H.E. Mr. Bene M’Poko, Dean of Diplomatic Corps;
Your Excellencies Ambassadors/ High Commissioners
and other Members of Diplomatic Corps
Fellow Charge d’Affaires and Acting High Commissioners;
Distinguished Invited Guests
Fellow Namibians, Comrades and Compatriots;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure, honour and privilege to welcome you to this happy occasion of the 25th Independence Day Celebration, Silver Jubilee, of our nation, the Land of the Brave, marking 25 Years of Freedom, Peace and Stability.
On 21 March 1990, the people of Namibia stood together and unequivocally declared henceforth that we reclaim our sovereignty and that we shall never again be a colony under the evil banner of Apartheid.
This historic milestone was achieved following a long and bitter liberation struggle against colonialism, in which countless Namibians sacrificed their lives. As we celebrate this day, we remember and honour our heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of our nation. Their blood waters our freedom.
In the same vein, we recognize the significant role played by many countries, as well as international organisations, some of which you are representing here, who provided moral and material support to the people of Namibia under the banner of SWAPO.
Our neighbours took the brunt of attacks from the colonizer and provided us with shelter and logistical support. This was vital in our historic mission to liberate our country. Namibia will remain grateful for that unwavering solidarity and support.
Distinguished Guest of Honour, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Namibia`s post-independence history has witnessed the consolidation of peace, progress and stability. In particular, the farsighted adoption of the policy of national reconciliation and the commitment of the Namibian people to socio-economic development and nation building through the economic Blue Print, Vision 2030 and National Development Plans, which have laid the foundation for a brighter future for our people. Our policy of national reconciliation I just mentioned has contributed to creating a society that is largely in harmony and peace with itself.
We are proud of all that has been achieved over the past twenty five (25) years under the visionary leadership of H.E. Dr. Sam Nujoma, the Founding President of the Republic of Namibia and the Father of the Namibian Nation, and Former President, H.E. Hifikepunye Pohamba, who laid a strong foundation for H.E. Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, to continue this proud legacy and shape our country into a brighter nation.
Let us take a moment to pay tribute to Former President Pohamba who, as we all are aware, has recently been named as the winner of the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership in recognition of the consolidation of peace, democracy, and stability, as well as the successes of the implementation of the policy of the national reconciliation and good governance.
As H.E. President Geingob alluded to in his Inaugural Address on 21 March 2015, with independence came expectations, expectations about education, health services, land, safety, justice, freedom of movement and about life and liberty. Many of these expectations were met, while others remain works in progress, one of which is the National Mass housing Project implemented last year by government.
Furthermore, the Government has implemented policies that empower women, the youth, and veterans of the liberation struggle, people with disabilities, as well as orphans and vulnerable children. The adoption of the 50/50 gender representation policy and the recent appointment of the ever First Woman Prime Minister in Namibia and her deputy, are milestone achievements that have been witnessed recently and over the past years.
Distinguished Guest of Honour, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Namibia and South Africa enjoy warm and fraternal relations that are characterized by mutual respect, solidarity and regular interaction at all levels. These relations are historic and were cemented during the fight against colonialism. These bonds should continue to further consolidate pillars on which our bilateral economic co-operation are built on.
Significant progress in respect to the bilateral cooperation has been made over the years, as evidenced by the existence of more than some 60 signed agreements and memoranda of understanding. These agreements/memoranda of understanding cover a wide range of areas including political, economic, social, defence and security cooperation. These cooperation are managed and consolidated through the Bi-National Commission, which was inaugurated in November 2013 and coincided with His Excellency President Zuma`s State Visit.
Distinguished Guest of Honour, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Namibia and South Africa maintain strong economic relations supported and managed through the Economic Committee under the Bi-National Commission. South Africa remains the most important trading partner for Namibia both in terms of imports and exports. The majority of companies with investments in Namibia are of South African origin mostly in the retail sector, mainly due to the historical ties of our countries being one country prior to 1990.
In 2014, Namibia imported R50 billion worth of commodities from South Africa while exports to the latter was a mere R 7 billion. This immense disparity in trade between our countries is due to a very low manufacturing base in Namibia. We, therefore, call upon the business fraternity in South Africa both national and international to explore opportunities in Namibia that will boost the manufacturing sector for domestic supply and foster regional and international export markets.
Cognizant of the low industrial base predicament, the Namibian Government has in its five-year, Fourth National Development Plan launched in 2012, identified manufacturing as one of four priority growth sectors alongside agriculture, tourism and logistics and transport to catalyze the attainment of our Vision 2030 national goals. In addition to these growth sectors, important enablers of economic growth identified as priority are energy, health, education and training. We invite you to explore investment opportunities in the mentioned sectors and other opportunities.
May I at this juncture invite you to explore Namibia as a tourism destination with its breathtaking landscapes. Some people think because we have the Namib and Kalahari deserts, Namibia is all just desert, well that’s not the case, so find out for your selves (laugh). We have so much more to offer. We are pleased to note that Namibia is ranked among the top nine destinations from which South Africa receive tourists in 2013.
In 2013, Telekom Namibia invested 1.2 billion Rand into a South African ICT & Internet Infrastructure project.
Namibia has been importing approximately 40% of its electrical supply from Eskom but interestingly in January this year Nampower exported 200MWs of power to Eskom from its Ruacana Hydropower station on the Kunene River bordering with Angola.
Distinguished Guest of Honour, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Let us continue to be mindful that we co-exist in a global village where economies are interdependent and our countries continue to exude this reality. Let us continue to work together in this manner. As a young nation we are well aware that a critical element in achieving Namibia’s Vision 2030 is strategic partnership at all levels of cooperation.
The High Commission, therefore, extends a hand of political and socio-economic partnership to all nations represented here this evening and to those that could not be here with us due equally important commitments. I wish to seize this opportunity to reiterate our commitment towards building new and strengthening existing mutually beneficial relations.
In conclusion, please allow me to, once again, welcome you all to this celebration and please enjoy the performance of the University of Namibia’s Choir that travelled all the way from Namibia to be with us tonight.
Let me make use of this opportunity to thank the Namibia Breweries for their generous sponsorship of Namibian beers and the staff of the Namibian High Commission, who made this function possible.
Distinguished Guest of Honour, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
With these few remarks, it is my singular honour to invite you all to join me in proposing a toast to the good health of Their Excellencies President Jacob Zuma and President Dr. Hage Geingob.
THANK YOU!
RE A LEBOGA!