Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislature,
Honourable Minister of State Security, Mr MD Mahlobo,
Honourable Deputy Ministers,
Honourable Members of the National Assembly and of the National Council of Provinces present,
Honourable Members of the Mpumalanga Executive Council,
Honourable Members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature,
Honourable Leaders of the minority parties in the Legislature,
Executive Mayors,
Chairperson of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA),
All local government leadership,
Deputy Judge President of the South Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, Justice P Mojapelo,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
His Majesty King Makhosonke II
Chairperson of the Mpumalanga Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, Kgoshi ML Mokoena,
Director-General of Mpumalanga Provincial Government, Dr. Nonhlanhla Mkhize,
The Provincial Heads of Mpumalanga Government, CEO of Parastatals and other Chapter 9 Institutions,
ANC Provincial Secretary, Comrade Lucky Ndinisa and all ANC Officials present,
Leaders from business, sports, traditional, religious and all sectors,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Ngiyanibingelela, Dumelang, Lotshani, Avuxeni, Ndimacheroni, Molweni, Goeie More, Good Morning.
Honourable Speaker, it is always a privilege and a humbling experience to stand before this august House to reflect on our performance and progress towards building a better life for the people of this wonderful Province, Mpumalanga, ‘The Place of the Rising Sun’.
This occasion allows us to look ahead with hope, determination and courage as we write the story of our collective future, which abounds with endless possibilities for our children and generations to come.
The story of our past is rooted in our vision to create a National Democratic Society founded on core values of equality and freedom, human dignity, and the progressive realization of socio-economic rights.
The realisation of the vision expressed by our predecessors in the 1955 Freedom Charter continues to illuminate our path towards the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.As the principal agent of social transformation, the African National Congress remains steadfast in its pursuit of the ideals of the Freedom Charter.
The destination of our people has been clearly marked out and pursued by the Ruling Party for the more than 100 years of its existence. It is a destination free from poverty, inequality, deprivation and social exclusion.
As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of our Freedom Charter, we have taken time to reflect on our exceptional journey, and on where we are today.
We need to acknowledge and applaud the foundation we have built to ensure that our children and their children’s children live the better life we dreamed of and fought for.
Today, we can proudly say that we are a better nation than yesterday.
In spite of all our achievements, we are under no illusion that our task to realize the objectives of the National Democratic Revolution has been completed. A lot of hard work lies ahead. Slowly, but surely our ‘long walk’ to freedom will continue as we write the new chapters of our lives.
