‘As Africans we will solve our problems’

South Africa’s first 10 years of democracy have paved the way for solving many of the country’s remaining problems in the next decade, President Thabo Mbeki said after his inauguration on Tuesday for a second term in office.

”We are convinced that what has been achieved during the first [decade of democracy] demonstrates that as Africans we can and will solve our problems,” he told thousands who had gathered at the Union Buildings in Pretoria for his induction and the simultaneous celebration of South Africa’s 10th year of freedom.

Mbeki’s induction at 10.30am by Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson was crowned by a fly-by of military aircraft and three South African Airways passenger liners. A military parade and 21-gun salute heralded his new term.

The work has begun, he said, to transform South Africa into a democratic, peaceful, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous country committed to the noble vision of human solidarity.

”That work will continue during our second decade of freedom. That struggle continues and victory is certain.”

For too long, South Africa represented much that was ugly and repulsive in human society, Mbeki said.

It was a place in which to be born black was to inherit a lifelong curse, he said. To be born white was to carry a permanent burden of fear and hidden rage.

He lamented at length the evils associated with apartheid, including poverty, racism, sexism and the many lives lost in the struggle for equality.

What has been achieved to date would not have been possible without the majority of South Africans having opted for a path of national unity reconciliation rather than continued division.

Nobody in South Africa today views democracy as a threat to their interests and their future, he said.

”We chose what seemed impossible because to have done otherwise would have condemned all our people, black and white, to a bloody and catastrophic conflict,” Mbeki said. ”We are proud that every day now, black and white South Africans discover that they are, after all, one another’s keeper.”

Where South Africa was in the past a terrible exemplar of racist bigotry, the country is now determined to testify to the possibility of building a stable and viable non-racial society.

”We are greatly encouraged that our general elections a fortnight ago confirmed the determination of all our people, regardless of race, colour and ethnicity, to work together to build a South Africa defined by a common dream.

”Despite the fact that we are a mere 10 years removed from the period of racist dictatorship, it is today impossible to imagine a South Africa that is not a democratic South Africa.”

He stressed, however, the need for eradicating poverty and boosting job creation. It would be impossible to say that the dignity of all South Africans has been fully restored as long as the current situation prevails.

Necessarily, the journey to the future is also about redressing the harm caused to all Africans, the president added.

”It is about overcoming the consequences of the assault that was made on our sense of pride, our identity and confidence in ourselves,” he said. ”Through our efforts, we must achieve the outcome that we cease to be beggars and deny others the possibility to sustain racial prejudices that dehumanise even those who consider themselves superior.”

Mbeki committed the country to strengthened ties with the rest of the continent and to ensuring the success of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Much of Tuesday’s joy, he added, was tempered by the reality of a troubled world. He referred to ongoing violence in countries in the Middle East, including Palestine, Israel, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as acts of terrorism in Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, New York and Madrid.

He also referred to the problems of growing impoverishment, the negative outcomes of globalisation and the failure of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of those without political or economic power.

As South Africa enters its second decade of freedom, it is certain the rest of the continent will record new advances in pursuing the goal of a better life for all, Mbeki said.

”She [Africa] will do what she can to encourage a more equitable and human new world order.”

Ceremony attended by thousands

The inauguration ceremony, held at an estimated cost of R90-million to the government, was attended by about 6 000 invited guests, many dressed in colourful African garb.

More than 40 heads of state and government and 53 Cabinet ministers from countries around the world attended the festivities. There were also representatives of international organisations such as the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament and the Commonwealth, as well as world soccer governing body Fifa.

Of the foreigners, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was perhaps the most enthusiastically welcomed, with the crowd starting to clap and whistle even before his arrival was officially announced.

Other leaders who received a warm reception were Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Paul Kagame of Rwanda.

But no ovation could match that reserved for former president Nelson Mandela, with the crowd getting to its feet and chanting his name.

After the formal proceedings, revellers were treated to a music concert featuring about 200 artists on the lawns. Dignitaries, meanwhile, enjoyed lunch.

The day started early for many, with the first guests and journalists being bused in at 4am.

The events would culminate in a cocktail function and special concert at the State Theatre.

Members of the public gathered on the lawns expressed elation at being part of the occasion.

”It is something I never thought I will witness in my lifetime. All South Africans should give credit to the heroes and the heroines of the liberation struggle,” said Wilfred Dlamini of Mamelodi.

The Democratic Alliance, in congratulating Mbeki, pointed out that unemployment, crime, poverty, HIV/Aids and corruption will be his government’s biggest challenges for the next five years.

”We can look back on 10 years of democracy with strong feelings of pride,” DA leader Tony Leon said in a statement. ”Equally, we can look ahead to the next 10 years with a powerful sense of hope.” — Sapa