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Interview by Costas Calfelis Fourteen exemplary years Talented, eloquent and charming, with a multidisciplinary education (Doctorate in Oriental and Religious History, a BA in Fine Arts, Trade and Marketing studies as well as academic performances), prior to working his way up the diplomatic ladder, Dr Anil Sooklal has been Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of South Africa to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for two years. He granted Le Jeudi an exclusive interview during which he reviewed the fourteen years since freedom came to his country. Le Jeudi: “ Fourteen years after freedom day – 27 April 1994 – Do you think that these values have taken root and the population appreciates the changes?. Anil Sooklal: In the short period of fourteen years, South Africa has made significant progress in its approach to introducing democracy and consequently has many reasons to be proud: We now have a democracy in which all citizens have the right to freedom and other basic rights. Human dignity has been restored. · We are all treated equally, in a way that allows us to benefit from the whole country, in a way which we were hitherto refused because of the colour of our skin and racism. · We have a healthy constitution which guarantees freedom and basic rights, human values and human rights · From the divided nation that we were, we have developed into a nation focussed on building a nation to which all South African can relate with pride. The international community could not believe that South Africa would have a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy. We succeeded in doing so by means of negotiations, despite the suffering caused by apartheid – and our people agreed to forgive and to make up. South African Identity I think we have been particularly blessed by the quality of our leaders, people of the calibre of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Archbishop Desmond Tutu… and even former president, De Klerk, who had the vision to see that the path being followed by the previous government was leading nowhere and that the need for reconciliation was primordial. South Africa’s greatest strength was the desire to resolve the problems created by the apartheid regime. And so it was at the negotiating table that democracy was introduced. Today we can speak of a true South African identity. Archbishop Tutu described South Africa as “the rainbow nation”, a multicultural society made up of different racial and ethnic groups and different cultures. Le Jeudi: “Nelson Mandela’s person has turned world attention to South Africa. Does the essence of his life and biography “The long walk to freedom” still show the way forward? A. S.: “Our success is based on reconciliation, tolerance and forgiveness. We set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to deal with our painful past in an open and transparent manner. To allow people to admit to their “sins” committed under apartheid and for South African society to forgive everyone for the pain caused and move beyond the tragedy of the thousands who suffered in jail, such as Nelson Mandela and other leaders. All this has been a major success. The new government deserves particular credit in respect of the previously disadvantaged communities, most of them black, who had never had access to basic rights such as education, medical care, hygiene, water, housing and above all jobs. In the “new” South Africa, almost everyone has access to drinking water. More than 80% of South Africans have access to electricity. The deadlock in the housing sector is disappearing slowly and hundreds of thousands of people now have shelter at least. Basic healthcare is available to everyone. Primary education is obligatory. All previously disadvantaged persons, the poor, the non-privileged and the dispossessed, have access to these benefits. More challenges Le Jeudi: “What is the economic situation in your country and what progress has been made in your trade relations with the European Union? A. S.: “The government inherited a very weak economy and a large deficit. Over the past few years we have had positive growth – an average of 5% in the past three years. Our macro-economic policies are sound. The World Bank and the IMF have both complimented our economic policy and over the past few years we had a budget surplus for the first time in thirty years. This shows to what extent the country has stabilised politically and economically. But we are still facing many challenges, such as creating jobs and providing training in an attempt to alleviate the vast lack of specific skills. South Africa plans to invest in the region of €45 billion in developing its infrastructures before 2010. That said, we already have a very good starting base, our harbours for example are very good. But under the pressure of rapid economic growth, we should also modernise all our infrastructures, including notably but not solely, roads, harbours, the railway network and the airways. This is why the government has recognised the need to reinforce the whole infrastructure. To show that while the African continent certainly has its share of problems, on the whole there has been positive development and that over the past three or four years, the African economy has had average growth of between 5.5 and 6%, which is not to be sneezed at. Le Jeudi: “In May 2007, a joint action plan was adopted between South Africa and the European Union. What progress has been mad, one year later? A. S.: “In 1994, the first region to come to our aid was Europe. The EU asked us to look at a vast development and cooperation trade agreement. Negotiations on the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) started in 1996 and concluded in 2000 when the agreement partially entered into force. The TDCA is an agreement between South Africa and the EU with four main pillars. The first is political dialogue which includes subjects such as good governance, democracy, peace, security and stability, not only in South Africa but also in the wider African context. The second is trade, the third concerns cooperation and development and the fourth is economic including all other forms of cooperation. Since coming into force, in 2000, the agreement has been operating very well. As part of the TDCA we have an annual meeting, at ministerial level, to discuss the progress in achieving the objectives of the agreement. In 2005, the European commissioner, Louis Michel, noted that relations between the EU and South Africa were developing in a satisfactory manner and he suggested setting up a strategic association between the two. The EU chose South Africa because it has the strongest economy and is the most stable democracy on the African continent and choosing a strong partner would be beneficial for the continent as a whole. Also, our young democracy was aware of the need to get behind Africa’s cause and to ensure that the global community understands that Africa needs help in facing numerous challenges not only in terms of peace and security but also healthcare and social protection, to mention just 2 of the challenges ahead. Le Jeudi: “Has the action plan in any way impacted on the relations of your country with regional African organisations in terms of maintaining peace and international security?” A. S.: “Our action in terms of the international community does not only involve South Africa but the entire continent … We incorporated in the text, a clause requiring that the EU support the joint strategic partnership signed in Lisbon last year. An agreement between South Africa and the EU is therefore of benefit to all regions of the continent. We had a meeting in Pretoria, where our minister explained to all African ambassadors, the importance of this strategic partnership for development, not only in South Africa but all African countries, stressing that the idea was not to sabotage the African Union but rather to strengthen the African agenda. Le Jeudi: “Who is South Africa’s largest donor and investor?” A. S.: “The biggest investments in South Africa come from the EU, as does the most important development aid and cooperation. Most of our tourists also come from the EU, making the EU a very important partner. One third of our external trade is with EU countries and trade between the EU and South Africa in 2007 was in the region of €43 billion. . Le Jeudi: “How do you perceive the Grand Duchy? A. S.: “Last month we nominated Pierre Elvinger as honorary consul to Luxembourg, illustrating our respect for improved interaction with Luxembourg, which we consider to be a first rate financial centre. In 2008 we are expecting an official visit from the Grand Duchy’s minister for foreign affairs and his delegation to discuss how we can improve our collaboration. Our embassy participates in the Luxembourg tourism fair every year and the South African club in Luxembourg with approximately 400 members is very active. This year we honoured Luxembourg as we celebrated freedom day in the Neumünster Cultural meeting centre.
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