Updates on the visit of South Africa's Deputy President

The Tanzanian Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Gharib Bilal has commended the South Africa's OR Tambo Education tour programme which is aimed at enabling the country's youngsters to explore their liberation struggle heritage routes in Tanzania.

Speaking to the visiting Deputy President of South Africa, H.E Kgalema Motlanthe, the Tanzanian Vice President commended South Africa for the initiatives which he said would enable most of the new generation youngsters to keep up the spirit of what happened during the South Africa's freedom struggle era.

"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 counterpart.

Earlier, the South African Deputy President who arrived in Tanzania for the two-day working visit, told the Tanzanian Vice President that his arrival yesterday came along with the visit of 60 young people from various parts of South Africa retracing the country's liberation heritage routes in Tanzania.

For the last three years, SOMAFCO Trust of South Africa has been organising a number of education competitions inSouth Africa after which, winners of the competition get an opportunity to visit Tanzania, retracing their liberation heritage route 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 see famous wildlife migration.

The Tanzanian Vice President 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 our two countries and the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa and the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM). The existing collaboration should be enhanced through exchange of visits at party to party and government to government levels. As ANC celebrates 100 years of its existance, this year also marks 20 years since Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO) in Morogoro was handed over to the government of Tanzania.

While in Tanzania, among other things, the visiting Deputy President will pay a courtesy call on the Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete before flying to Morogoro to visit Vuyisile Mini-furniture Factory, Luthuli Primary School and make a guided tour to ANC-Hollande Solidarity Hospital ANC's liberation struggle heritage sites.

The visiting Deputy Presdent is expected to return tomorrow.