101. Mr. President, on behalf of the South African delegation, I wish to extend to you our congratulations on your election to the presidency of this Assembly. We are indeed fortunate to be guided in our deliberations by a person of your ability and experience.
102. Since I have not had an earlier opportunity to do so, I now wish to welcome one of our closest neighbours, the Kingdom of Swaziland, as a Member of this Organization. A short while ago I had the honour to represent South Africa at Swaziland’s independence celebrations.
103. Relations between South Africa and Swaziland have always been close and cordial over several generations, going back to long before the era which ended on 6 September 1968. Thus it was in fact a resumption of direct relations which proved mutually fruitful in the past and which we are sure will be the same in the future. We welcome Swaziland to the community of nations, and more particularly to the growing circle of independent States in
southern Africa living in harmony in the spirit of sovereign equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of others—a genuine system of peaceful coexistence, with fruitful co-operation in the many fields of mutual concern, which is proving a living reality.
104. In the course of my remarks to the Assembly last year I uttered a plea for respect and tolerance in our relations with one another. This, I maintained, would make it easier for us all to avoid sterile ideological debate and free us to concentrate more on the basic needs of mankind — securing freedom from want, encouraging economic development and providing for education, improved health conditions and living standards — some of the most important tasks enjoined upon us by the Charter.
105. Unfortunately, during the past year, there have been no signs of greater tolerance or respect between nations and peoples. All over the world, since last we met, there have been confrontations, clashes, even open violence between nations or population groups. Indeed, we cannot but view the events of the past year with great sadness. Fresh in our minds is the callous use of brute military force by the Soviet Union against a small neighbouring country. This came, ironically, within months after the Soviet Union solemnly undertook special responsibilities as a nuclear-weapon State and as a permanent member of the Security Council. In the United Nations itself there have been numerous instances of malice and intolerance. The machinery of the Secretariat has, for example, been subverted to further a vendetta against my country, in violation of the Charter and in defiance of the facts.
106. What is even more deplorable, the Secretary-General himself, in the introduction to his latest annual report [A/7201/Add.1], in total disregard of the true state of affairs, can foresee only a collision course for southern Africa. I do not wish to analyze here today the Secretary-General’s forewarnings of doom, or for that matter his condemnations of, amongst others, my own country. I must, however, emphatically reject his premises and conclusions, for the facts of life in southern Africa so patently present a totally different picture. It is, as I will indicate, a picture of achievement and progress, in the spirit of the Charter, one which calls for recognition and acclaim, instead of incitement to confrontation. Is it not ironic that while bloody warfare is devastating a region of Africa for which so much was hoped, while so many innocent men, women and children are exposed to suffering, starvation and death, so much time, money and energy should be devoted in this Organization to attacking my country as a so-called “threat to world peace”?
107. And, meanwhile, what of our task to lighten the burdens, to bring increased prosperity to the peoples of the world? Being from Africa I pose this question particularly in regard to that continent. A recent survey by the Economic Commission for Africa, of economic conditions in Africa has revealed some disquieting statistics about the continent. In many African lands, the standard of living has actually declined during the past six years. At the present rate of growth it will, it is said, take 273 years before African incomes reach present British standards and 343 years before they reach American standards. The conclusion would seem to be that, if the present tempo is maintained, there will be no hope for Africa to bridge the economic gap which separates it from the developed lands; indeed, greater poverty and misery may well be in store.
108. We in South Africa have studied this document carefully and while we share the concern of the experts about the economic future of the continent, we believe that something can be done about these problems. And here, in the interests of humanity, I renew the plea I made last year and to which I have just referred. Problems and difficulties do exist, in no small measure, but we do not feel that they are insurmountable, given patience, goodwill and co-operation. For us in South Africa, it is important that the problems should be tackled, for we are ourselves a part of the continent and whatever happens elsewhere in Africa has its repercussions upon us. It is very much in our own interest that Africa should be peaceful, stable and prosperous.
