25 August 2008
Mr Jacob Zuma, President of the African National Congress (ANC)
Mr Siphiwe Nzimande, CEO of Business Against Crime
Mr Jody Kollapen, Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission
Ms Wendy Luhabe, Chairperson of the International Marketing Council
Mr Roelf Meyer, Project Leader for Action for a safe SA
Mr Paul Graham, Executive Director of Idasa
Ms Barbara Holtmann, Crime Prevention Research Leader at the CSIR
Esteemed guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon to all of you. Like many of you I have been enthralled over the past two weeks by the celebration of the human spirit on display at the Olympics in Beijing. Whether it is the medal-winning triumphs of the Khotso Mokoenas or the raw courage of the Natalie du Toits – these are tales of struggle and human conquest over adversity. These are stories of discipline, perseverance and remarkable achievement in the face of great odds. The Olympics reminds us of our common humanity and shared heritage. We need to be reminded that we are all one people regardless of where we reside on this planet. These stories of hope, unfolding before us in China on a daily basis, nevertheless remind me of an ancient Chinese proverb, "May you live in interesting times". We in South Africa have been blessed to live in interesting times.
Globally the world has been confronted with rising fuel and food prices and a declining property market that we in South Africa have not been immune to. These coupled with our own particular challenges around crime, the electricity quandary, and the uncertain political climates in the region have all combined to create a mood of despondency and despair. It therefore gladdens my heart to be associated with the Action for a Safe South Africa initiative. It reminds me once again of the resilience of the South African spirit in the face of adversity. And it seeks to remove the illusion of difference between our differing communities as well as reduce the distance between our peoples as we together confront the challenges before our society during these interesting times.
It is such challenges that we in government have been keen to tackle. In reflecting on these challenges the 2008 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Economic Assessment of South Africa recognises that "the democratically elected government that came to power in 1994 inherited an economy wracked by long years of internal conflict and external sanctions. Against that backdrop, economic performance since 1994 has been impressive. "The report further notes" in particular, the successive governments during that period have shown considerable prudence…in an effort to boost short-term growth. As a result, public finances were stabilised, inflation was brought down, foreign capital was attracted in growing amounts, and economic growth…improved. The awarding of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa is just one sign that South Africa is now seen as a stable, modern state, in many ways a model for the rest of the African continent." The report further warns that "there have also been notable weaknesses in the economic record to date, especially as regards unemployment, inequality, and poverty. Social problems such as HIV/AIDS and crime have been prominent as well, and these…have [had] a strong negative economic impact."
Consequently we have ensured that we provide co-ordinated and consolidated responses to address particularly HIV and AIDS as well as crime. A key element of our fight against crime over the last decade has been the reduction of the conditions which give rise to criminal elements. Thus a major part of our spending has gone to reducing the historical inequalities between the different race groups. Over 47 percent of our national budget has been spent on social services, in particular in improving the education and health status of our people so that they are able to improve their living conditions. However, as we know this in its self has not been enough to remove the legacy of separate development.
We have thus also embarked on providing a safety net to ensure that the poorest of the poor know that we are indeed a caring government. To date over 12 million of our poorest countrymen and women, benefit from the various social grants that are available to them. As the Department of Social Development (DSD) we recognise that prevention is better than cure. Our focus this year has thus been two-fold. Our recently launched war on poverty is instrumental in ensuring that the poorest households are able to lift themselves out of poverty, with government's assistance of course. The other initiative that we have embarked upon this year is the intensification of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme. We have recognised that importance of ECD in the overall development of a child, as if they are not looked after at this stage it is easier for them to enter a cycle of crime.
Just last week we hosted the tenth anniversary of our Victim Empowerment Programme. Among the programme's aims are to ensure that victims of crime and violence in our society are treated fairly by the criminal justice system and that minimum standard of service are delivered from all sectors of government and civil society. I am glad to note that the Action for a Safe South Africa programme recognises the important role that youth play in combating crime. We as the Department of Social Development have begun implementing the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme that seeks to transform young people from passive recipients of services to active change agents in social development. We are currently actively identifying the first intake of 1 950 Masupatsela Pioneers. These youth will be our active agents as we deliver the various programmes targeted at energy efficiency, poverty eradication and early childhood development. This programme will also complement our National Youth Service Programme (NYSP) wherein we already train young people to be social service support personnel. The recent International Youth Crime Prevention and Cities Summit held in June this year recognised the important role that sport plays in ensuring that the younger generation do not embark on a life of crime. Sport provides youth with team building, problem solving and communication skills as well as personal responsibility and socio-moral development. Children also develop a higher self esteem when they are able to achieve on the sports field. The role of sport as a tool in combating crime needs to be reassessed to ensure that its effectiveness is maximised.
