Pretoria - The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) 50 year independence celebrations should be seen as a symbol of hope that stability is returning to the country, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Motlanthe, who is attending the celebrations today, said South Africa views this occasion as an important celebration, not only for the DRC, but for the continent as well.
"South Africa remains closely linked to the DRC as it played a prominent role in guiding the negotiation which led to the 2006 election and that the celebrations should be seen as a symbol of hope," the Deputy President said in a statement.
The celebrations in Kinshasa will be preceded by a gala dinner followed by a grand show at the Cite de l'Union Africaine tonight, a civilian and military parade on Wednesday morning, as well as an official luncheon.
The occasion will be attended by several African Heads-of-State, including UN Chief Ban Ki Moon and Belgian King Albert II, among others.
Over the past six years, the DRC has also evolved as one of South Africa's growing and leading trading partners in the region.
The two co-operate on several projects covering fields including security sector reform, capacity and institution building and infrastructure development.
Motlanthe is due to return to the country on Wednesday.
