Africa Command Well Intended - US Envoy
Monday, August 06, 2007
US ambassador Katherine Canavan said this at the official opening of Lobatse Tebelopele Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre last week.
Canavan said the reasons for its (US Command) establishment has been greatly misunderstood in southern Africa. She said the agencies would not have representatives on the Africa Command so the military could direct their operations but that the US Department of Defence "can better support efforts to improve conditions in Africa by promoting economic development, combating disease, and responding to natural disasters and famines".
Through the efforts of Africa Command the Americans "hope that in the coming years, buildings such as this, will be common across Africa," she said of the P1.5 million Tebelopele structure.
While the political shift brings hope for change, it also places immense pressure on the new administration to deliver on its election promises in the face of serious economic challenges.On another level, newly appointed Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe’s grim assessment of the country’s finances adds urgency to the moment. The budget deficit, expected to be P8.7 billion, is now anticipated to be even higher due to underperforming diamond...