Programme Director;
Members of Executive Council Present;
District Mayor Cllr CE Tladinyane;
Local Municipality Mayor of Kagisano/Molopo Municipality Cllr Ontlametse Mochane;
Councillors;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen
I am deeply honoured to represent the Premier of the North West Province Ms Thandi Modise on this important occasion where we are celebrating the eighteenth anniversary of our Freedom with the people of Ganyesa.
The Premier would have loved to be part of this occasion but due to other pressing engagements she could not join us today. She has however asked me to convey her best wishes to this historic gathering and present her address as follows:
We have assembled here in Kagisano / Molopo Local Municipality of our Province and as South Africans throughout the country to celebrate an historic day during which we rededicate ourselves to the building of a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society.
This day commemorates the first democratic elections held in South Africa on 27 April 1994 and is celebrated annually as a reminder of the struggle for a free and just South Africa. This year, we celebrate 18 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa and the achievements we have made as a nation.
We are celebrating this day under the national theme “Working Together to Promote Unity in Diversity”. As we are all aware that this year’s Freedom Day celebration takes place at the time when the country is also celebrating the historical moment of the centenary of the African National Congress (ANC). The formation of the ANC on the 8th January 1912 marked an important landmark in the liberation heritage of this country. This year’s Freedom Day celebration therefore serves as an important milestone in this liberation heritage.
As we celebrate our freedom, we recall and salute the heroism, the sacrifices and the selflessness of our people who made it possible for all of us to live in a strong and vibrant democracy.
On this day we celebrate the attainment of freedom, democracy, national reconciliation, unity and the restoration of human dignity.
Since the genesis of the democratic dispensation, the South African government has developed policies which have focused on poverty alleviation, improving economic growth, relaxing import controls and reducing the budget deficit. Poverty reduction is a stated policy goal.
Our constitution and policies are all based on the quest for a non-racial, non-sexist society in which individuals and communities are free to practice their beliefs, traditions and cultures without fear.
Section 27 of the South African Constitution commits the government to eliminating poverty, as it states in sub-section 1 that: Everyone has the right to have access to (a) health care services, including reproductive health care; (b) sufficient food and water; and (c) social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependants, appropriate social assistance.
In the same Section 27, sub-section 2 states that the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these rights of the government‘s commitment to eliminating poverty, as enshrined in the constitution of the Republic of South Africa
This day is a significant day of reflection and celebration for all the people of South Africa and our friends across the continent.
We celebrate a Freedom Day that brought together all races together. We are celebrating a freedom and democracy that were obtained through the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices of scores of freedom fighters, ordinary South Africans and freedom loving people in Africa and the world.
Each Freedom Day, we remember that scores of South Africans laid down their lives so that we could be free.
We need to dedicate ourselves to the building of a socially cohesive nation, always working to create a common identity as South Africans, united in diversity, bound together by the same vision of creating a truly non-racial, non-sexist society based on the values of Ubuntu.
Let all of us, on this day, the Freedom Day; rededicate ourselves to build a better society in which we can defeat poverty, unemployment, homelessness and economic marginalisation.
Freedom Day reminds us that we should all work hard to defend the freedom for which so many have fought and lost their lives.
We must work together to build our country and shape its future. We must all work for unity, true reconciliation and cohesion.
Because freedom was never free, we must work harder to defeat sexism, racism and xenophobia. We cannot allow racism and racist attitudes to prevail in our society, in our communities and in any of our various and diverse institutions.
The challenges we have today in the country, and our province is the matter of violence against women and children. Every day the newspaper covers horrific stories of ill-treatment, abuse, rape and violence against women and children. Clearly, we cannot proudly proclaim that we are a free nation while women and children are, themselves, not free to enjoy our freedom.
This freedom day and forward men in our society have an important role to play in advancing affirmative social values and mending the social fabric that is clearly been torn apart by the behaviour of those who, in reality, are behaving like animals. Men have an important message to give to their compatriots that: "Real men do not abuse".
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, which took effect on 4 February 1997, is the supreme law of the land. It seeks to “...establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights” It provides for the establishment of one sovereign state, a common South African citizenship and a democratic system of government committed to achieving equality between men and women and people of all races. It further provides for the prohibition of racial, gender and all other forms of discrimination, and promotes the celebration of formal (de jure) and substantive (de facto) equality.
Our country faces a threefold crisis of employment, poverty and inequality. Unemployment remains high.
Poverty and inequality in South Africa have racial, gender, spatial and age dimensions. Therefore, the concentration of poverty lies predominantly with black Africans, women, rural areas and black youth. The issue of poverty and unemployment continues to remain a challenge for the government.
We call upon our municipalities to play an important role in creating long lasting job opportunities to our people.
Programme Director, the challenge of drawing significant numbers of the unemployed into productive work remains with us today, not only in the North West, but throughout our country. But the challenge is not insurmountable.
The permanent reality for the majority of our people before 1994 was that of extreme deprivation and impoverishment, with no possibility of any change for the better. With democracy and freedom, this is steadily withering away and all our people have the possibility of tasting a better life.
Our vision as the north province for the next ten years is to transform the socio-economic and political landscape of the province and position it to a centre for excellent and decision makers.
The next two years our focus will be to provide the following support of the four provincial priorities which is water provision, eradicate sanitation backlog, maintenance and upgrade of road infrastructure and energy supply which includes major involvement with green economy.
We will work with organised business in the province and national and local government in ensuring that policies and programme surrounding this are resourced adequately and executed.
Priority for intervention in the province will be Dr Ruth Mompati with particular focus on Greater Taung, Ngaka Modiri Molema with particular focus on Mafikeng, Dr Kenneth Kaunda District- Tlokwe and Bojanala District focus will be Rustenburg area.
During this period we will also accelerate the commercialisation of key state owned assets which include:
The two major airports in the province which are Mafikeng and Pilanesburg;
irrigation infrastructure in lobatla village and Taung; the Mafikeng stadium; SABC Broadcasting Centre; and Lotlamoreng Dam.
The commercialisation process will ensure that young people, women and people living with disabilities they will be the primary beneficiaries in this commercialisation transaction of private sector.
We will also work with the mining houses in the province to resolve the land, leadership and resources conflict in and around mining the province.
We must work together in partnership with our communities and business to fight poverty, hunger, and to create decent jobs to “Build a Better life for all”.
We are eternally grateful for their lives and sacrifices they made to ensure that the people of South Africa are free.
Happy Freedom Day!
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Tel: 018 388 3705
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: Lkgwele@gmail.com
