Outgoing Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor has poured her heart out to South Africans as she waves her goodbye following the end of her term and her decision to resign from Cabinet.
Early this year, Pandor announced that she would “in any case not hold public office” when the new government is formed.
In a video message to South Africans, Pandor said she thought it important to formally wave her goodbyes to South Africans following the end of her term and her personal decision to excuse herself from Cabinet activities which she had announced ahead of the elections and the resumption of the seventh administration set to be unveiled sometime next week.
“I thought it important that I should deliver a message to all our officials at DIRCO and our heads of missions given that today, is the last day of the sixth administration and the last day of my five-year term in this administration. I wish to begin by expressing my sincere thanks to all our officials at DIRCO,” she said.
Pandor, who has had an illustrious career in cabinet, has been celebrated by South Africans as a handful of few ANC MPs that have done well in their portfolios.
In a career spanning three decades, she has served as minister of Education, minister of Science and Technology, minister of Home Affairs, and minister of Higher Education and Training.
She is one of four ministers who were set to exit Parliament by the end of the previous team. These also included other long-serving ministers such Bheki Cele, Thandi Modise and Thulas Nxesi.
Pandor congratulated heads of missions and other officials for helping the country and the previous administration in its quest to attract direct-foreign investment and supporting the vision of President Cyril Ramaphosa over the past five years.
“We also did very well in supporting President Ramaphosa as chair of the African Union (AU) in the most difficult period. I will never ever forget the hard work of our heads of missions, and our officials in ensuring that South Africans were protected and cared for as we confronted the dire circumstance of Covid-19 pandemic... I certainly hope that the seventh administration, seven being my lucky number, will achieve a clean audit,” she said.
The Star