P Mlambo-Ngcuka: National Imbizo on Ubuntu and Nation Building

17 November 2006

Premier of Mpumalanga Province, Thabang Makwetla,
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, J. Mahlangu
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders,
Traditional Leaders,
Members of the Executive Committees,
Members of the National and Provincial Legislatures,
Chief Executive Officer of the National Heritage Council,
Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to be here
with you today, to celebrate what is probably one of the most important events
in the history of our country, which is fundamentally about us looking deep
within ourselves as a nation, because ubuntu is fundamentally about the soul of
our nation, it is what President Nelson Mandela called for when he spoke about
the "RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) of the Soul."

The National Imbizo on Ubuntu and Nation-building is potentially one of the
most significant interventions in our effort to find the right formula for
social cohesion, national reconciliation and in defining our national identity.
The symbolism of the choice of venue, Botshabelo � A place of refuge, is not
lost in our minds as it was in this place that a complex history of African
interaction with Africans took place at various points in our history; it was
here that many communities took refugee in this mission station; and it was
also here that people were forcefully removed from their homes and are now
being returned.

What is ubuntu?

Ubuntu is what defines us as Africans, as distinct from other people, what
we normally refer to as the spirit of African humanism, it is the foundation
upon which most African societies are founded. It defines what is best about us
as Africans.

The values of ubuntu are based on principles of caring for humanity, love
for one's people, respect for people and their country, affording each other
nationhood. These are very same values that our South African society was
founded upon when we adopted our new constitution in 1996.

Speaking during the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of our constitution
the President said: "Through our Constitution, we laid the basis for the
construction of a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, united and prosperous
society based on justice, equality, the rule of law, the inalienable human
rights of all our citizens, and freedom from hunger and want." Firmly embedded
in that statement is the fact that, without respecting our fellow human beings,
we cannot respect the values of ubuntu, and vice versa.

Besides the constitution, our principles of ubuntu are deeply rooted in our
African culture, and the African saying among the Nguni and Sotho speaking
people which says, "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" or "Motho ke motho kabatho." When
directly translated into English it means that "A person is a person because of
other people." But, I believe this saying is deeper and more profound than
that, it defines the concept of ubuntu.

This saying instructs us that our existence is dependent upon other people.
Our successes are due to the role that our communities have played in nurturing
and developing us.

It speaks about the need for us to have a sense of community spirit as a
people. It says community members must play a constructive role towards the
development of their communities. It also tells us about the need to give back
to our communities what they have given us, it tells us that the most important
value of ubuntu lies in giving. Having an open heart and giving to those who
are needy and poor, is not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of strength.
Making sacrifices for the common good is what keeps our society together.

Firmly embedded in this saying is an injunction that, without the support of
other people, our existence is meaningless. It instructs us that we have a
central role to play in the empowerment of our communities, who are mostly poor
and destitute.

Our country's past and the history of dispossession and neglect that took
place under apartheid means that most communities today still find themselves
at the receiving end, are afflicted by poverty, diseases, want and
unemployment. As people who come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds
there is a need for us to rekindle the spirit of self reliance, self help, and
community involvement in order to deal with the eradication of the legacy of
apartheid.

Growing up in our various communities we have been socialised and been
touched by values and practices of Ubuntu in many ways. We have experienced at
one point in our lives that sense of community where every member of the
community always acted in a manner that showed human solidarity. A neighbour
was a neighbour not just in a physical sense of proximity but because of taking
care of a neighbour's business whenever such a need arose. We grew up in
communities where parents adopted an attitude that any child is my child and it
took a village to raise a child. People worked as a team or ilima in a true
sense of communalism.

Because of this spirit of Ubuntu that permeated our communities the weak,
the young, the poor and the vulnerable were not as exposed to the harshest
conditions of our society and dangers in our streets as it is the case today.
Ubuntu acted as a social security network or fabric that cushioned many in our
communities. It was the glue that held our society together.

I am certain that participants in this Imbizo will attempt to answer the
following questions that naturally arise when we reflect on the subject of
Ubuntu: Who are we as a nation; where are we and where do we want to be? While
there may not be quick answers to these vexing questions and instant solutions
to some of our complex challenges, efforts such as these take us a step closer
in our journey of self-discovery or should I say rediscovery.

