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The Pan-African Parliament has an important mandate of contributing to the strengthening of the culture of democracy, good governance, and the rule of law on the continent, HE Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa has said.
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services for South Africa, Mr. Ronald Lamola (MP) on behalf of the President of the Republic of South Africa, HE Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, made the remarks on the occasion of the Opening Session of the First Ordinary session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament today in Johannesburg.
“The Pan-African Parliament has an important mandate of contributing to the strengthening of the culture of democracy, good governance, and the rule of law in the continent.
“This includes the implementation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance which provides a framework for election monitoring on our continent. Some of our countries have held elections this year, but still, more are expected to hold them in 2023.
“We need to interrogate the responsibility of the PAP as an institution in supporting the AU. The High-Level Parliamentary dialogue on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance that you are scheduled to have during this session as well as the roundtable on advancing democratic governance, will contribute towards that effort,” President Ramaphosa said.
On his part, Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, the PAP President, said the leadership of the Pan African Parliament has an obligation in its collective ability to accelerate the institutional development and growth of the continental law-making body.
“We embrace this task and the solemnity of our oath mindful that four Presidents have taken the presidential oath before me, including the preceding five Bureaus and five Parliaments. The promissory words of the oath have been spoken as much during rising tides of prosperity and still waters of peace as they have been during gathering clouds of conflict and raging storms of persistent economic challenges.
“At these moments, Africa has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but also because of the resilience of our people. As we open the First Ordinary Session of this 6th Parliament, my question to all of us is, what is going to be our place in history? What will differentiate the 6th Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament from our predecessors?” Chief Charumbira said.
He said the presence today of representatives of ECOWAS, the Arab League, Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments is a demonstration of PAP’s commitment to give full and practical effect to the vision of its founding fathers and play an effective role in the continental governance matrix.
The PAP has gone even further than that by spreading its tentacles to establish mutually beneficial relationship with the European Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the Commonwealth represented by its Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Baronness Patricia Scotland here today and other Parliaments beyond the continent.
“Our aim is to ensure that the voice of African peoples also finds expression in the global development agenda. The interests of Africa should always find space on the global discussion table and, who better to articulate them, than the people’s elected representatives?”
Rt. Hon. Baronness Patricia Scotland, addressing journalists at a press conference, said the Commonwealth will be reviewing prospects of re-admitting Zimbabwe into the Commonwealth, with a visit for the country under Western-sponsored sanctions earmarked for November. There are hopes that the sanctions on Zimbabwe will be removed as the Second Republic embarked on a re-engagement exercise.