2007 must be successful 'for all'
3 January 2007

South Africans must use the resources and experience accumulated in 2006 to ensure a better life for every South African in 2007, President Thabo Mbeki said in his new year message on Sunday.   "As we approached our third local government elections and our twelfth year of freedom both the public and private sector accumulated fairly substantial resources and experience to accelerate the advance towards the achievement of a better life for all our people," said Mbeki.

"We must use this and all other additional resources to make 2007 a better year than the one we see out tonight. By this time next year we must be able to say that we have liberated more people from poverty, joblessness, homelessness and all the other social ills."   Mbeki said South Africa as a nation had both the means and the will to ensure that 2007 would be a successful year for every citizen of the country.

"We must be able to show practically that we have succeeded to realise the hopes of even more of our citizens than we have in 2006."

He added that South Africa's ambassador at the United Nations in New York, Dumisani Khumalo, was due to take his seat in the chamber of the Security Council at the start of the new year — a first for South Africa.   Concluding his message, Mbeki wished all South Africans a happy and a safe new year.

He urged South Africans to bring in the new year safely.

Sapa, www.business.iafrica.com