What have different leaders said about ubuntu?

In the last few years there has been a noticeable increase of South African
voices calling for the revival of Ubuntu to inform our societal values in order
to tackle some of our societal challenges.

This includes public opinion makers and public policy makers such as our
President Thabo Mbeki who has been consistent in challenging our society to
rediscover Ubuntu in order to define our national character and identity, and
the venerable Archbishop Mpilo Tutu who has referred to Ubuntu as an essential
ingredient of a genuine reconciliation process. Even business leaders have been
exploring possibilities of infusing Ubuntu values in business management
practices.

In the last few months the voices calling for revival of Ubuntu has been
getting louder, stronger and more sustained to warrant a serious consideration
from scholars and public policy makers.

Several articulations by President Mbeki on Ubuntu reveals both the
government attitude as well as the vital role Ubuntu can potentially play in
revitalising the African Renaissance. Perhaps more telling is his speech in
Taung during the 2005 Heritage Day Celebrations: when he said:

"Today government as well as civil society, uses elements of this value
system of Ubuntu in their approaches to the day to day challenges. Some
examples are the government's Batho Pele campaign that seeks to place interests
of the public at the centre of government work and delivery of services.
Further, government as well as various communities have on different occasions
embarked on programmes based on some of the basic elements of Ubuntu such as
Letsema and Vuk'uzenzele to mobilise people to act together to advance the
objective of better life. However, we have not done enough to articulate and
elaborate on what Ubuntu means as well as promoting this important value-system
in a manner that should define the unique identity of South Africans."

We commend the Department of Arts and Culture through the National Heritage
Council together with co-organisers of this event heeding this call and
exploring ways of making real and operationalising the concept of Ubuntu as a
value system that assists in addressing some of the challenges of our
society.

As Reuel Khoza puts it in his book 'Let Africa Lead,' "To unravel the idea
of Ubuntu is to explore the deepest levels of African being-in-the- world in
all its intellectual and emotional complexity." This statement reinforced a
view that Ubuntu is deeply embedded in an African experience, psyche, worldview
and outlook.

It, therefore, means that revival of Ubuntu will not be something strange
and new for a majority as it has some resonance born out of collective memory
and experiences. Given the picture painted above and the preponderance of
Ubuntu in our communities at one point in time there is, a serious decline in
our values of Ubuntu and this is tearing our society apart and causing
disintegration of our communities and families. But our society while still
facing challenges of crime, violence, rape, murder, greed, and other social
ills, is however a fundamentally moral society, which is influenced by the
values of Ubuntu. This imbizo is, therefore, a timely intervention in our
society's attempt to provide RDP of the soul. The greatest challenge facing
every one of us here and in our various communities is addressing these
challenges applying the concept of Ubuntu.

We must ask ourselves how can we infuse (re-infuse) our society with a
spirit of Ubuntu by making concrete policy interventions and suggestions
instead of sentimental utterances to make a positive impact on people's lives.
As the leader of Moral Regeneration Movement collective, I will be keenly
interested in your advice on how to re-energise our campaign utilising the
values of Ubuntu.

If this conference is to be viewed as a success clear concrete suggestions
and a proposed practical programme of action must emerge from the process being
launched here today. I have no illusions that all answers can be provided in
these few days but a road map can certainly emerge even if in its rudimentary
form. Our government is willing and able to listen to and embrace suggestions
from this initiative.

The wonderful thing about Ubuntu is that it embodies universal human values
that are essentially not in contradiction with the values of our diverse
communities within the country. Ubuntu values are also found in Christianity,
Islam, Jewish religion, Hindu, Buddhism, Bahai faith. It is for this reason
that Ubuntu could provide a platform that every racial and cultural group of
this country can relate to.

We could begin this work so that even visitors who come to our country and
those who will come for 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup can begin to experience the
legendary spirit of Ubuntu.

I am convinced that the African Renaissance and the African Century cannot
be fully realised unless we invoke and embrace the values of Ubuntu in
re-branding our country and the continent at large. When we embrace these
values a new African Dawn that will mark the beginning of the Age of Hope shall
emerge. Let us all return to our communities, families, workplaces and
organisations and keep the flame of Ubuntu burning until this spirit transforms
our society into a better place for all.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
17 November 2006
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za)