from our SA Ladies and gentlemen, his excellency President Ramaposa with his beautiful wife and all the heads of states. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. You may be seated. Hello. Freedom. forever. Forever. Glory. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. We are now commencing with a banquet. Good evening, his excellency president and all heads of state and delegation from SADC, the executive secretary of Sadak, Mr. Mr. Makusi and all members of the ministerial council members members of the diplomatic corp and and all invited guests to banquet hosted by president. It is my esteemed honor and pleasure to welcome you to this state banquet hosted by the chairperson of our community as president of the republic of South Africa his excellency welcome to a city that occupies a unique place in the history of our country and region widely regarded as the father of modern African literature no longer at ease a man who calls his kinsman his feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. He continues, "When we gather together in the moonlight village ground, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. It is not because of food security in Botswana, President Bo or any of our sister countries that were seated here for sure. President will be enjoying president words of beating of this occasion. We gather tonight to reflect enjoy the cuisine to grow up on our own collective in a relaxed setting and above all to dance and to be married. >> There could hardly be more fitting place which to do so. The building in which the name of Alberti whose life reflects the interconnected character of our southern Africa long before regional integration became part of of our political vocabulary. born in present day Zimbabwe to a family with roots in what was the then Natal Ruli later returned to this province as a teacher, traditional leader and a president general of the African National Congress. His life reminds us of the bonds that connect the peoples of this region. Devon itself is a repository of that history. The city was a center of women organizing and resistance. A history we remember as we mark the 70th anniversary of the 1956 women's march this month in Ptoria, South Africa. Here in Devon, women, some with roots extending beyond South Africa into our region, rose against a regime that sought to dispossess them of one of the few economic activities open to African women at a time, the sale of traditional beer. well known. It was also here that workers carried the struggle for dignity and democracy from the factory floor into the broader society. Mostly notable during the Debian strikes of 1973. A year later, Deben was the site of one of the two V viva ferimo rallies planned in 1974 to celebrate a major breakthrough in Mozambique struggles against Portuguese colonialism. As we all know, the student movement's expression of solidarity with the people of Mosmbique was met with a merciless crackdown by the aparted regime. Deon also reflects the extraordinary diversity of our country and the many hands that build our cities drawn from across South Africa, across our region and from as far a field as the Indian subcontinent. In democratic South Africa, Debon remains a place where the world gathered in this venue to confront some of the great questions of our time. In 2001, it hosted a world conference against racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance. In 2017, these halls hosted a world economic forum on Africa, bringing together leaders to consider our continent's economic future. This history makes Dean a fitting place from which to imagine the future of our region. A peaceful and inclusive region in which all our people can enjoy sustainable economic wellbeing, justice and freedom. Tomorrow the hard work begins of the summits. We will confront important questions about the state of our region and the progress we're making towards vision 2050. But tonight is not for that heavy talk. It's for dancing. It's for enjoying the is for us to be merry and speak in a relaxed atmosphere. Your excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Inosi Convention Center Deon and welcome to this state banquet hosted by his excellency President Sil. Thank you very much. I now welcome to the floor to the stage the premier of Natal Mr. Tamson Nanuli to give us his welcome remarks. Thank you very much program director, our minister, your excellency the president uh Raaposa of the Republic of South Africa and Dr. Moeppe the first lady of South Africa all our SDK heads of state and spouses ministers present SDK executive secretary Mr. Mahi Mesi, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, these past few days have tested our wisdom. They've tested our foresight and they've proven once again our shared resolve. We spoke of industrialization, infrastructure, agricultural resilience. These are not small ambitions. They are the building blocks of a region determined to stand on its own feet. This is the spirit that has carried Saddak for decades. From liberation to development, from solidarity in struggle to solidarity in prosperity. The road changes. The spirit does not. Tonight we say to our neighbors, take off your clothes. You are home. We say to the bureaucrats who prepared this summit, your discipline has not gone unnoticed. We say to the ministers, your polical stewardship has made tomorrow's work at lighter. When heads of states meet in the morning, they will meet on your on on ground. You have already cleared tonight. carries a weight beyond hospitality. It carries a duty. It carries honor and purpose. Your Excellencies, South Africa is about to carry a heavy metal and this responsibility does not rest on one office alone. It rest on every province. Tonight I say with pride Nadal is ready. We are a gateway of trade. We cra of cultures. We are home to strategic airports and vital industries and we will stand behind our president as he carries this continental duty. This is not only a national honor. It's a provincial responsibility. Our infrastructure will serve it. Our people will serve it. Our institutions will serve it. We will host with purpose. We will engage with discipline. We will uphold the values that hold this region together. Unity, cooperation, dignity. Nadal will be a steady partner to the presidency. Nothing less. Your excellencies, our province is a tapestry. Zulu heritage, Indian tradition, European influence, African identity in all its forms woven together not by accident but by history. This is not just who we are. This is how we welcome the world. It is why Debon