Apartheid: We ‘ll never betray support we received – South African Envoy

Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bobby Moroe, has said the Republic of South Africa will never betray the support it received from African countries and the world during its struggle for freedom.

Moroe made the remark recently while celebrating the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s National Freedom Day in Abuja.

“Our promise to the continent and to the world is that the 25 years of freedom that we are celebrating today, which did not come easily, came through the support of the continent and the international community. Our promise is that we will never betray the support that we have received,” Moroe said.

Moroe further said the role South Africa has played in global governance in the past 25 years, demonstrated South Africa’s commitment to ensuring that it consolidated on the African agenda within the context of regional integration and Southern African Development Community (SADEC), working together with West Africa through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other international bodies.

Moroe added that South Africa’s membership of IBSA (Indian, Brazil, South Africa) Dialogue Forum and (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), did not exclude other African members.

Moroe also said South Africa’s membership of BRICS did not only benefit South Africa, but the entire continent of Africa.

“You know that in the previous summit that we hosted under the BRICS banner, our presidents have made sure that they invited heads of state from many African countries to come on board to say to them; look, although South Africa is the only member of BRICS in the continent, it is through our membership that you will also enjoy the benefits that we derive.

“South Africa’s membership of BRICS does not only benefit South Africa, it is to the benefit of the entire continent. And we have made sure that we walk the floor, we fold our sleeves, we sweat, we walk by our sweat and we speak truth to power, and we represent the continent.

“So, we continue to make use of our strengthening of the African agenda and South Africa’s foremost foreign policy principle, and we are not about to stop that,” Moroe stated.