Address by the Minister of Labour on the occasion of the Joint South Africa and Mozambiquè Ministerial Farm Workers & Farm Employers Consultative Imbizo hosted by Minister Mildred Oliphant of South Africa and Minister Vitôria Dais Diogo of Mozambiquè held in Tzaneen, South Africa
Programme Director
HOSI N’wamitwa, Our Host;
Your Worship the Mayor of Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality; Councillor Maripe Mangena;
Her Excellency the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of the Republic of Zimbabwe; Hon VITÔRIA DAIS DIOGO;
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs; Hon Fatima Chohan
Deputy Minister of Labour; Hon Inkosi Advocate Phathekile Holomisa
Directors General of the two Countries
Senior Government Officials here present
Workers / Employers here present
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Bon-Dia; Como Estás; Abusheni; Thobela; Ndimacheroni; Good Morning; Goeie More; Sanibonani.
Today marks an important milestone in pursuit of our commitment to work together in the growth and development of our people. Mozambique and South Africa share a lot in common beyond being part of the African Continent. Our history; our indigenous cultures and languages are a living proof that we are indeed one nation only separated by colonial borders. Our relatives, our in-laws and families knows no borders as they are found everywhere in our two countries.
Honourable Ministers, Let me recall one of the founding fathers of the African National Congress way back in 1906, Pixley ka Seme, who I guess inspired the famous 1996 “I am an African speech. In 1906 Seme gave a speech at Columbia University in the US, where he was studying for a BA degree (before he went on to study law at Oxford). The speech was aptly titled “The Regeneration of Africa” The said speech won him the University’s highest oratorical honour, the George William Curtis medal.
The opening line of that speech went something like this, and I quote; “I am an African, and I set my pride in my race over and against a hostile public opinion. Men have tried to compare races on the basis of some equality. In all the works of nature, equality, if by it we mean identity, is an impossible dream! Search the universe! You will find no two units alike. The scientists tell us there are no two cells, no two atoms, which are identical.
The African already recognises his anomalous position and desires a change. The brighter day is rising upon Africa.
Already I seem to see her chains dissolved, her desert plains red with harvest …her Zululand the seats of science and religion, reflecting the glory of the rising sun from the spires of their churches and universities. Yes, the regeneration of Africa belongs to this new and powerful period!” Close Quote.
90 years later, another former President of the African National Congress, Thabo Mbeki, visited the vision of Seme and had this to say, and I quote; “I am the grandchild of the warrior men and women that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, the soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom.
… I am born of a people who would not tolerate oppression. I am of a nation that would not allow that fear of death, torture, imprisonment, exile or persecution should result in the perpetuation of injustice. All this I know and know to be true because; I am an African!” Close Quote.
The mention of Ngungunyane, also known as Mdungazwe Ngungunyane; Nxumalo, the Lion of Gaza, in the “I am an African Narrative” is instructive and it proves beyond doubt that indeed our two countries are connected and are one.
Almost a year ago today, we placed ink to paper as a symbol of our resolve to work together in promoting those things that will make our two nations become a beacon of hope for our people. Today we are here, united in our commitment to take this ambition forward. I am not here alone Minister DAIS DIOGO, but I am with my Senior Cabinet colleagues from the South African Government as a sign that what we are doing today, enjoys the support of our government.
Our mission to work together finds expression in many ways, South Africa is your home away from home and Mozambique is our home away from home. As you know beyond having provided us shelter and support during the difficult days of apartheid, you also gave us a bride in “Ms Graca Machel” in the later years. That in it-self, doubled the debt that we owe your nation. This month marks 30 years since that tragic night when the son of the soil, a compatriot and a friend of this nation met his mysterious death at Mbuzini in Mpumalanga.
We will always remember when he once said, and I quote; “The rich man's dog gets more in the way of vaccination, medicine and medical care than do the workers upon whom the rich man's wealth is built.” Close quote. This is so apt, given what the purpose of this gathering is about. We are here to reflect and engage on how the workers, who are the builders of wealth, are being ill-treated and abused and what to do about it.
The question of what happened on that night still bothers us a lot. The fact that the truth about what brought that plane down has not come out, lingers in our minds like an unending nightmare.
May his soul rest in peace; “Aluta Continua”
Turning to the task at hand, the Mozambique nation continue to contribute in our economic development. As you know that one of the anchors of the South African economic has, for many years, been the mining sector and to some extent agriculture. The Mozambican nationals have played no small role in the development of these sectors and by extension our economy, I dare say. For this reason, the Mozambican nationals can rightfully claim to have assisted South Africa to be the giant economy that it is today.
Minister, we are aware that some of your nationals paid the ultimate price through the fatalities in the mining sector and some left without claiming their rightful social benefits. We know that the efforts of some of our institutions to provide health to ex-miners who may have contracted occupational diseases such as silicosis and other lung-related diseases, have not yet received their rightful compensation, nor are aware of the benefits that are due to them. We are also aware that there are cases where the principal member passed on and the rightful beneficiaries not pursuing their loved one’s claims due to lack of knowledge that such exists, or not knowing how to go about claiming such benefits.
We are also aware that some of the Mozambican nationals continue to provide their labour in various sectors of our economy, especially in those towns closer to our borders. Some of them are undocumented as a result are vulnerable to unscrupulous employers who exploit them to the core. Whilst most of these workers are unaware of their rights in terms of the South African labour Laws and those who may be aware are often scared to challenge their employers for fear of falling foul to immigration laws.
I am raising these challenges, not because they are the only ones, but merely to highlight the extent of what need urgent attention. The question of unclaimed social benefits and Health care for ex-mineworkers, require a concerted effort from both governments. We need to draw up a joint plan of how best to address these matters taking into account our protocols and respective legislations.
The challenge of workers being taken advantage of by some employers, purely because of being undocumented or not being aware of the protection that the Labour Laws of this country affords them, has to be addressed with the urgency it deserves.
Our labour laws, Ladies and Gentlemen, provide protection to all workers regardless of their nationalities.
What could perhaps be useful is for both countries to mount joint awareness campaigns especially in areas where this challenge is more prevalent. It might also be useful for both countries to encourage our brothers and sisters from Mozambique to get documented, as that will be the first step towards keeping tap and even eliminating the inherent abusive practices that comes with being undocumented.
Our resolve to ensure that the MoU between our two countries is not merely a piece of paper, but is turned into a programme of action with demonstrable outcomes, must be pursued and realised at every level.
Let us live the vision of Pixley Ka Seme articulated way back in 1906 in his speech “The Regeneration of Africa” later aptly captured in 1996 through I am an African Speech”.
I have no doubt in my mind that this ambition is achievable Honourable Ministers; all it requires is focus and commitment.
This meeting must mark the turning point in the lives of our people especially workers of our two nations. Officials from our respective countries must, as a matter of urgency, be seized with the task of translating our MoU into a real catalyst for change as it is meant to be.
Together we can…I thank you
Obrigado!!!
