Hon Speaker, certainly South Africans contributed through the ANC to the formation of the OAU. Those who are old enough will remember that there were some organisations that were talking about the challenges of the continent, one of them being the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa, Pafmeca, which, with the participation of South Africa and other countries in the region here, changed its name to the Pan-African Freedom Movement for Eastern, Central and Southern Africa, Pafmecsa. It was people belonging to a number of organisations that met to discuss the matter. We were there and we made a contribution. That, of course, would have been informed by the actual founders of the ANC, particularly in the person of Dr Pixley Ka Seme, who wrote an historic essay about the whole of Africa's future, including its economic future and its unity. To us as South Africans it is not a new thing that we are participating in efforts to ensure that Africa deals with its challenges. I am sure that those who have read that essay will realise that from the onset our views about Africa were very clear, and therefore that the Pan-Africanism that is being talked about today was part of it.
That is why in the relations that we form today, whether we are in the G20 or Brics or Ibsa, or whatever formation, uppermost in our minds is how these relationships will enhance our being, not just as a country but as a continent, and how these will contribute to the economic development of our continent.
Whenever we take part in these forums, we raise the issue of Africa and, in addition, our own bilateral issues. Therefore, when we became part of Brics, and when we began to look at Africa, we were very clear that our membership of Brics had to benefit the continent. When we were to host Brics in South Africa, to us this was an important occasion to actualise that thinking, particularly because historically Africa has been bypassed by many developments and disadvantaged by many. We have a history that I think we are all aware of, but we have reached a point where we feel that we must be part of reshaping the global economic landscape, whether politically or economically. To actualise that, we felt it was important that, as the Brics was meeting in South Africa, we had to involve African countries.
That is why, on the sidelines of Brics, we introduced the African Brics Retreat. Therefore, we specifically invited key leaders - in terms of what they did - on the continent. For example, we invited the chairperson of the AU Commission and the chairpersons of regional economies on the continent, as well as the head of Nepad, plus heads of state that we believed would make a contribution to that interaction. Indeed, they welcomed this enthusiastically, and it took place here. We had a very successful meeting with Brics leaders and African leaders.
For the first time the African leaders prepared a presentation to Brics - on behalf of the continent, and not on behalf of individual countries - and made a formidable case, which was responded to very positively by Brics. In fact, there are many, many processes that are going on between Brics and African countries to implement those agreements. When some of the Brics countries went back, they communicated that they were looking at the resolutions and how they were going to be implemented in this new partnership.
We believe that that Brics interaction was absolutely crucial. For example, as we speak, some of the Brics countries who are part of the G20 have said that whenever they host the G20 they will also invite key African leaders to come and participate in those kinds of interactions. I think that indicates what we are talking about when we say we have needed to work together.
But what has been important in enabling us to succeed in this is the fact that African countries have moved away from seeing themselves as individual countries in many respects. They have accepted the fact that they have to work together as a continent. They have specific structures that they work with, but what has been important has been the realisation that without our working together in the way that I was describing here, so that there is trade within and among African countries, we cannot succeed in being a continent that can stand on its own.
This is no longer a debate. There has been agreement that we need to work together, and the process of integrating the economic regions has started. Three of these have come together, with a huge population that is almost half of the continent, and the work to try to bring together the African countries continues.
We have also realised that the borders that were created by colonialists in the form in which they are are not helping. The matter of how we ease border control has been discussed and agreed upon. Part of the programme - the massive infrastructure programme - addresses that issue very seriously.
I think the following applies when we speak for the first time as the African continent to other countries or partners. For example, we were in Japan just a few weeks ago. We speak about ourselves and our infrastructure, and ask them to come and participate here; in other words, to do business with us. That tells the story that Vision 2063 is a vision that you as a unit are going to be working on from now on, as a continent that understands that our interests cannot be separated. We have to work together to ensure that we secure the continent and to stand independent. We are able to develop. We are able to make Africa a continent that will take its place among other continents, as a continent that can offer something. That is what we are trying to do, and I think we are making good progress. Thank you. [Applause.]