109. We, for our part, are doing our best to live up to the spirit of the Charter. Not only has a great deal been achieved as regards the internal development of our own country for the benefit of all sections of our multinational population, but in co-operation with our neighbours much has been accomplished to provide hope for the future in the southern portion of the continent.
110. It is our belief that, with an expanding economy, we are in a position to provide an effective stimulus to economic growth in other countries in our region of the continent. Similarly, economic progress in those countries must have a beneficial effect on our own efforts. When I therefore say that we in southern Africa may confound the prophecies and fears of the economists, I say it in the full confidence that we shall progressively overcome our economic problems in co-operation with each other.
111. What is already happening in our part of the world? Let me start by taking a few illustrations from my own country.
112. The South African economy as a whole has in recent years succeeded in combining to a remarkable extent stability with rapid economic growth. Not only have our currency and general financial state remained healthy, but our real gross domestic product has, over the past five years, shown an annual average increase of almost 7 per cent. This has produced benefits for all our population groups and economic projections indicate that during the next thirty-five years the living standards of our total population will at least more than double. During the same period the total purchasing power of the population should increase more than sixfold.
113. Our industrial growth averaged more than 9 per cent during the last five years, an achievement almost unequalled in the rest of the world. In 1967 South Africa generated 37,869 million units of electricity, which is more than 60 per cent of all the electricity generated in Africa. The consumption of electricity in South Africa amounts to somewhat more than 2,000 units per head of our total population, or more than twenty times the average figure per head for the rest of Africa. The generating capacity now installed in South Africa exceeds 7,000 mW, and with an annual increase of about 8 per cent, its generating capacity will more than double during the next ten years. South Africa is, moreover, one of the important trading nations of the world, and in 1966 its foreign trade amounted to $5,664 million.
114. While, in 1948, South Africa provided only 39 per cent of its capital requirements from its own sources, this percentage has now risen to well over 90. Thirty-two per cent of the national income is saved. The corresponding figure for the United States and Britain is approximately 14 per cent and for the Federal Republic of Germany 23 per cent. The stage has now been reached where foreign investment, though still useful, is no longer essential for the growth of the South African economy.
115. On completion of the Orange River Project — which is one of the biggest combined irrigation and hydro-electric projects in the world — as well as several other projects at present being planned and those already under construction, agricultural production in South Africa will increase considerably. Despite the fact that our population groups comprising about 18,400,000 people are expected to increase two-and-a-half times to at least 40 million in thirty-five years, we expect to be able to feed all our people and we may even be in a position to be of assistance to other countries. Industries are now being brought to the doorstep of scattered areas of the country, thus providing labour opportunities and currency in sectors previously mainly engaged in traditional subsistence agriculture.
116. The domestic market, small in comparison with those of the great industrial nations of the world, is expanding rapidly as the population swells and the increased prosperity of the various peoples creates demands which can be filled by local manufacture. More and more goods which previously had to be imported can now be supplied by our own industries.
117. However important these facts and developments are to all the population groups in my country, I refer to them merely because they must be seen as a future pattern of development for southern Africa as a whole. From this economic hub radiates growth to the other parts of our region. I do not wish to suggest that a new and developing State cannot by itself attain economic growth, but we all know that the creation of the prerequisites for such development requires not only vast capital investment, experience and acquired skill, but also time. For example, transportation — one of the essentials for economic development — requires not only railways and roads but also ports.
118. In the field of transportation, Africa provides 1.8 per cent of the world’s rail freight, although the total population of the continent comprises 8.5 per cent of the total world population. Southern Africa has a railway mileage of about 20,655 route miles of which 13,702 miles are in South Africa and South West Africa. South Africa possesses the required heavy machinery and the knowledge of similar environmental conditions to assist others in the construction and expansion of railway routes. Furthermore, our
transportation system, serving as a link with the outside world, is available to other countries in southern Africa; so is our entire communications system.
