Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has accepted diplomatic credentials from eleven new ambassadors and high commissioners to South Africa.
Zuma welcomed credence from ambassadors and high commissioners of Djibouti, Pakistan, Swaziland, Namibia, and Timor-Leste, among others.
During the ceremony on Thursday, Zuma emphasised South Africa's commitment to strengthen relations with the countries for their mutual benefit.
He said South Africa's prosperity and development depended on the support of other countries, stressing the importance of healthy relations between the nations.
Receiving Djibouti's letter, which controls access to the Red Sea, Zuma paid tribute to the role they played in bringing peace to Somalia by hosting a number of Somali reconciliation conferences and promoting peaceful dialogue among Somalis.
Zuma said the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, has been volatile for a while, and South Africa will continue to support the efforts of the UN, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in bringing about peace in that region.
"We need peace in that region, as well as the rest of Africa, so that there can be development. Without peace, development will be difficult," he said.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to thousand deaths.
Ambassador Aden Abdillah, who described South Africa as a "political vision for Africa," said Djibouti would continue with its efforts of bringing peace, cohesion and stability in Somalia.
Abdillah was convinced that South Africa could also play an important role in bringing peace in Somalia, paving the way for socio-economic development indicatives.
"As a major economic leader for Southern Africa, your country is considered a crossroad of civilisations and a major pole of development for Southern and East Africa," said Abdillah.
Swaziland's commissioner Solomon Dlamini congratulated South Africa's election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN.
He said South Africa had been a strong supporter and defender of peace, justice and rights of the people and that Swaziland will fully support it during the tenure in the council.
"The Kingdom will not relent in support for an expanded UNSC that will ensure Africa's fair representation in the global scene," said Dlamini.
Pakistan's commissioner, Zaighamuddin Azam - whose country is trying to recover from the worst floods in the country's history - chose to speak about cordial relations that the two countries share and vowed to take them to the next level.
Zuma also received letters from Brunei Darussalam, Uruguay, Mali, Turkey, Senegal and Ireland, who all congratulated South Africa in hosting a successful FIFA World Cup and vowed to strengthen bilateral, economic and trade relations with the country.
