Members of the Provincial Executive;
Members of the Provincial Legislature;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Mayors and Councillors;
Amakhosi Present;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen, and the people of KwaZulu-Natal
Good-morning; Goeie more; Vanekum; Salaam aleikum; Dumelang; Ralocha; Ndaa; Namaaste; Bon die; Sanibonani; Habari.
I am honoured to join you today to celebrate Freedom Day.
As we celebrate this very important day of our democracy, we do so under a cloud following the rape of an eight-year old kid in Gingindlovu.
As government we have called on communities to stand up and unite in a public display of disapproval of this sheer brutality.
Parents, leaders of society including traditional and religious leaders must emphasise human values of respect and caring for a fellow human being.
Normal socialisation is about creating a human being capable of showing and sharing affection, warmth and friendship. It is such individuals that will create a caring and humane society that we desire.
Programme Director,
I welcome all of you to this important event in our calendar hosted in the home soil of Inkosi Albert Mvumbi Luthuli - the first African recipient of the Nobel Peace Laureate.
This year marks the 52rd anniversary of this historic occasion which inspired the people of all races to work behind a common goal of fighting for democracy.
President Luthuli believed in the justice for all the people of South Africa irrespective of their race and colour. His vision for a non-racial and prosperous society was best captured in one of the interviews he gave before his untimely death:
“There will be enormous, peaceful change in South Africa before the end of this century. People of all races will eventually live together in harmony because no one, white, black or brown, wants to destroy this beautiful land of ours. Women must play an increasingly important role in all areas of the future. They were and remain the most loyal supporters of our struggle.”
Hosting this event here today is the best way of showing gratitude to Madlanduna for his dedication to the cause of our freedom. We pay tribute to this gallant son of the soil - a negotiator, a peacemaker and a unifier of our people.
“In line with the theme for this year’s celebrations ‘Working Together to Build Unity and Prosperity’ we extend an invitation to all the people of this province to work with government build on the unity that we have achieved over the years of struggle and selfless dedication by many ordinary men and women.
These include Dr Abdul Abdurrahman who formed the African People’s Organisation in 1902 to fight for the rights of the coloured people.
We salute Mahatma, Mohandas Gandhi who pioneered a contemporary struggle for freedom which led to the formation of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). The NIC was an effective instrument that mobilised Indian workers to strike at the sugar-cane plantations, coal mines and factories.
Critically, we must pause and pay tribute to other pathfinders of our liberation such as the first Anglican Bishop of Natal, the Right Reverend John William Colenso.
On his arrival in this province Bishop Colenso was horrified by injustices to the extent that he developed sympathy for the Africans. He learned the Zulu language and went on to produce a Zulu Dictionary, and a Zulu translation of the New Testament and other parts of the Bible and Prayer Book for the instruction of the Zulus.
Today we pay tribute to the Bishop for his firm stand against all imperial injustices and atrocities committed by the apartheid regime against Africans.
Bishop Colenso was regarded by all the Kings and tribes as their best friend and protector. He was respected by colonial legislators for his humane manner and his Christian teachings.
Sobantu, as he was affectionately known, is credited for using his sermons and his writings to highlight the sufferings of the people of this province.
He used his visit to England - during meetings with the Anglican Prelate, the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Secretary of the Colonies and other members of the British Government, to advance the cause of King Cetshwayo who had been arrested and exiled in Cape Town.
Effectively placing on the international agenda the struggle against racial oppression and discrimination, Bishop Colenso explained to the English public why he respected the Zulu Kingdom and its people. He related the King’s respect for the cultural heritage of his people and how the King had resisted any attempt to alter the basic fabric of Zulu society.
Through his deeds, Bishop Colenso inspired many generations of Whites in this province to participate in the fight against racial oppression and discrimination.
Many whites dedicated their lives counselling thousands of black South Africans, plotting legal strategy, writing pamphlets, holding silent vigils and speaking out in churches and at universities against the apartheid regime.
Also, today we remember the work of the Natal Liberal Party led by Mr Peter Brown, the provincial secretary and deputy national chairman. Peter was opposed to the force removals of blacks from urban areas and farms. He believed in non-racialism and was behind the convening of the Natal Convention, a multiracial conference held in Pietermaritzburg.
