Hon Chairperson, in September the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Patel paraded a so-called Sacum, UK economic partnership deal. We said it then and we will say it again, there is no fundamental shift that is going to happen in the trade relations between Southern Africa and the colonial racist Britain and the
UK in general. This is nothing but a new colonial status which will continue to benefit the minority white agricultural practitioners, European manufacturers and allow mining companies some of who are criminal syndicates like Genkor to continue to enjoy unfettered access to our mineral resources whilst our people do not benefit.
What we are dealing with here is a problem, the protection of white monopoly control of the economy in South Africa. Here is what we should be doing as Southern Africa and the continent. Firstly, we should realise and appreciate that our development as the region and African Continent is linked and should happen as one thing. Secondly, we must begin to talk about African economy and trade more.
Thirdly, we must follow African Tree Trade Agreement which must fast track the process to establish one currency, an African currency. Lastly, we must begin to regulate as a continent goods that come to Africa and mineral resources that leave the continent and agree that
more than 70% of all minerals must be beneficiated in the continent.
If we continue to trade as the individual countries within the world, even agreements such as Sacum are rendered useless. In South Africa, we must repurpose state owned entities such as Eskom, Transnet, SAA and Denel to play a much broader and practical role in the development of Africa and building of infrastructure, instead of celebrating and agreeing to some colonial arrangement that should have died in 1994. I thank you hon Chair.