Address by His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma on the occasion of his Inauguration as Fourth President of the Republic of South Africa, Union Buildings, Pretoria, 9 May 2009

On this day, a decade and a half ago, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was formally elected as the first President of a democratic South Africa.

At that moment a new nation was born, a nation founded on the fundamental principles of human dignity and equal rights for all.

A nation founded on the promise that ‘never, never and never again’ would this land experience the oppression of one by another.

Today, a decade and a half later, we gather here to reaffirm the promise of that great day.

We gather here determined to renew that most solemn undertaking, to build a society in which all people are freed from the shackles of discrimination, exploitation, want and disease.

We gather here determined that the struggles and sacrifices of our people over many decades shall not be in vain.

Instead, they shall inspire us to complete the task for which so much blood was shed, and so much hardship endured. This is a moment of renewal.

When Madiba took the oath of office on the 10th of May 1994, it was one of the greatest historic moments of our country, Africa and the African diaspora.

Madiba healed our wounds and established the rainbow nation very firmly.

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Invitation to the 3rd Annual SA International Trade & Investment Conference and Exhibition

28-30 October 2009, Johannesburg

On behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry we would like to invite you to participate in the 3^rd Annual South African International Trade & Investment Conference and Exhibition. This conference will be held in South Africa, 28-30 October 2009.

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17 March 2009 by Simangaliso Zwane on www.sa2010.gov.za

Visit www.sa2010.gov.za for information on tickets, venues, photos etc.

Johannesburg - The venue for the opening and closing matches of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in Johannesburg is now 65 percent complete, Johannesburg’s 2010 World Cup office says.  Joburg’s 2010 co-ordinator Sibongile Mazibuko said the Soccer City stadium will be ready in time for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.  

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The new consular email address is consular.chicago@foreign.gov.za

Temporary Passport fees for Chicago applicants have increased to $17.00 due to an increase in fax fees. Effective September 1, 2008, the following shipping fees takes effect:

Fees must be paid in postal money order or certified bank check payable to SACG. The postal money order or certified bank check must be made out with the exact amount as no refunds will be made. Personal check payments are not accepted. Do not issue more than one postal money order or certified bank check for all fees payable.

The Consulate General attended the annual  James E Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs at the University of Nebraska in Kearney on 9 and 10 March 2009 to deliver a paper on the “Role of Regional Powers on Conflict Management”.

The conference, started in 1964, is coordinated by the Office of International Education and is planned around a central theme. This year’s theme was “World in Turmoil: Understanding Conflict”.

The themes at the conference, were: The Effects of Globalization on Intra and Inter-State Relations; Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society in Central and South Asia; Science of Conflict Management; Human Rights and Activism in Latin America; Human Rights and Activism in Latin America; The Role of Regional Powers in Conflict Management; and Freedom: The Path to Lasting Peace in the Sudan.

Taxpayers should be on the look-out for a number of scams involving use of their personal and banking details, the SA Revenue Service warned on Monday.

“Sars would like to caution taxpayers against a number of scams currently underway which seek to defraud taxpayers of money or to obtain their bank and other personal details,” the statement said.

Sars said that two scams had recently been brought to its attention. Read the full article

 Ambassador Welile Nhlapo, seen here at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, paid an official visit to Springfield, the capital of Illinois from 21 to 23 January 2009. Ambassador Nhlapo was invited to take part in the Ambassador series of the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). The UIS invites ambassadors to address invited guest during a luncheon at the university. The event is then broadcast on the local public broadcasting service and is available on the internet at www.nktv.tv. The Ambassador addressed the invitees on: “The Focus of South Africa’s Foreign Policy on Conflict resolution Efforts in Africa and its Approach to Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development”. (Photograph: Marilyn Kok, UIS)

I am privileged to address the Joint Sitting of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, at the beginning of this last session of our Third Democratic Parliament. 

I stand before the people of South Africa with humility at the opportunity I have had to occupy the highest office in the land as a consequence of the unique circumstance arising out of the decision of the leading party in government to recall the former President.

Mine is a responsibility, within a matter of a few months, to lead the National Executive in completing the mandate accorded the African National Congress in the 2004 elections, and in laying the foundation for the post-election administration to hit the ground running.

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