Despite these and many other achievements it seems as if South Africans are finding it difficult to extricate themselves from the downward spiral of doom and gloom. All our initiatives are equivalent to nought if we are unable to arrest the pessimistic attitude that ails our nation. For too long, too many South Africans have sought to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We must therefore ensure that we turn around this negative sentiment our numerous victories will continue to remain unacknowledged.
Just as Rome was not built in a day, neither will the South Africa we envisage appear overnight. There is a continuous battle for the country that we envision. The Action for a Safer South Africa coherently articulates this vision. It is a vision that we as South Africans need to safeguard against the dangers of futility, expediency, timidity and comfort.
Futility is the belief that one man or woman or organisation can do nothing against the ills facing our country – be they ignorance, injustice, crime or violence. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single individual. Our own Nelson Mandela dared to challenge the might of the apartheid system. The ANC worked relentlessly against the might of the colonial and apartheid systems, for long with only the faintest glimmer of hope to keep it moving forward. It was Archimedes who said that. "Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world." The men and women of our country have moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation. In 1956 thousands of women stood up against the tyranny of the apartheid state and declared, "Wa thint' aba faz, wa thint' imbokodo." It is through these numberless diverse acts of courage such as these that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man or woman stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of crime and violence. This is the hope that the Action for a Safe South Africa brings to us.
The second danger is that of expediency; of those who say that hopes and beliefs must be sacrificed before immediate necessities. Of course if we must act effectively we must deal with the world as it is. We must get things done. However, it is the belief that idealism, high aspiration, and deep convictions are incompatible with the most practical and efficient of programmes – that there is no basic consistency between ideals and realistic possibilities – no separation between the deepest desires of heart and of mind and the rational application of human effort to human problems. Poverty is in itself a form of oppression and we are all too aware of the extent of poverty in our society. But we should not confuse poverty with criminal activity. The recent acts of xenophobia were partially criminal in nature. While it is of course true that some who are poor and who have no hope for a better future are more easily lured into criminal activity, the overwhelming majority of poor people would not knowingly commit crime. Poor people however suffer disproportionately in the face of victimisation and they are more vulnerable to criminals than any other sector of our society. Poverty in itself represents violence against its victims, and comes almost inevitably with neglect, hunger and deprivation that are intrinsically interwoven with a shutting down of real opportunity to be educated and to contribute to a positive future.
A third danger is timidity. Few men and women are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world which yields most painfully to change. Aristotle tells us "At the Olympic Games it is not the finest or the strongest men who are crowned, but those who enter the lists. So too in the life of the honourable and the good it is they who act rightly who win the prize." It is only in acknowledging the realities of AIDS, xenophobia, poverty and crime can we begin to shape the society that we want. I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the world. It is only by speaking truth to power can we build the society envisioned in the Freedom Charter.
For the fortunate amongst us, the fourth danger is comfort; the temptation to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who have the privilege of an education – to hide behind our high walls and security estates. But that is not the road history has marked out for us. These are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind. And everyone here will ultimately be judged on the effort he or she has contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which his or her ideals and goals have shaped that effort. The Action for a Safe South Africa campaign calls on all South Africans to move from the comfort of their own lives towards a common humanity.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Action for a Safe South Africa campaign goes to the heart of the society that we envisage. It is only when we can enjoy freedom without fear that the rights espoused in our Constitution will have meaning for the majority of South Africans. As government we are fully supportive of initiatives that build on the notion of ubuntu, which informs us that no person is an island.
We cannot hope to reverse the negative consequences of inter-personal crime and underdevelopment unless we strengthen community organisations and the broad civil society sector. So when Roelf Meyer approached me about Action for a Safe South Africa (AFSSA), I saw it as a vibrant ray of hope; a platform for inclusiveness and real action, with a focus on restoration, development and social cohesion. I am here today in recognition of the essential role that such an initiative can – and in my view must – play if we are to transform South Africa into a caring society wherein we are all able to live together in peace and safety.
I wish all delegates productive and positive discussions over the next few days. The testing time will of course come after the convention. My department and I commit ourselves to being an active partner in the time ahead, and we remain committed to the tasks and goals you have set for us. There is much work to be done and we will all need strength and resilience but I believe that together we can and will achieve a Safe South Africa.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
25 August 2008
