Zuma: Poverty reduction, true democracy key...

from IPP Media

By Pastory Nguvu, Dodoma

The African National Congress Deputy Chairman, Jacob Zuma, said on Saturday that Africa has a long way to go in deepening democracy and improving lives of its people.

Speaking on behalf of CCM friendly parties which were invited to attend the party�s general meeting that ended here yesterday, Zuma said fighting against poverty and building democracy are big challenges facing African countries.

�There is a need for political parties in Africa to come together and discuss a way forward to solve the problem,� said Zuma.

He said that political parties should not exist for the purpose of getting money only, but rather should consider the needs of the people who are still living under extreme poverty.

On the relationship of Tanzania with his country, Zuma said the former had contributed a lot during the struggle for independence not only to South African, but also to the entire continent.

He said coming to Tanzania for CCM general meeting was coming back home, because the country supported South Africa in its struggle for independence.

�Tanzania did a lot for us as a country and a party. We always remember the words of the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who insisted that Tanzania will not be free until all African countries under colonial yoke are free,� said Zuma.

He said that although Tanzania is poor, it played a big role to help those who were oppressed under colonial period.

For her part, the Member of Parliament for Social Democratic Party SDP of Germany, Brunhilde Irber, said that CCM should continue to strengthen the peace and political stability in the country.

She said that peace and stability had contributed a lot to the growing of relations between the two parties. Since the establishment of relations between SPD and CCM, there had been several exchanges of visits, she noted.

Irber, who is also Vice-President of the Committee on Tourism and Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that it was important for politicians to think of how politics could focus on global issues and globalisation.

She said that fair globalisation needed equal cooperation and international labour standards.

�In this world of globalisation, there is a need for fair trade. Industrialised countries should open their markets and reduce more subsidies to their farmers,� she suggested.

The SPD vice president said Africa should team up together with Germany as �we all depend on each other.�

Germany supported all development efforts by this continent in order to make Africa move forward, she concluded.