. Joshi, Honourable Minister of Science and Technology. They also called upon Smt Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress Party . In addition, Minister Dlamini-Zuma delivered the 2001 Alfred Nzo Memorial Lecture, entitled "Economic Development with a Human Face", which was jointly organised by the High Commission and the Research and Information System of the Non-Aligned and other Development Countries.
The close ties between South Africa and India were further highlighted almost immediately after the Joint Ministerial Commission, when, on 16th March 2001, former President Nelson Mandela was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for his contribution to the promotion of world peace. The award was also received by the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. Dr. Mandela received the prize from H.E. Shri K.R. Narayanan, President of India. He was also received by the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri A.B. Vajpayee. In his remarks at the ceremony, Dr Mandela reflected on the deep historical link between our countries, and specifically on the role of Gandhiji, before addressing the challenges and opportunities of globalisation and the continued imperatives of peace and development. Dr Mandela requested that the prize be donated to the Prime Minister's fund for the relief of victims of the Gujarat earthquake.
Freedom Day, which is the day South Africa celebrates its freedom from apartheid and its re-creation as a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist society, was one of the major highlights of the first half of the year. The High Commission in New Delhi and the Consulate of Mumbai brought musical quartet from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to India. Ms. Linda Bukhosini and Mr Bongani Tembe, both classical singers, were accompanied by Mr Madala Kunene, a guitarist and isicathamiya singer, performing "picketing" (a style of music which is popular in KwaZulu-Natal), and by Mr Juan Burgers on piano. In collaboration with the Indian council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the Freedom Day celebrations took place the week of 23-28 April 2001, with concerts in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, and performances at the Freedom Day receptions hosted by the Missions.
A delegation from the Gauteng Legislative Committee on Housing visited India from 21 April 2 May 2001 to study India's success in creating shelter products for the poor , and implementing holistic human settlements through the creation of interactive communities. The delegation visited New Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala and Trivandrum.
The visit of the Minister of Health , Dr M.E. Tshabalala-Msimang, from 28 April -1 May 2001, came soon after multinational pharmaceutical companies withdrew their legal challenge to new legislation intended to make possible greater access to affordable medicines. Minister Tshabalala-Msimang visited India at the invitation of the Honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P Thakur, to sign the Declaration of Intent on Institutional cooperation in the Field of Health and Medicine. South Africa had the honour to receive Minister Thakur during his visit to Johannesburg in March 2001 for the Meeting of Ministers of Health of the Movement of Non- Aligned Countries.
The month of May was a very busy one for bilateral exchanges between South Africa and India, especially in the area of facilitating greater contract between business people of both countries in order to enhance commercial links. The Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa held workshops in Mumbai and New Delhi focusing on the pharmaceutical, chemical, jewellery and textile sectors as areas of cooperation.
These workshops were attended by representatives from business, government and the media. At the conference held in New Delhi, the Honourable chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit, who encouraged greater economic cooperation between South Africa and India.
The Minister of Public Works, Mrs Stella Sigcau, also visited India, from 18-24 May 2001, for exchanges on rural development and poverty alleviation. Minister Sigcau had the opportunity to meet with her counterparts in the Indian Government, specifically the Honourable Minister of Urban Development, Shri Jagmohan, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Shri Nitish Kumar and the Honourable Minister of Rural Development , Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu.
A joint delegation from the Department of Health and Department of Trade and Industry visited India from the 2-10 June 2001, on a follow-up visit to the visit of the Minister of Health. The delegation was led by Chief Director, Pharmaceutical Policy and Planning, Dr. H. Zokufa, and included the Registrar, Mrs. P. Matsoso and the Chairman, Prof. P. Eagles of the Medicines Control Council.
On 16 June 2001 South Africa Commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising under the theme "Non-Racialism: A Youth Vision for the 21st Century". The theme of this year's Youth Day was inspired by national and international efforts to combat racism, which will be further highlighted at the forthcoming United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, scheduled to take place from 31 August - 7 September 2001. during the Youth Day commemorations President Mbeki, along with stalwarts of the 1976 Uprising, led a march from Morris Isaacson High School to the Hector Peterson Memorial, under a banner proclaming "Retracing the footsteps of our forebears".
The High Commission looks forward to an equally active and vibrant second-half of 2001.
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