Speaker,
Mayor, Deputy Mayor,
Members of the Mayco,
Leader of the official opposition, Cllr,
Chief whips of the various political parties,
MM and all the senior staff of Mossel Bay Municipality,
I firstly want to thank the mayor and the Mossel Bay Municipality (MM) as well as the full council for allowing me to address this special Council Meeting today.
South Africa is a complex plural society and, in such societies, we need to communicate through powerful symbols. The Constitution of South Africa confirms that the country belongs to all united in our diversity.
As a nation, South Africa is a very young democracy and we all need to water the seeds. We all have the experience of gardening. My father-in-law loved Jakob Regops and Chrysanthemums. My neighbour loved Dahlias. When they spoke about their gardens, one key theme ran like a golden thread through their conversation - a deep love for flowers and the importance of the right volume of water. Building a nation is like gardening; too little water, plants tend to die while too much water is also not good. The right mix at the right time and at the right volumes. Timing is critical.
Cultural diversity requires us to move beyond ethnocentricity.
Culture is about:
1. people.
2. history.
3. heritage.
4. traditions and values.
5. altruism, selfless humanity and the ability to accommodate other cultures.
Moosa van Calvinia,
Lusani Madzivhandila, Venda,
Sindiso Mfenyana, my PA,
Vandag is ek hier om erkening te gee vir Mosselbaai se bydrae tot die skepping van multi-kulturele diversiteit in 'n komplekse plural samelewing. Met u fees en die tema:" Waar kulture ontmoet" het u:
1. Kollektief daarin geslaag om mense bymekaar te bring.
2. SA patriotisme onder u burgers te bevorder.
3. Kultuur as pret uitgestal.
4. Raakvlakke tussen kulture beklemtoon.
5. Kulturele toerisme op die dorp en in die gemeenskappe aangewakker.
6. Mense se potensiaal te ontgin.
7. Mosselbaai herverpak as plek waar almal hulle kulturele tradisies kan uitleef.
8. Mosselbaai sosiaal inklusief gemaak.
9. Die ekonomiese potensiaal van kulturele raakvlakke geidentifiseer vir u LED.
10. U het gedoen wat op u hart lê, gefokus op die Godhead van men's wees.
Indien mense u vra waarom het die Minister Mosselbaai uitgesonder vir die Ministeriele Toekenning, dan het ek u tien redes gegee. Maar die belangrikste is dat u as Munisipaliteit die waardes van Batho Pele uitleef:
We care.
We serve.
We belong.
All of you are leaders of this municipality and all of you are leadership assets of this community. Irrespective of your political affiliation, today I want to thank all of you for planting seeds of reconciliation, redress, diversity and delivery.
My coming here today was inspired by what I witnessed, experienced. I felt something truly unique. You have started a cultural revolution in this town.
Today, I am paying my respect to you for making culture a central theme of your social engagement with communities.
As Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, I now call on the mayor to receive the Ministerial Certificate for Promoting Social Inclusion.
Mayor, this is presented to you as the political head of this town as a symbol of what you have collectively done; may it inspire you to carry on planting the seeds of nation building.
I also want to express my thanks and appreciation to the deputy mayor, Mr Levendal, for his enthusiasm, the Mayco members, the MM and the Festival Committee and the many volunteers who made the festival an unique experience. I also want to thank the South African Police Service and the SA Navy for their contribution. We are all proud of our uniformed officers.
