YOUR MAJESTY, ‘M’E ‘MASENATE,

YOUR EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT BENJAMIN MKAPA AND

MRS. MKAPA, 

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. MOSISILI AND ‘M’E ‘MATHATO MOSISILI, 

THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,

THE HONOURABLE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY,

YOUR LORDSHIP THE CHIEF JUSTICE,

HONOURABLE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER,

HONOURABLE MINISTERS,

YOUR LORDSHIPS, JUDGES OF THE HIGH COURT,

HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT,

HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE,

YOUR EXCELLENCIES MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS,

YOUR WORSHIP THE MAYOR,

SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS,

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

MAY I GREET YOU ALL ON THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION, MARKING THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT BENJAMIN MKAPA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, TO THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO.  WE FEEL GREATLY HONOURED THAT your EXCELLENCY  FOUND TIME TO BE WITH US TODAY. 

ALLOW ME, THEREFORE, MR. PRESIDENT, ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF LESOTHO, AND ON MY OWN BEHALF, TO EXTEND OUR SPECIAL WORDS OF WELCOME, COMPLIMENTS AND RESPECTS TO YOUR EXCELLENCY AND YOUR ENTOURAGE.  WE HOPE THAT YOUR STAY AMONGST US, ALBEIT SHORT, WILL BE MOST FRUITFUL AND REWARDING. 

AS WE ALL KNOW, HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT MKAPA  HAILS FROM TANZANIA, A COUNTRY THAT WAS FORMED OUT OF THE UNION OF TANGANYIKA AND ZANZIBAR IN 1964.  AS AFRICANS, WE SHALL REMAIN FOREVER INDEBTED TO THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA  BECAUSE,   AMONG OTHER THINGS, IT  PRODUCED FOR US,   ONE   OF   THE   GREATEST AFRICAN LEADERS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY – IN THE PERSON OF MWALIMU JULIUS K. NYERERE, A TRUE PAN AFRICANIST AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU), AN INSPIRED LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE AND A VISIONARY WHO HAS LEFT HIS INDELIBLE FOOTPRINT ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE OF AFRICA. 

THIS GREAT COUNTRY IS ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS UNFLINCHING SUPPORT TO THE  CONTINENT’S LIBERATION STRUGGLE.  EVER SINCE ITS INDEPENDENCE, TANZANIA HAS FOUGHT HARD AND TIRELESSLY TO FREE AFRICA AND ITS PEOPLE FROM THE HEAVY YOKE OF COLONIALISM, IMPERIALISM AND APARTHEID, AND THROUGH  ITS SUCCESSIVE LEADERS, IT HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT IN THE STRUGGLE TO END ABJECT POVERTY ON OUR CONTINENT. 

IT IS AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND OF STRUGGLE AND SACRIFICE   THAT, DURING THE DAYS OF THE OAU COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE LIBERATION OF AFRICA, THE POWERFUL VOICE OF   FOREIGN  MINISTER MKAPA, AS HE WAS THEN, WAS HEARD IN DAR-ES-SALAAM AND IN THE CORRIDORS OF THE ARUSHA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE DEMANDING FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR AFRICA AND ITS PEOPLE. 

THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA HAS ALSO PRODUCED OUTSTANDING DIPLOMATS SUCH AS HIS EXCELLENCY SALIM AHMED SALIM WHOSE PERFORMANCE AT THE HELM OF THE OAU, NOW THE AFRICAN UNION (AU), IS STILL VIVID IN OUR MINDS.  WE CANNOT FORGET THE HONOURABLE GERTRUDE MONGELLA, THE FIRST CHAIRPERSON AND PRESIDENT OF THE BEIJING +10 FORUM AND THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT (PAP) RESPECTIVELY AND INDEED MANY OTHER SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF TANZANIA WHO HAVE SERVED OUR CONTINENT WITH HONOUR AND DISTINCTION.  WE OWE THEM OUR GRATITUDE. 

YOUR EXCELLENCIES,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, 

PRESIDENT MKAPA IS A SEASONED JOURNALIST, A DIPLOMAT AND A POLITICIAN, WHO WAS ELECTED TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA IN 1995.  HE IS THE THIRD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA SINCE HER INDEPENDENCE IN 1961. 

HE HAS AN EXEMPLARY AND ENVIABLE CAREER BEHIND HIM.  HIS CAREER BEGAN IN LOCAL ADMINISTRATION, THEN MOVED ON TO BECOME A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER AND LATER A JOURNALIST. 

IN JOURNALISM, HE EXCELLED AND BECAME THE MANAGING EDITOR OF NEWS PAPERS SUCH AS THE NATIONALIST, UHURU, THE DAILY NEWS AND THE SUNDAY NEWS. 

IN RECOGNITION OF HIS EXCELLENT ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS FIELD, HE WAS  APPOINTED  PRESS  SECRETARY  TO  THE  THEN  PRESIDENT  OF TANZANIA, HIS EXCELLENCY MWALIMU JULIUS NYERERE,   IN  1974.   HIS   EXCELLENCY   WAS   ALSO A FOUNDING EDITOR OF TANZANIA NEWS AGENCY (SHIHATA) IN 1976.  HE BECAME MINISTER FOR INFORMATION AND CULTURE AND LATER, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM 1977 TO 1980.  HIS EXCELLENCY SERVED AS HIS COUNTRY’S REPRESENTATIVE IN NIGERIA, CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.   

HE WAS ELECTED THE PRESIDENT IN 1995 AND RE-ELECTED IN 2000 FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEAR TERM. 

YOUR EXCELLENCIES,

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, 

DURING HIS TENURE AS PRESIDENT OF TANZANIA, HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT MKAPA HAS PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP   ROLE     IN   OUR   REGIONAL   ORGANISATION,   THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC).  IT WAS DURING HIS EXCELLENCY’S CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC) THAT THE REGIONAL INDICATIVE   STRATEGIC    DEVELOPMENT    PLAN    (RISDP)    WAS LAUNCHED.  IT WAS AGAIN DURING HIS CHAIRMANSHIP THAT A SADC EXTRA-ORDINARY SUMMIT ON AGRICULTURE WAS HELD WHICH ADOPTED A DECLARATION AND PLAN OF ACTION ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY.  IN AUGUST, 2005 HIS EXCELLENCY WAS ELECTED DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE SADC ORGAN ON POLITICS, DEFENCE AND SECURITY COOPERATION.   HIS DEEP ROOTED KNOWLEDGE OF DIPLOMACY AND INTER PERSONAL SKILLS HAS WON HIS EXCELLENCY RESPECT IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA TO THE EXTENT THAT HE CO-CHAIRS THE WORLD COMMISSION ON SOCIAL DIMENSION OF GLOBALISATION WITH THE PRESIDENT OF FINLAND.    HE IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE BLAIR COMMISSION FOR AFRICA WHICH, IN OUR OPINION, SEEKS TO COMPLEMENT THE WORK OF THE NEPAD PROGRAM. 

IN BRIEF, HIS COMMENDABLE POLITICAL CAREER MAKES HIM ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING AFRICAN STATESMEN.  HIS PRESENCE AMONGST US IS THEREFORE A SOURCE OF SATISFACTION AND INSPIRATION. 

YOUR EXCELLENCIES,

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, 

PRESIDENT MKAPA’S VISIT TO LESOTHO CONSTITUTES UNEQUIVOCAL EVIDENCE OF OUR DESIRE AND INTENTION TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE ALREADY EXISTING BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN OUR TWO SISTER COUNTRIES.  YOUR EXCELLENCY’S VISIT PRESENTS US WITH A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER EXPLORE AVENUES FOR  FURTHER BILATERAL COOPERATION IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF COMMON INTEREST AS WELL AS  TO HARMONIZE OUR POSITIONS IN REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO WHICH OUR  TWO  COUNTRIES  SHARE COMMON  MEMBERSHIP,  SUCH AS THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC), THE AFRICAN UNION (AU), THE NON-ALIGNED mOVEMENT (NAM) AND THE COMMONWEALTH. 

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION THIS HISTORIC VISIT ALSO SIGNALS OUR DESIRE TO  ATTAIN  OUR LONGSTANDING GOAL OF AFRICAN UNITY

AND SOLIDARITY; THE UNITY THAT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY NECESSARY AS WE COLLECTIVELY FACE THE DAUNTING CHALLENGES OF GLOBALISATION, AND THE UNITY THAT WILL SURELY BE REQUIRED AS WE SEEK TO RECLAIM OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE UNFOLDING WORLD ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ORDER. 

IN CONCLUSION, LET ME WISH YOUR EXCELLENCY ALL THE BEST AS YOU TAKE YOUR WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.  While we applaud your undertaking to relinquish presidential responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of the national constitution, we believe that your  retirement  will  be a great loss to us and the countries of our region which have benefited so much   from   your    statesmanship.  However,  we  take comfort in the knowledge that during your term of office, you did a sterling job in laying solid foundations for the economic development and stability of the United  Republic   of   Tanzania.     We    shall   also   remain eternally grateful TO YOU for being the bridge and spokesman for our continent in the corridors of power all over the world.  We hope other leaders, not only in our sub-region but in OTHER PARTS OF THE continent AS WELL, will emulate your all round statesmanship.    Thus, your excellency, IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE AFRICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DEEPENING of THE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AS WELL AS YOUR PROMINENT EFFORTS IN CONFLICT PREVENTION, MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, we have the honour and PLEASURE TO BESTOW UPON YOUR EXCELLENCY, “THE KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE MOST COURTEOUS ORDER OF LESOTHO.”  

EXCELLENCIES,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,  

HAVING PERFORMED THE BESTOWAL FUNCTION, MAY I NOW REQUEST ALL OF US TO RISE AND JOIN ME IN PROPOSING A TOAST TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC  OF  TANZANIA,   FOR  HIS  CONTINUED PERSONAL WELL-BEING AND GOOD HEALTH AND FOR THE PROSPERITY OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA. 

TO THE PRESIDENT ! ! 

KARIBU RAIS!! 

KHOTSO!  PULA!!   NALA!!!

05 October 2005