Vice-President Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal has commended South Africa’s OR Tambo Education Tour Programme, which is aimed at enabling the country’s youngsters to trace their liberation struggle roots in Tanzania.

Vice-President Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal (right) talks with his South African counterpart, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, soon after the South African leader arrived at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Sunday. Mr Motlanthe is on a two-day visit. He will also visit Mazimbu in Morogoro Region. (Photo by Muhidin Sufiani).

In his talks with the visiting Deputy President of South Africa, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, Dr Bilal commended South Africa for the initiatives which he said would enable the present and future generations to learn and treasure the history of the liberation struggle.

“It is good to see youngsters exploring their historical routes and what happened in the past. We are here partly because of our good historical connection”,the vice-president told his SA counterpart.

Earlier, MrMotlante, who arrived in Tanzania for a two-day working visit, told his host that his arrival yesterday coincided with the visit of 60 young people from various parts of South Africa who are retracing the country’s liberation heritage roots in Tanzania.

For the last three years, SOMAFCO Trust of South Africa has been organising a number of education competitions in South Africa after which winners of the competition get an opportunity to visit Tanzania, retracing their liberation heritage roots through the OR Tambo Education Tour.

The South Africa Deputy President said he is looking forward to an opportunity to make a longer visit to Tanzania and visit Serengeti National Park so to sample the famous wildlife migration.

Dr Bilal also called for a more enhanced bilateral ties between the two countries and invited more South African companies to invest in various investment opportunities available in Tanzania.

The two leaders emphasized the need to preserve the liberation heritage of the two countries as waged by the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa and the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

They suggested exchange of visits at party and government levels.  As ANC celebrates 100 years of its existence, this year also marks 20 years since the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO) in Morogoro was handed over to the government of Tanzania.

While in Tanzania, MrMotlanthe will pay a courtesy call on President Jakaya Kikwete before going to Morogoro to visit the Vuyisile Mini-Furniture Factory, Luthuli Primary School and make a guided tour of the ANC-Hollande Solidarity Hospital and the liberation struggle heritage sites.

Source Tanzania Daily News