HEADLINE:   British diplomat bids farewell

PUBLICATION: Cape Times

  

PAGE NUMBER: 9

AUTHOR:     Zubeida Jaffer

DATE:       2000-08-14 11:08:55

'A RELATIONSHIP OF EQUALS'

British diplomat bids farewell

ZUBEIDA JAFFER

PARLIAMENTARY EDITOR

BRITAIN'S High Commissioner, Dame Maeve Fort, leaves South Africa on Friday this week. 

Her four-year-term has ended. In 1996, Fort became the first British ambassador to be sworn into office in a democratic South Africa, the moment she is proudest of. 

"I am the only British representative to have presented credentials to Madiba," she said. 

"You start on a high point with something like that." 

Considering Britain's long, tumultuous relationship with South Africa, her arrival consolidated the beginning of a different trend. 

"It was always a very difficult relationship before 1994 because of the claims that the then government made that they were the vanguard of western democracy," she said.

"We did not see them as that at all."

As she says farewell, Fort describes the relationship between the two countries as "a relationship of equals".  

This is particularly expressed through "a much more natural trading relationship" that has developed over the past four years. 

South African exports to the United Kingdom have grown steadily from £970 

million in 1994 to £1.7 billion in 1999. 

Imports from the UK have dropped from 

£2.2bn in 1994 to £1.6bn in 1998. 

"Our trade is now in balance because you have overtaken us," she said. "You now export more to us than we export to you, and that's a sign of that equality."

The UK is South Africa's largest investor. A close examination of foreign investment since 1994 shows new investment rather than an extension of existing investment. 

"We are still the biggest investor in new products, new services and new production centres."

A new impetus from the South African side has come from Information Technology (IT) companies. 

"South African IT companies are buying up British companies, and that is partnership," she said. 

"If there is self-interest on both sides, it works better."

Trade development was based on a good political relationship. Not only was there a good relationship between the two government leaders, Thabo Mbeki and Tony Blair, but there was also a good friendship. 

"They always see each other as friends," she said. 

"But there is substance to that too. They can speak freely and equally to one another."

The crisis in Zimbabwe has been a test of this relationship, but Fort says this has not strained relations. 

"We share the same concerns. President Mbeki has no difficulty in getting his message over because he understands perfectly our message. 

"We understand that South Africa is a neighbour and a member of SADC."

But she is decidedly cautious, choosing her words carefully. 

"We are trying to say as little as possible because it sets him (President Robert Mugabe) off, but we believe the country is in real trouble."

She said she found it disturbing that the recent SADC summit found it acceptable for someone to stay in power as head of state even though he seems no longer committed to freedom and democracy for everyone.

"You have to question a democracy that allows somebody who is clearly unpopular to continue year after year."

When Austria elected a right-wing leader, Jšrg Haider, nine European countries had indicated their disapproval, leading to his eventual resignation.

"We hope that President Mugabe will listen to SADC and carry out the promised economic reforms," she said.

About President Mbeki's efforts to raise money for Zimbabwe's land reform programme, she said that Britain had fulfilled its Lancaster House obligations and had always been prepared to support land reform. 

"The possibility for funds for land reform has always been there but it was only when he lost a referendum and nearly lost an election, that he embarked on this course," she said. 

"It almost seems like revenge on his people for rejection."

Britain, she said, had no problem with the recent SADC decision that President Mbeki approach her country to further raise the issue of land compensation and reform, but could not act unconstitutionally by using monies earmarked for development for other things. 

"The money is available," she said. 

"But what you are really talking about is international development funds and certainly in the UK, funds for development can only be spent on development and not to award cronies and so-called veterans for outbreaks of lawlessness."

She insists that Britain has always said it would support,  financially and organisationally, genuine land reform in Zimbabwe. 

"President Mugabe as recently as 1998 signed up to certain principles of land reform," she said. 

"We very much look forward to seeing him carry this out."

For South Africa to extricate itself from the negative impact of the Zimbabwean crisis, it needed to take an unambiguous stance. 

"You need to get your own message over very clearly and unambiguously Ñ that your country welcomes foreign investment, that it is a haven of political stability, that it has very sound economic policies, that it welcomes the actions of the free market and that it has a very positive approach to globalisation."

Two weeks ago, Fort hosted the lord mayor of London, who had brought with him a group of business people.

"He said that he would certainly be taking back a message to the city that South Africa was a good place to invest and that there were great opportunities here," she said. 

"He had experienced it for himself."

During her four years, parliamentary democracy had moved into a new phase Ñ from writing legislation which wiped out apartheid, to making that legislation live. 

"The MPs' duty now is ensuring that the laws are actually carried out in the spirit in which they were intended."

The greatest challenge remains to make the institutions of society work.

"That takes application and money" she said.

She disagreed that there had been any resurgence of racism, but added that she was not sure that entrenched racism had ever dissipated completely. 

Education was the key to deal with the 

problem. 

"Here you have to redress an educational system severely marked by racism," she said. 

"Everybody should have the opportunity for the same education because that would give them the opportunity for jobs.

"If your teachers are underqualified, or if maths is not offered to the same standard everywhere, then you do not have equality of opportunity. 

"But I think as with anything, if you stick to the basic principles that no race is superior to any other race, that people have equality of opportunity, that they have redress if their rights are disturbed or harmed, then there is a way through this."

She has been struck most by the enthusiasm she has seen.  

"I think you are amazing people," she said. 

"In some ways you are a very lucky country. But it is not entirely luck. 

"It's that people are so energetic and enthusiastic Ñ some of them doing very complicated things, some doing very simple things. But everybody is ready to have a go."

Her term in South Africa brings her to the end of her diplomatic career. She retires to her home in London where she will be indulging herself in "digging and house-painting". 

Unlike Madiba, who seems to have forgotten about his intention to head straight for his garden, she is determined to "really going to be doing that".

"I have been continuously abroad for the past 11 years and have a house that needs working on." she said. 

Before coming to South Africa, Fort was ambassador to Mozambique and Lebanon.

But then comes the casual admission. 

"The only thing I have committed myself to is the Sir Alfred Beit Educational Trust. We support primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Southern Africa."

Her four-year term in South Africa may be ending this week, but her ties to this part of the world look set to continue.