Press releases
New US Consulate General building in Sandton to be dedicated during American Independence Day celebration
June 29, 2009
Scroll down for remarks made at the celebration
WHAT
The US Mission to South Africa will officially dedicate the newly constructed US Consulate General in Johannesburg on July 1st. At the same time, the Mission will mark American Independence Day (which falls on Saturday, July 4th). The celebration will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and will be attended by various dignitaries, including South African government officials.
WHEN
Wednesday, July 1 at 10:00am
WHERE
US Consulate General, 1 Sandton Drive, corner of Rivonia Road and Sandton Drive
BACKGROUND
The US Consulate General closed its offices in Killarney and the CBD in mid-April and moved to the new facility in Sandton. The new building houses all offices associated with Consulate operations, including Department of State offices (e.g. the Consular / Visa Section and, the Public Affairs Section and its library), the Foreign Commercial Service, the United States Trade and Development Agency office, and Department of Homeland Security representatives.
All media welcome
There will be media tours of the new facility prior to the official dedication. INTERESTED MEDIA SHOULD PLAN TO ARRIVE AT 10:00.
To confirm your attendance and to receive special instructions regarding parking and entry please contact (by Tuesday, June 30 at 4:00 pm):
Steve Stark on 079 111 1916
Tebogo Sepeng 079 111 1981
2009 US National Day Celebration and New Johannesburg Consulate Dedication
July 1, 2009
Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Helen La Lime
I am thrilled to welcome all of our guests today. Thank you very much for coming today. We are here to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our first step in the long American journey toward life as one of the world’s oldest independent, democratic countries.
We are also here to cut the ribbon and to dedicate our new Consulate General building in Johannesburg. This 33,000 square meter complex houses about 100 staff members – a true statement of our commitment to the vital, growing relationship with South Africa and its commercial urban heart, Johannesburg.
On July 4th 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the American Continental Congress, setting our original 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, on the 4th in the United States, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.
Today, we have a more formal celebration arranged for you – and, unfortunately, in much colder weather than we are accustomed to - but I hope you will feel some of our spirit of national pride and patriotism.
Our staff here in Johannesburg is certainly proud to show off their new “home” to you. After our ceremony, the building will be open for tours and we welcome you to see first-hand the heart of our operations in Johannesburg.
Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of American independence with a spontaneous celebration, but the observance of Independence Day only became commonplace after the War of 1812.
In 1859, the Banneker Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, urged African Americans to celebrate Independence Day while bearing witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slavery. Banneker's orator of the day, Mr. Jacob C. White Jr., also promised his audience a brighter future:
We have learned by experience and by the comparison of ourselves with people similarly situated, to hope that, at someday not very far in futurity, our grievances will be redressed, that our long lost rights will be restored to us, and that, in the full stature of men, we will stand up, and with our once cruel opponents and oppressors rejoice in the Declaration of our common country, and hail with them the approach of the glorious natal day of the Great Republic.
By the 1870s, the Fourth of July was the most important secular holiday on the calendar. Congress passed a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870.
Even remote communities on the western frontier marked the holiday. A young woman who lived out West commented in her diary that the Fourth was the "big event of the year. Everyone in the countryside got together on that day for the only time in the year." She continued saying, “Just before lunch - and we'd always hold lunch up for an hour - some Senator or lawyer would speak. These speeches always had one pattern. First, the speaker would challenge England to a fight and berate the King and say that he was a skunk. This was known as twisting the lion's tail. Then the next theme was that anyone could find freedom and liberty on our shores. The speaker would invite those who were heavy laden in other lands to come to us and find peace. The speeches were pretty fiery and by that time the men who drank got into fights and called each other Englishmen…. The Fourth was the day of the year that really counted then.”
In July 1776, there were an estimated 2.5 million people living in the newly independent nation. Today, 304 million Americans are getting ready to celebrate July Fourth.
Our nation has grown in population, territory, economic strength and political diversity since our founding. There are parts of our history that are filled with glory and others that are shameful. Yet, one of the great strengths of the American character is our ability to re-examine and re-analyze past mistakes, to formulate a better way forward, and to pull together as a nation time and again.
Following a very difficult period in recent decades, we have a new president – the first African-American president in our history. We are facing the challenges and difficulties of the economic crisis head-on and we are re-energizing our foreign relations.
The U.S.-South African relationship is at the foundation of our relations with all of Africa. Our citizens do business with each other, travel to each others’ most beloved places, study together and enjoy much of the same culture and music. Our governments work together to fight HIV/AIDS, build peace and stability around the continent, and bring more jobs and prosperity to our people. This is a relationship that matters – a relationship based on respect and trust.
As evidence of the great importance President Obama places on this relationship, the President has nominated a close friend and supporter of his, Donald Gips, to be his personal representative in South Africa. Pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Mr. Gips should become our next ambassador here within the next several months.
He is currently serving as Assistant to the President and Director for Presidential Personnel. Prior to serving in the White House, Mr. Gips helped lead then President-elect Obama’s Presidential Transition Team as they took the reins of government from the previous administration after last November’s election.
Mr. Gips previously worked in the private sector and before that served in the Clinton White House as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore and as Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Management and Harvard University.
I am confident that if confirmed by the Senate, Donald Gips will be a tremendous promoter of stronger ties between our two great nations. With new administrations in place in both of our countries, this is a time of great potential and many new possibilities.
In a little over one week, President Obama will visit Ghana, his first trip to Africa as President. He will deliver an important speech about Africa that we hope we get wide coverage here in South Africa. The United States firmly believes that the welfare of African people and democratic African nations is critical to peace and prosperity worldwide, and we are committed to working toward those goals with our key partner, South Africa.
And because of that, my government has built this beautiful new building here in Sandton to facilitate our work in Johannesburg.
Before we get to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, I would like to express my warm, heartfelt welcome to (SAG VIP) for coming here today. I would now like to invite (SAG VIP) to make some remarks.
Thank you.