South Africa was honoured to be elected to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council on Monday and would work for peace and to reform the UN, said Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Delighted officials in Pretoria labelled it ”the opportunity of a lifetime”.
”We declare our readiness and preparedness to serve the peoples of Africa, the South and the world in this capacity,” said Dlamini-Zuma.
”We humbly accept the mandate thrust upon us by the peoples of Africa, the South and the world in general in electing us to this position of responsibility.”
She said SA was grateful to the people and governments of Africa and the world for their confidence, and promised the country would work to prevent violence in Africa, and to pursue peace particularly in the Middle East.
”In addition, South Africa shall continue to work with all members of the United Nations General Assembly in pursuit of the comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council.”
Dlamini-Zuma said SA was convinced that the multilateral system of global governance ”remains the only hope for challenges facing humanity”.
Foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said SA would take up the seat in January and hold it for two years. He said SA was voted in with 186 votes out of 192.
The African National Congress (ANC) said it was grateful to ”the peoples of Africa, the South and the world in general” for their confidence in the country.
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama promised that the ANC would support the government in discharging its mandate in the Security Council. – Sapa