He became the target of the apartheid machinery – often being arrested, detained for 98 days – and was served with a five-year banning order in terms of the Suppression of Communist Act. He became the longest banned White South African during apartheid.
I have been recapturing history just to make an important point that our fate is bound together.
By all accounts, this province has achieved racial harmony and prosperity through collective efforts by Whites, Indians, Coloureds and Africans. Therefore, this year’s Freedom Day celebration gives us the opportunity to strengthen the solidarity amongst the people of this province.
The introduction of the English, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Afrikaner and other European cultures as the colonialists landed in Natal signalled the beginning of the formation of the Rainbow Nation.
In addition, the introduction of the western influence brought in Christianity, while the arrival of Indian indentured labourers introduced the Hindu, Islamic and other faiths from the east. Similarly, the Jewish and Italians have enriched the spectrum of faiths and religion in this province.
Indeed, we have been a shining example to the world. In the new democratic order we ushered in 1994, we rejected the notion of groups with specific allocation of rights and resources. We have created an equal society where values identified in the country’s constitution are enjoyed by all.
Our constitution was designed specifically to protect all cultures and customs practiced by our people. This is specifically meant to protect the minority communities from any form of discrimination.
Today is a day on which we recommit ourselves to respect and preserve the different traditions and emphasise the freedom of worship, religion and freedom of speech.
We do so in respect and honour to individuals and organisations that participated in the struggle for a free South Africa.
Political violence is part of the normal lives of many countries, but this province has been blessed with leaders who have chosen a path for peace and interracial harmony.
We must therefore celebrate the underlying values of love, respect, compassion, peace, justice, equality and freedom. We need to unite and work together to end poverty, starvation, illiteracy, disease and all forms of underdevelopment.
As we mark the Centenary year of the founding of the African National Congress in we are proud of the contribution made by leading leaders who hailed from this beautiful and proud province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The centenary celebrations are aimed at acknowledging the contribution of our communities in the political, economic, social and other forms of development of our society. We celebrate the end of apartheid and the dawn of a united, non-racial non-sexist and prosperous country.
We urge the crop of current leadership to observe and follow closely on the footsteps of our great forefathers in the struggle for equality and human rights and to uphold the values and teachings they suffered for in order for us to realise the freedoms that we enjoy today.
We need to remind ourselves that having a democratic government is a privilege we should never take for granted because many people paid with their lives for it.
We need to work together to create responsive government administration with civil servants who are sensitive to people’s needs. We need a transparent government which is intolerant of fraud and corruption.
Fraud and corruption has become a problem which needs to be addressed because failure to do so will mark the beginning of a demise of the democratic government.
We need to work together to strengthen the criminal justice system and to ensure that a stronger effort is mounted to fight crime, in all its manifestations - from the unacceptable level of murders, assaults, robberies, high-jacking to domestic violence.
We need to create safe haven across this province fight drug addiction and target drug traffickers who poison the minds of our innocent children.
We have committed ourselves to the program of mass mobilisation to promote the prevention of HIV and AIDS by promoting behavioural changes in society, promoting access to medication and sound nutrition.
We are calling the people of this province to undergo the Voluntary Counselling and Testing. If you know your status you will be able to live a healthy lifestyle.
Central to our celebration of Freedom Day is the need to remind the people of this province that they have a democratic right to participate in government programmes.
In the past 18 years, government has prioritised economic growth and delivery of basic services: bringing water, sanitation, shelter, health and education facilities closer to millions of our people. Although we are making progress but we need to work with our people to increase the pace.
We are inviting the people of this province to join Masisukume Sakhe campaign. We believe that through such participation ordinary people can infuse their experiences and inform government policies and programmes thus making these more relevant and responsive to their needs.
It is important to also recognise that participation is itself a crucial democratic benefit given the history of our country where non-participatory governance supported the logic of apartheid.
The space to participate in matters that affect your life as a community member promotes a sense of personal and community self-worth.
Let us hold each other’s hands and embrace this freedom, reconciliation, acceptance and respect for all communities. Respect for human rights must be the new culture of our new South African nation.
Let no one take away your right to be free and enjoy the fruit of this democracy. Let us work hard together to create this positive future for our children.
We wish you to enjoy your Freedom Day. This day is about freedom of all people living in South African today and we must safeguard it for future generations.
I thank you.
