Speech to the
Liberal Trade Union of Belgium Conference
by
His Excellency, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi
Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation
President of the Inkatha Freedom Party

Mr President and delegates:

I am delighted to have been given the opportunity of addressing the Conference of the Liberal Trade Union of Belgium. I am the Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation and served as South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs in the first decade of democracy.

I am a son of Africa and a direct descendant of the Zulu King Shaka. My clan, the Buthelezi, faced the power of colonialism and inflicted the biggest defeat ever on imperial Britain at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. But despite our epic history, we live in the best times in our nation's existence.

The challenges of development in the global economy, of which I have been asked to speak from an African perspective, are many.

I am proud to say that my country, South Africa, is the continent's economic powerhouse. It is also a leader of the African family of nations. We are striving to uphold the principles of democracy and good governance at home and abroad. These principles have been promoted, in particular, through the New Partnership for African Development, NEPAD for short, and its Peer Review Mechanism.

As a result, South Africa has enjoyed solid market fundamentals and a positive economic outlook with growth edging towards four percent. Macro economic stability has been achieved.

Yet, economic growth remains low compared to other developing countries. Most alarming for South African workers, entrants to the labour market are growing three times faster than the economy is able to create jobs. We are, in many ways, experiencing what some economists have described as "jobless growth".

I would attribute this to two major challenges: HIV/Aids and poverty.

In order to create jobs and fight poverty, governments across Africa must do more to attract foreign direct investment. Investors are concerned about the impact of HIV/Aids upon our workforce. And its impact is devastating.

One in ten people we work with in the office, or sit next to in a taxi, or in a Sunday church service, are infected. This disease has created brand new categories of orphans, child-headed households, and terminally ill patients, who cannot perform their daily tasks without cumbersome assistance. I, myself, lost two of my own children to this terrible disease last year.

The disease, of course, has profound consequences for workers. We have to protect the economy, whilst at the same time protecting the rights of those who work hard to develop it.

By killing off mainly young adults, THE economically active portions of society, HIV/Aids also seriously weakens the tax base, further inhibiting the government's ability to meet the demands for public spending.

I have therefore urged companies in South Africa to follow the example of the mining giant Anglo American. Over the last two years, Anglo American has implemented extensive voluntary counselling and testing for HIV infection, coupled with anti-retroviral therapy for employees progressing to Aids.

As I have said in South Africa before, I am concerned that funds for HIV/Aids only constitute less that one percent of our total budget. I contend that if our nation was fighting a military campaign against invading forces, we would allocate more than one percent of our resources to fighting it. How much more should we invest in fighting a war that threatens our very existence?

NEPAD, which I referred to earlier, is an indication of how far we, as Africans, have come. We no longer ask the countries of the North for aid. In exchange for aid we now offer genuine development, the pursuit of democracy and the rule of law.

HIV/Aids and poverty are interlinked. In a vicious cycle, poverty means that people are more likely to contract HIV/Aids. The virus, in turn, makes poverty worse, as young parents get sick and die, leaving their children vulnerable and unprotected. Children, particularly girls, are at particular risk from Aids. The levels of poverty in South Africa, let alone in Africa, are unspeakable. There are many faces of poverty. A poverty of education. A poverty of sanitation. A poverty of opportunity. Too many people are born into poverty and never escape its deadly grip. That it why it is vital we give people a hand up, not a hand down. Let us equip them with the life skills of self-help and self-reliance. Let us help them to help themselves.

There is an organisation present here today of which I am a very proud patron. It is called the National South African Workers' Welfare and it is funded by you. They have been putting into practice the 'from the ground up approach', which I have just spoken of. The focus of the organisation's work is to assist and train workers about HIV/Aids-related issues in the workplace and their communities.

They have achieved remarkable results in a short time. To you, Mr President and delegates, I say thank you and please keep it up.

As I look into the future, as a Zulu prince with an eye for history, I can say with confidence that the next decade in South Africa will be more difficult than the last.

The challenges of nation building and reconciliation are giving way to the pursuit of progress and prosperity for all, not just an elite few.

I am sure this is a noble venture which the workers of Belgium will wish us well in. I would also like to thank my hosts for their gracious hospitality.