A/53/269 1. Mission to South Africa 6. The Special Rapporteur visited South Africa from 24 February to 5 March 1998. The Government, which he wishes to thank once again, cooperated actively with him; many actors in civil society were also most solicitous, and he wishes to express his gratitude to them also. 7. The Special Rapporteur became acquainted with a newly evolving nation inspired by the South African television slogan “Simunye – We Are One” and the unifying concept “The Rainbow Nation”, devised by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He observed that South Africa is rebuilding itself under the leadership of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which by means of its conciliatory role is endeavouring to give birth to a new country. The effects of change are already to be seen in the reorganization of the army and the police, which have developed affirmative action and equal opportunity programmes. 8. The leadership teams at the ministries and of the provincial and municipal administrations increasingly reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the country. The educational system is in the process of being reformed, and with the adoption of Curriculum 2000 the falsehoods proclaimed by apartheid are to be eradicated from teaching tools. Legislative reform continues with a view to consolidating the non-discriminatory basis of the South African State. For example, the Employment and Equity Act is under preparation. 9. There is unquestionably still resistance on the part of some administrative sectors that still support racist views. In the area of education, there is opposition to the presence of Blacks at some institutions, even public ones. Furthermore, there is resistance in the private sector to the integration of members of previously disadvantaged groups, which is hampering the emergence of African economic operators; conciliatory approaches are being explored, however. The press remains largely in the hands of the supporters of the old regime, who like to disparage the action taken by the Government. The Government plans to remedy the lack of legislation punishing racist acts and racial discrimination. 10. With respect to the increase in xenophobia, an issue that constituted the second aspect of the Special Rapporteur’s visit, both the official and the unofficial interlocutors with whom the Special Rapporteur met acknowledged that it was a matter of concern. This increased xenophobia is directed particularly against Africans from countries bordering on South Africa and from further afield (chiefly nationals of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). This xenophobia is no doubt the result of both the long isolation of South Africans from the rest of Africa and the fear that the migrants (both legal and illegal) and refugees will come and take advantage of the dividends of liberation before South Africans have themselves had an opportunity to benefit from them. The attraction that South Africa’s relative prosperity exerts on migrants from countries experiencing social or economic crises, combined with liberal legislation on the right of asylum, would appear to mean that there is a possibility that the development plan introduced by the South African Government will meet with failure. The Government indicates that it is aware of these problems and is seeking appropriate solutions. 2. Mission to Australia 11. The mission to Australia scheduled for 3 to 19 May 1998 was organized in cooperation with the Australian Government, but for reasons outside the control of the Special Rapporteur and the Government it was postponed to a later date to be agreed upon by the two parties. C. 4 Follow-up to field missions