CEREMONY: In his inaugural address, Jacob Zuma vowed to fight poverty and improve education and healthcare.PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete is among 29 heads of state and government expected to witness the inauguration of president-elect Jacob Zuma in South Africa today.
According to media reports from Pretoria, some 5,000 invited guests will attend the swearing-in ceremony at the Unions Buildings in Pretoria. Apart from President Kikwete, the guest list also includes the presidents of Kenya, Angola, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Nigeria, to name but a few. A
ll former presidents of South Africa have been invited, with ousted president Thabo Mbeki confirming his attendance. Seven countries will be represented by deputy presidents and 56 countries by special envoys, foreign ministers, or parliamentary speakers.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, has also been invited. Other guests include former presidents Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia), Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique), and Ketumile Masire (Botswana).
Also on the guest list are the African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretary-General Tomaz Salamao, and European Union Commissioner Baroness Ashton.
Revolutionary political parties that are ’fraternal’ to South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) have also been invited, including Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), FRELIMO of Mozambique, and SWAPO (Namibia).
Between 11 am and noon today, outgoing South African president Kgalema Motlanthe will invest Zuma with the platinum Order of Mapungubwe. Zuma will then take his oath of office, after which he will observe the 21-gun salute and a fly-past by four helicopters and Astra aircraft.
Zuma will deliver an address at noon, and thereafter walk a few metres to the Southern Lawns to briefly speak to the thousands of people expected to gather for his inauguration. South Africa prepared yesterday for tens of thousands of people to attend Zuma’s inauguration, while brushing off concerns over a guest list that includes officials from North Korea and Sudan.
Zuma will be sworn in today as the fourth president since the fall of apartheid, with almost 100 foreign delegations set to attend with 30,000 onlookers gathered on the lawns at the seat of government in Pretoria.
Activists have already started protesting over Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s visit, with pressure group AfriForum hanging posters in Pretoria reading ’’Mugabe, Go Home!’’ Police quickly took down the signs, but Zuma is already under pressure to take a tougher line on Mugabe than his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who brokered a power-sharing deal but was often criticised for being too soft on Mugabe.
South Africa also faces complaints over invitations extended to King Mswati III of Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarch, and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, who is the target of an international arrest warrant on war crimes charges.
Zuma’s allies in labour unions have vocally opposed the invitation extended to Mswati, who has not yet confirmed if he will attend. Meanwhile, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will not attend the inauguration ceremony of Jacob Zuma as the new president, his office said yesterday. Tutu had previously stated that he did not look forward to having Zuma as the country’s president.
Msomaji
Dar es salaam
According to media reports from Pretoria, some 5,000 invited guests will attend the swearing-in ceremony at the Unions Buildings in Pretoria. Apart from President Kikwete, the guest list also includes the presidents of Kenya, Angola, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Nigeria, to name but a few. A
ll former presidents of South Africa have been invited, with ousted president Thabo Mbeki confirming his attendance. Seven countries will be represented by deputy presidents and 56 countries by special envoys, foreign ministers, or parliamentary speakers.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, has also been invited. Other guests include former presidents Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia), Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique), and Ketumile Masire (Botswana).
Also on the guest list are the African Union Commission chairperson Jean Ping, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretary-General Tomaz Salamao, and European Union Commissioner Baroness Ashton.
Revolutionary political parties that are ’fraternal’ to South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) have also been invited, including Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), FRELIMO of Mozambique, and SWAPO (Namibia).
Between 11 am and noon today, outgoing South African president Kgalema Motlanthe will invest Zuma with the platinum Order of Mapungubwe. Zuma will then take his oath of office, after which he will observe the 21-gun salute and a fly-past by four helicopters and Astra aircraft.
Zuma will deliver an address at noon, and thereafter walk a few metres to the Southern Lawns to briefly speak to the thousands of people expected to gather for his inauguration. South Africa prepared yesterday for tens of thousands of people to attend Zuma’s inauguration, while brushing off concerns over a guest list that includes officials from North Korea and Sudan.
Zuma will be sworn in today as the fourth president since the fall of apartheid, with almost 100 foreign delegations set to attend with 30,000 onlookers gathered on the lawns at the seat of government in Pretoria.
Activists have already started protesting over Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s visit, with pressure group AfriForum hanging posters in Pretoria reading ’’Mugabe, Go Home!’’ Police quickly took down the signs, but Zuma is already under pressure to take a tougher line on Mugabe than his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, who brokered a power-sharing deal but was often criticised for being too soft on Mugabe.
South Africa also faces complaints over invitations extended to King Mswati III of Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarch, and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, who is the target of an international arrest warrant on war crimes charges.
Zuma’s allies in labour unions have vocally opposed the invitation extended to Mswati, who has not yet confirmed if he will attend. Meanwhile, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will not attend the inauguration ceremony of Jacob Zuma as the new president, his office said yesterday. Tutu had previously stated that he did not look forward to having Zuma as the country’s president.
Msomaji
Dar es salaam
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