has hosted Africa's tourism in Dhaba year after year. It is why our warmth is trusted. It is why our institutions are respected. Is why our culture is felt in our welcome, in our food, in our music, in the dignity of our hospitality. We wish you to come back and see it for yourself. Not as delegates but as friends and family. Our heads of state tomorrow will be chatting the way forward. We know that their decisions will shape the next chapter of SAD story. Was Nadal will be ready to support those decisions. We will be ready to support our president because a stronger esert means a stronger a South Africa and a stronger South Africa means a stronger natal. Your excellencies we do not celebrate tonight without memory. We remember when southern Africa stood as one against oppression. We remember the bonds a forged in struggle. Bonds that across a borders that outlasted ideology that held when it mattered a most. That same solidarity now builds as something different. Not liberation from an enemy, but integration for a future economic, social and sustain sustainable. The journey from liberation to prosperity is not walked alone. It is walked together, nation by nation, hand by hand. May tonight a strengthening our friendship. May it renew our cooperation. May it remind us our destinies are tired are tied together. Our progress is shared. Our future is one. I wish to welcome you all in this beautiful province Natal. Thank you very much program director. Thank you very much um honorable premier of Matal. We will now be entertained by the music muses string quite as we enjoy the starter that will be served. You will also enjoy the the South African wine and some drinks for those who don't drink wine like me. But I must be able to say that um in events of this occasion, it is the only moment where drinking on duty is allowed. So please do enjoy the wine. My body. Heat. Heat. N. Hey, hey, hey. B my head my head on my Oh. Hey. Hey. Hallelujah. Heat up here. Are you ready? Just Heat. Heat. What's up? Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Are you ready? Ladies and gentlemen, let's put our hands together for the music string project. That was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful performance and rendition. to the heads of states. I can now report what your ministers were busy with during the week. I had an opportunity to take them to Emlazi townships on the outskirts of Dejo enjoyed a lot of music culture. Some of them were singing to Amabinga Mascandi music and there's videos to prove it. But I can confirm that they did that after they've done a lot of work. So it was not by them absconding from their duties. You will see from the reports tomorrow. Ladies and gentlemen, I will now request us to stand up and welcome his excellency president Ramaposa to address all of us as the host of the banquet. Your excellency only the heads of states can h sit. Yeah. All the heads of states can can sit, but all of us who can who can stand and honor. Thank you. Let's be seated, please. program director, Minister Lamula, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, heads of States and Government, Your Excellencies, Mr. Mahi, the Executive Secretary of the premier of Natal and other premers who are here present. Our ministers who've been working extremely hard over the past few days, heads of delegations who are also here present and all of you who are our guests. and thank you for honoring our invitation to be with us, to dine with us. It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome you all to one of our big cities and the main capital city of From a commercial point of view. The government city is further north. Saddak has after several days of meetings had discussions amongst our ministers as minister Lamoola was saying they've also had reports which they are going to present tomorrow and I'm sure that you'll agree that we have finally reached what I would call one of the most important programs of Saddak which is the dinner that we are having Tonight I have learned from many Saddak meetings and gatherings that regional integration does indeed advance much further when speeches are short and the dinner is served on time. So I'm not going to be making a long speech. be welcome by the minister and the premier of KZN should suffice suffice. We welcome you not simply as distinguished guests visitors but as members of one southern African family and Saddak is indeed a family. It was born, as you will have heard from the struggle for political liberation and has evolved into an instrument for economic emancipation and regional integration. And through Saddak, our countries work together to preserve peace, to expand trade, to foster economic development, to build regional infrastructure, and to improve the people, the lives of our peoples. It is founded on a simple but powerful understanding that none of our nations can achieve its full potential. Those nations work alone in isolation and southern Africa will prosper only if it prospers together. It is therefore a community of nations that are bound together by history, by geography, by traditions and cultures, languages that are diverse, and by a common destiny. But tonight we are also bound together by hunger and the need to have dinner together. Saddak has an interesting way of taking decisions. In simple terms, as uh the executive secretary might tell you, it works as follows. A regional challenge is identified and this can be identified by any of the states in southern Africa and indeed by the secretariat itself. But tonight that challenge has been identified as hunger which all of you are now experiencing. You are all hungry as I can see you. And technical experts and officials develop proposals that should lead to the solution of that challenge. And the chef gets involved in finding solutions and senior officials scrutinize this which includes the executive secretary. He's also played a role in crafting the menu that you're having together with Minister Lamula as well. So if you don't like what you're eating, I want to tell you who to blame, the executive secretary and minister Lamoola. Because the council of ministers on having identified the challenge are then charged with the responsibility of considering the recommendations that need to be made to find solutions and heads of states and government take the final decision. And you could be tempted to say, "Did I take the final decision on the menu tonight?" No, I didn't. So, we're overjoyed today to have so many of you here, including the various political parties that are represented in our parliament, whether