Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says South Africa has welcomed the opportunity to share its views and insights at the 11th International Meeting of High-Ranking officials responsible for security matters.

“On behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, we welcome the opportunity to share our views and insights on this important topic which requires both our individual and collective action,” Ntshavheni said.

She was speaking in Russia at the 11th International Meeting of High-Ranking officials responsible for security matters.

“The world we live in is changing at a very fast pace bringing with both challenges and opportunities for humanity, as individuals, countries, regions and the global society in general,” Ntshavheni said.

Ntshavheni said climate change, unprecedented levels of migration as a result of conflicts and wars, the pursuit of economic opportunities, and the adoption of ICTs, among others, were creating both new opportunities for development and threats against nation states.

“These changes are worsening the development trajectory of developing countries, particularly in Africa and South Africa to be specific.

“The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed to the government and people of South Africa and the African continent that if the global community were committed to the eradication of disease in Africa, concerted efforts would have been made to develop affordable vaccines for diseases such as Malaria, Ebola, Typhoid and others that continue to plague our continent and people,” Ntshavheni said.

Ntshavheni said despite Africa being the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global community were non-committal to pleas to finance, in reasonable and affordable terms, of the economic recovery and reconstruction programmes in Africa through participation in the investment initiatives of African governments including South Africa.

“Still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that shrunk South Africa’s economy to 2016 levels with severe implications for employment and the fight against poverty.

“South Africa has, in the last three years, annually suffered severe floods that devastated public and economic infrastructure in three Provinces and reversed the strides made with regard to improving food security, eradication of poverty and unemployment and creating an equal society,” Ntshavheni said.

She told the meeting that the floods were not limited to South Africa but affected other countries in Southern African, and that their impact on soil structure is forcing are design of the spatial plans.

“Therefore, although South Africa is able to use space technology for accurate weather prediction over alonger period of time, the need to redesign spatial plans and the extent of the mass displacements of families, the resettlement programme cannot be completed in a short time,” Minister Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency