Speech by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa at a State Banquet Hosted in His Honour by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, H.E. Mr. Robert Gabriel Mugabe, The State House, Harare, 22 April, 1998

Your Excellency President Mugabe
and Mai Mugabe,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Missions,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me first of all thank you once again, Comrade Mugabe, for the kind invitation you extended to me and my wife to visit with you. It always is a great pleasure to be in Zimbabwe, and my present visit is no exception.

On behalf of my entire delegation allow me also to express our gratitude to you and Mai Mugabe for the warm welcome and traditional Zimbabwean hospitality accorded to us since our arrival this morning. You have made us feel truly at home, but fortunately without the problems we left at home!

I thank you also most sincerely for the kind and generous words you have spoken this evening about me and my country. They are words I should like to reciprocate fully, for they apply as much to us as they do to you personally, and to all our Zimbabwean comrades and friends.

Our two countries and peoples have a solid relationship rooted in shared values, and a shared history of struggle in pursuit of those ideals and values. It is a history of a common regional struggle for human dignity wherever there was entrenched racial bigotry, and a common struggle for freedom wherever there was classic or settler colonialism. It was a worthy struggle whose history is indelibly written in the blood and sweat of those who risked everything - even their very lives - to make sure future generations in Zimbabwe, and in Southern Africa as a whole, will never again have to suffer the oppression, the injustice and the indignity inflicted on the black people of this region for so long.

Comrade President,
You made reference to Tanzania's support to the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe, and elsewhere in Southern Africa. Support is indeed the correct word. For, we could not have fought the liberation war for the people of this, or any other country. We could only offer support to a people already resolved and organised to recapture their inalienable right to freedom, justice, equality and dignity in their land of birth. On this, my first State Visit to the free and independent Republic of Zimbabwe, I pay fitting tribute to those sons and daughters of this country who fought, and even died, not only to free this country and its people, but equally to push the frontiers of freedom in Africa to the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The freedom of Zimbabwe opened the way for the final onslaught on the last citadel of colonialism and racist minority rule in Namibia and South Africa. I am gratified that tomorrow I will have the opportunity to visit Hero's Acre and lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in their solemn and respectful memory.

A few days ago you celebrated the 18th anniversary of your hard-won freedom, and I salute and congratulate you. This is a good time to remind ourselves, and the younger generation, of the heavy price others paid for the freedom that is so taken for granted today. I grieve for the shortness of the human memory. Those of us who were close to the bitter armed struggle for freedom cannot afford to forget those difficult days. We should also not let the sacrifices others made on our behalf acquire an irrelevance to our present and our future. We cannot, and we must not, Comrade President, forget your own personal struggle, suffering and sacrifice - in the bush, in prison or at Lancaster House - along with your fellow combatants and comrades. What makes you a true hero of the struggle is not that you directed it, but that you were in the thick and thin of it.

Comrade President,
The transition from colonial status to political independence, or from racist minority rule to non-racist majority rule, may legally and theoretically be perceived to take place at the twinkle of an eye, narrowed down to the penning of a few signatures on the Independence Instruments. But raising the flag, and acquiring the symbols of independent nationhood, is only the beginning of a long journey towards true freedom and independence on other important aspects of individual and national life. Political independence that does not ultimately translate into a better life and dignity for everyone, is a hollow and meaningless form of independence - an independence not worth dying for. This, I know, is a tall order, but step by step we must consciously and relentlessly move towards that goal. We, in Tanzania, have been independent for twice the number of the years of your freedom. Yet, the struggle to assure everyone of our citizens a better life continues, arduous, even dangerous, but definitively irreversible.

We have followed with keen interest your own personal struggle as well as that of the ZANU-PF government to bring about social and economic justice, and equal opportunities, to all Zimbabweans regardless of their colour, religion or ethnic origin. This is an onerous yet inescapable responsibility placed on your shoulders. Unfortunately, people are too often inclined to measure performance not by what has been achieved, in the face of enormous odds, but by what remains to be done. We in Tanzania commend you for what has been achieved, and we encourage you as you continue with your efforts to make independence relevant to all Zimbabweans. You inherited an economic and social system structured to perpetuate inequality and injustice. To rectify such an entrenched system of inequality, and build in its place an egalitarian society without throwing the economy into chaos, is an enormous challenge, and we wish you well and great success.

