Statement

The First Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of the African National Congress (ANC) and convenor of the National Executive Committee (NEC) International Relations Subcommittee, Comrade Nomvula Mokonyane, will lead a delegation to Britain and Northern Ireland from the 9th to the 14th of October 2023.

In Liverpool, Britain the DSG will attend the Labour Party’s Annual Conference from the 9th to the 11th October 2023. Convened under the theme “Let’s Get Britain’s Future Back”, the Conference takes place ahead of the country’s general election and is expected to focus on policy discussions centred on, amongst others, geopolitics and the global balance of forces, the just energy transition, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the plight of marginalised groups including youth, women, the LGBTQI+ community and people with disabilities. The Conference will also consider the recent developments in the Middle East and engage on the right of the Palestinian people to peaceful co- existence with Israel.

From the 11th to the 14th October 2023 the delegation will hold a bilateral engagement with Sinn Fein, the Irish republican and democratic socialist political party that is a longstanding ally and friend of the ANC. The purpose of the engagement is to deepen historical ties of friendship and solidarity between the two national liberation movements forged over more than four decades , and within the context of 30 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and South Africa.

The two parties are expected to engage on a variety of domestic and international issues of mutual interest – including exchanging views on socio-political developments in their respective countries. A Memorandum of Understanding on advancing party-to-party relations and strengthening links with other fraternal movements worldwide is also expected to be concluded.

The ANC and Sinn Fein will also share experiences on political and constitutional reform as well as on current matters of global governance.

The 10th of April 2023 marked 25 years of the historic Good Friday Agreement that brought to an end decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, and the ANC and Sinn Fein will reflect on their respective political experiences.

For the Sinn Fien bilateral, the First Deputy Secretary-General will be accompanied by ANC veteran and stalwart Comrade Mavuso Msimang and ANC NEC members Comrades Alvin Botes, Khusela Diko and Zuko Godlimpi.