119. Let me quote from another document produced by the Economic Commission for Africa and circulated by the United Nations:
“...if the tempo of development is to be accelerated, and if an intensification of economic inequalities within the sub-region is to be prevented, there appears to be no alternative to increasing economic co-operation and co-ordinated development in the sub-region.”
South Africa shares these views and has for some time been applying them in southern Africa.
120. Technical co-operation within this region is of long standing. Because of similar climate, soil and plant growth, as well as similar problems, there are large areas of common concern to the countries of southern Africa. In this technical field South Africa has had the advantage of many years of co-ordinated scientific research, and the findings of its well-established-and experienced research institutions are freely communicated within the region.
121. Since many of the neighbouring territories are largely dependent upon the agricultural sector of their economies, co-operation with South Africa in combating the various animal and plant diseases is of the utmost importance. Technical aid, as for example in projects for the improvement of the cattle herds of our neighbours, is already being provided, while South African scientists have also been of assistance in connexion with other development projects.
122. South Africa’s proximity to its neighbours makes it possible for technicians to be supplied at short notice to cope with emergencies or problems which can be tackled only on the spot. The technicians themselves thus widen their experience of the region while simultaneously supplying the needed assistance. In this regard, I may mention our assistance to Lesotho with the recent outbreak of plague and to Swaziland with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease some time ago.
123. Incidentally, this is not solely a question of governmental policy; it is symptomatic of the spirit of our people in their approach to co-operation with our neighbours. Very recently, for example, a group of South African farmers took 200 of their tractors to a neighbouring country to plough the lands of African farmers who, because of losses suffered during the preceding drought, were unable to do it themselves.
124. Possibly the most important area of co-operation at the moment is that directed towards improving the supply of water and power to the region. About one-half of southern Africa receives less than 600 millimetres of rain per annum, which is the minimum required for producing crops successfully under dry-land conditions.
125. In addition, the growth of industries will impose far greater demands on existing resources. The building of dams for irrigation purposes and the provision of hydro-electric power have thus become an urgent priority. Since many of the large perennial rivers of the region form boundaries with, or flow through, two or more countries, the need for co-operation is obvious.
126. Furthermore, it would be of no avail if a developing country were to start large-scale power and water projects unless the bulk of the power produced could be sold elsewhere. South Africa provides such a market, making possible the production of cheap power and thus providing a valuable stimulus for the development of these countries. Indeed, without South Africa as a market, many of these projects would not be economically viable.
127. May I, by way of illustration, mention a few examples such as the Cahorabassa hydro-electric scheme on the Zambezi, the so-called Oxbow scheme in Lesotho and the Kunene project. The power from Cahorabassa is expected to become of immeasurable importance to several countries in the area. Oxbow, while on a more limited scale, could become an important factor in the economic development of Lesotho, because water and power sold to South Africa could make a considerable annual contribution to the economy of that country. Likewise, the Kunene project will become a key factor in the development and economic well-being of the peoples of South West Africa and Angola. This is but the beginning. Other projects on the Limpopo and Okavango Rivers and on the rivers of Swaziland are in the process of investigation.
128. Another very important field in which the countries of southern Africa closely co-operate is that of marketing. The agricultural and mineral products which form the basis of economic activities in South Africa’s neighbouring countries are, to a very large extent, marketed through the same channels. In fact, three of our neighbours have, through the long-existing Customs Union, virtually free access to our markets. There is a reasonably free movement of capital between our respective countries, and our infrastructures are closely bound up. Apart from the flow of goods and services, there is also a flow of labour from countries in southern Africa to my country. Well over half a million foreign African workers are employed in the Republic of South Africa and remit substantial amounts to their home countries. In this way the pressure on inadequate resources in these countries is considerably relieved. The remittances of foreign African workers employed in South Africa add significantly to the value of the exports of their countries and in certain cases amount to one and a half times the value of exports. In addition, the countries concerned benefit from the skills brought back by their citizens.