As we face these developmental challenges in both our countries, we must not lose sight of the basic need to maintain political stability, national unity and concord, and regional peace and security. I, for one, like to see Southern Africa as the cutting edge of the new Africa of the 21st century. An Africa at peace with itself, and within itself. An Africa free from the spectre of conflict and insecurity. An Africa determining on its own, and with respect to its culture and history, a forward looking vision of political and economic reforms in the context of the new international order. An Africa that makes us walk with our heads up in the sky. It is true there are many external factors that put brakes on the process of African renewal. These include low levels of foreign investment, the debt problem, an unfavourable world trading environment, poor terms of trade, and so on. But the developmental prerequisites of peace, stability, security, and national unity are within our own powers to have or to create. Let us create them.

Comrade President,
I am here also to pay tribute to you, who together with my Predecessors in Office, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Mzee Ali Hassan Mwinyi, developed and nurtured relations of close friendship and co-operation between our two countries, our two Governments and our two peoples. Among those who turned up at the airport to receive me and my delegation this morning were a representational group of Zimbabwe Nationals of Tanzanian origin. In Tanzania, likewise, there are many of our nationals with Zimbabwean roots. We are indeed one people, and we must strive to continue being one people. We should, therefore, continue to enrich our relations by increasing the scope of our co-operation in all spheres and at all levels.

When I visited Harare briefly two years ago, and when you came to Dodoma in November last year, we had the opportunity to exchange views on how we could accomplish this most important and desirable goal. I do hope that during the present visit we shall make greater progress in expanding, deepening, consolidating and enriching the happy relations of friendship, brotherhood and co-operation between us.

Admittedly, progress on this front has been slow, largely on account of historical factors and how our individual economies are structured, and the poor regional infrastructure we have. But clearly the political will is there, and the aspiration for closer commercial relations is very large indeed.

It is regrettable that the Joint Permanent Commission of Co-operation between our two countries has not met for a long time. I am informed, however, that a meeting is scheduled to take place within the next two weeks. This is encouraging. We in government have a duty and an obligation to create a conducive and enabling environment for the private sector to play its role as the economic engine for the development of our two sister countries, and our co-operation.

Our different levels of development and experiences, and the diversity of resource endowment between us, provides an expanded scope for South-South co-operation. We can use to the maximum our different resources of expertise, relevance of development experiences, know-how and skills, as well as encourage and facilitate investments and trade between our two countries.

Comrade President,
Tanzania attaches great importance to regional economic integration as a vehicle for our economic liberation, a trade union of the poor, as it were. It is also an important mechanism of protecting our collective interests in the process of globalisation. Thus, SADC, to which we all belong, is not only an important building bloc towards putting in place the much desired African Economic Community but also a bargaining tool in the process of globalisation. SADC thus needs to be strengthened, and I assure you that Tanzania's commitment to SADC will always remain firm and practical.

Comrade President,
The situation in the Comoros calls for our joint efforts under the framework of the Organisation of African Unity to ensure the restoration of peace and the re-affirmation of the territorial integrity of the Comoros. Your own role as Chairman of the OAU that you continue to play in this matter is commendable and we support and encourage you, and are ready to contribute to the solution.

Comrade President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I returned from a State Visit to China last week. As I was commending the Chinese Government for their tremendous economic achievements, including the ability to feed over 1.2 bn people, I was informed that in the distant past, a common greeting in that country was "Chile ma?", literally meaning "Have you eaten?" That was how serious the question of getting food on the table was then. I can see that none of my fellow guests at this dinner need to be greeted thus. Yet, I am sure they all join me in thanking you Comrade President and
Mai Mugabe, as well as those in the kitchen we do not see, for this most wonderful dinner.

There is, however, an African saying that, "He who does not stop talking when he should may bite his tongue". I cannot risk biting my tongue as I still look forward to more delicious meals like this one in the four days I will be your guest in Zimbabwe. So let me stop here to save my tongue, and my mouth, for this nourishing and salivating purpose.

May I now ask all of you present to kindly stand up, raise your glasses and join me in a toast:-

• To the continued personal good health of H. E. President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and Mai Mugabe;

• To peace, prosperity and well-being of the people of Zimbabwe; and

• To the continued friendship, and close co-operation between Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
  
  Thank you.