By Kay Scrimger
November 3, 2003

Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz represented The US Conference of Mayors at a conference in London, October 24-26, to plan for the tenth anniversary of the election of Nelson Mandela to the Presidency of South Africa in April 1994. The title of the conference was "Towards South Africa 2004: A Decade of Freedom...the Decade Ahead."

South African High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Lindiwe Mabuza, developed the gathering, which brought together a variety of governmental officials, mainly from the United Kingdom and South Africa; representatives of the academic and business world; and others from a variety of fields. Key South African and British Members of Parliament spoke on the achievements of South Africa to date and remaining challenges.

The 2004 celebrations will be an opportunity to:

1. Celebrate the 1994 South African elections and achievement of the end of apartheid;

2. Reflect on the last ten years, evaluating achievements and challenges ahead for South Africa; and

3. Focus on what needs to be done in the next decade, such as attraction of more foreign investment and tourism to South Africa, promotion of campaigns to buy South African products, and the effort to match political freedom with "true economic and social empowerment."

Kautz met with High Commissioner Mabuza and other officials on the Planning Commission for 2004 Celebrations to inform them of the Conference of Mayors' strong interest in coordinating celebrations in the Americas. She had the opportunity to learn about various themes and activities under consideration in the United Kingdom and South Africa for the anniversary celebrations. In turn, she discussed ideas of how the Conference of Mayors can be active in this worldwide observance. Kautz also met with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of South Africa in Washington (DC).

Kautz said, "We look forward to celebrating this victory of South Africa, especially since historically our nation's mayors stood with the anti-apartheid forces so strongly. In celebrating South Africa's triumph over apartheid and their free elections in 1994, we also celebrate the strength of our diversity and, with South Africans, will continue to work to become a united global people for a better world."

In the words of Executive Director Tom Cochran, "The Conference of Mayors was in the forefront in the denunciation of apartheid, and mayors joined together in strategies to achieve disinvestments from South Africa and to boycott South African products during that time. Since achievement of political freedom in the 1994 elections, the Conference of Mayors has worked to strengthen and support South Africa's march toward sustainable economic and social development. We look forward to continuing our support of this, one of the world's youngest democracies, through celebrations of the past ten years of achievement, and through working with South Africa to meet the challenges of the decade ahead."

At the 71st Annual Conference of Mayors, in June 2003, in Denver, the Conference of Mayors received twenty-five international mayors, six of whom were from South Africa, including Pretoria (Tshwane). They participated in the first two days of the meeting, which was devoted to the Second International Conference of Mayors.

Led by Conference President Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner, a mayoral delegation was sent to South Africa and three other nations of Namibia, Uganda, and Swaziland to share ideas and information on economic development, and the challenges of HIV/AIDS. While in South Africa on the "Mission to Africa 2003" in late August/early September 2003, the mayors met Cape Town Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo and Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo. Kautz was part of that Mission to Africa 2003.