129. In these ways southern Africa is forging ahead. We, for our part, are happy to participate in this great venture, because the increased prosperity of the region will bring, and is bringing, increased prosperity for all. Neighbouring peoples have a duty to co-operate; they have to find a formula for peaceful and amicable coexistence in order to ensure, on the regional level, the successful implementation of long-term planning and meaningful development. It is self-evident that such a formula will not be found if
neighbours are preoccupied with possible differences of opinion on domestic matters. It is obvious that such a formula must be based on common interest. In southern Africa we have a multitude of problems but at the same time we have developed a successful pattern of peaceful coexistence that can make a real contribution to peace and progress in our own sub-continent and thus promote world peace.
130. To the outside world, it often seems strange that we are not for ever at loggerheads with our neighbours. Indeed, the prophets of doom have for long forecast constant strife. Instead of that, our part of the continent is one of the few areas where peace reigns, where peoples do not pose a threat to one another and where the future holds promises of growing prosperity. When peace in our part of Africa is threatened it can only be from without — but I am convinced that we can jointly resist any such threat. And it is our hope that the notes of discord that are still being heard in some parts will give way to harmony — in the interest of us all.
131. From our earliest history we have sought amicable and peaceful coexistence. Conquest and aggression have never been our policies. The peace that we have sought, we have sought in negotiation and co-operation — not by force.
132. The peoples of southern Africa know one another’s history and know one another’s ways. We have also suffered under imperialism. Our neighbours know that no principle is more strongly embedded in our traditions than that of self-determination. What we claim for ourselves we concede to others. We believe that when the separate identity of each people is being respected and protected, when no nation is threatened by domination, only then can there be real co-operation. Our desire to live in peace with our neighbours is thus in the first place firmly based on our traditional respect for the right of self-determination for all peoples.
133. Today we have already a number of independent States in the sub-continent which, in the exercise of their political independence, are building up a pattern of peaceful co-operation. This, in the light of experience elsewhere, would not have been the case if the separate nations had felt that their right to control their own future was being jeopardized. After all, it took Europe centuries of strife and destruction before it was realized that countries could maintain their political independence while co-operating in the economic sphere to the advantage of everyone. And it is only now that Europe can enjoy the fruits of such a community pattern.
134. In southern Africa the importance of economic co-operation can hardly be overemphasized. As I have indicated, it is for us not merely a question of the usual forms of economic co-operation - it goes much further. We are determined to accelerate economic growth and to enable the countries of our region to reach the present economic standards of the developed countries in a much shorter time than is generally expected.
135. We realize that there is a long and difficult road ahead. But as long as we honour the traditional principles for international co-operation, we shall successfully meet the challenge. I therefore urge a better understanding of the problems of southern Africa and greater appreciation of its efforts, and I appeal to others not to let their quarrels extend to our part of the world. Plans to extend political and economic influence can only bedevil the honest efforts of the nations of southern Africa to improve the standard of living of their peoples.
136. To sum up: our formula for co-operation in southern Africa and for our political relationships rests on proven principles and communal interests. We believe that differences in political systems need not be an obstacle to co-operation. We can peacefully live together because we recognize one another’s sovereign equality and in our relations we show mutual tolerance and respect and we do not interfere in one another’s domestic affairs.
137. Although the world labours under perplexing and intractable problems and much confusion exists as to what constitutes healthy norms and principles for international co-operation, in southern Africa we are endeavouring to provide a practical example of a viable solution. Those who do not wish to see us succeed are the enemies of all the peoples of southern Africa. Is it too much to hope that in this Organization responsible voices will be raised to condemn violence and terrorism in a region which has so far been spared these horrors?
138. I am confident that left in peace the peoples of southern Africa can assure for themselves a bright future. I return, therefore, to my starting point, and reiterate my plea for respect and tolerance in our relations with each other so that we may be free to press forward in our efforts to create a better world.