they are in the government of national unity or also in opposition. And in Saddak, we are indeed a family. We do not always agree on everything. Sometimes we tend to repeat ourselves. Sometimes the discussions continue for much longer than they should. And our speeches are at times elongated. And that is why my input or speech tonight is not going to long. But in the end, we remain together as a community. And as we remain together, we always take decisions that were meant to advance the interests of the peoples of Southern Africa. This is the strength of our community. We're bound together by decisions that were taken by our forebears who took decisions to form this community. Basulat is a fitting place for our regional family to gather tonight. This province is the birthplace and home of great African leaders as we have had Alberti, John Langal and Pixley Isaac. They were visionaries who believed in African unity, human dignity and the power of people working together. They would surely be encouraged to see us gathered here tonight in pursuit of the vision that they crafted right at the beginning when they formed our community. They might however be surprised by the number of uh acronyms that we have now crafted and but they would be impressed with the way in which we have formed forged unity over the years. Natal is also renowned for the warmth of his people, the richness of his cultures and of course the courage of the cuisine that you find here. Some of you may already have encountered a proper Durban curry and if during dinner you find yourself urgently asking for water, please do not regard it as a diplomatic incident. It is simply part of the full Guazulunatal experience. Over the past several days, our senior ministers and senior officials and the sec the SADC secretariat have worked as Minister Lamola was saying extremely hard to prepare for tomorrow's summit. and I'd like to thank them and applaud them for the excellent work that they have done. They have in many ways considered policies, negotiated texts, and carefully examined every paragraph and I'm sure more than a few commas as well. They often make our tasks as heads of state much easier in that they do all the hard work, the heavy lifting and all of us seated on this table. We take the glory. So we are very pleased to have our ministers and officials. We thank them for their dedication. They have they've also earned our appreciation and perhaps for this evening at least the right not to hear words such as subject to further consultation. So tomorrow we return to the serious business of building our region. The serious business of advancing the interests of the people of Southern Africa. We will discuss how to strengthen our economies to expand trade to deepen industrialization improve regional infrastructure and create opportunities ability to integration and to development. These are weighty responsibilities. But tonight we are reminded that diplomacy is not conducted only across conference tables. It is it also happens around dinner tables. It happens through conversation, through laughter, through music and friendships. We're very delighted to see so many of you who are friends, who are business leaders, who are political leaders, who are public servants, and who are friends generally that you've come together to be with us. It was fascinating for me to have the prime minister of Dutu here. He came a few days earlier and when I asked him what he had uh whether he had enjoyed himself. He said yes. He enjoyed himself greatly and even took a dip in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Now we get water from Lutu as South Africa and I was I kept thinking whether he was tempted to take the water out of the Indian Ocean, rroot it to the mountains of Lutu, then sell it to us. I think he might have been tempted to do so. But it's been a joy to have so many of you having come earlier and those who've just arrived recently. As the premier of Kazulu Natal said, it would be wonderful if you stay a little longer to enjoy. But ladies and gentlemen, this evening is about enjoying ourselves, enjoying the music, and we will not insist on protocol. The only resolution before us now is that nobody should leave this room hungry. And the only communicate we expect is a favorable report on the food and the hospitality. Tonight, let us renew old friendships and begin new ones as well. And let us also celebrate the extraordinary diversity of our region. a region of some 430 million people whose GDP is getting close to a trillion dollars. This is an important region in the architecture of our continent and a region with a common destiny, a region that binds us all together. So let us do everything we can to advance regional integration. Have one conversation, one song, and perhaps even one dance at a time. Now, Minister Lamula kept seeing that we'll see we'll be able to dance, but I don't see a dancing floor. And if there was a dancing floor, I would be encouraging you all to take to the floor and dance. because if you do so, no country will lose its sovereignty by joining in the dance floor. So your excellencies, distinguished guests, and I'd now like to ask all of us to rise and join me in a toast to the unity and the friendship of the Saddak family. May our meetings become shorter, our trade corridors faster, our borders more efficient, and our friendships ever stronger. So let's all raise our glasses which I don't have and drink to the prosperity of our region and to the good health and happiness and success of all our citizens including our leaders as well. So thank you. So I say cheers to all of you and thank you very much for being here. Thank you. Cheers. Another round of applause for his excellency. Thank you very much uh Mr. President for your very brief address yielding to regional integration and regional integration can happen in many formats. Firstly, we will not only want to see the cutting of the rebons on catalytic infrastructure in the region, but we will also be glad to be invited to weddings in the DRC in Zimbabwe where it started tonight. So there's many forms that regional integration can take. So the president has given you an opportunity to be involved to network so that regional integration can flourish. Thank you very much your excellency. We will now be thrilled to the entertainment again by the music string punched. You now have the floor and also as they do so the main cause will be served. And again Please do enjoy the wine. Thank you very much. Daddy. Hey. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Depends. But you know, so for