Speech delivered by Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, at the handing over of the Tsolo Special School Computer Laboratory in Tsolo, Mhlontlo Local Municipality
Programme Director and Speaker of the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, Honourable Xolile Nkompela;
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Education in the Eastern Cape Legislature, Honourable Fundile Gade;
Honourable Executive Mayor of the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, Cllr Mandisa Giyose;
Councillors present today;
Government officials and partners;
Chairperson of the School Governing Body, Shakes Mbengo;
Principal, Ms Thozama Goso;
Bahlali bakuTsolo;
Our special guests, the learners of Tsolo Special School.
Let me greet you by repeating the motto of this school; Khanya apho ukhoyo - Shine where you are.
It is a proud occasion for me to stand in front of you representing your caring ANC government that delivers services to the people. We are here today to celebrate with the learners of Tsolo Special School by handing over a computer lab.
This hand over coincides with the official opening of this beautiful modern the school. Let me congratulate the school governing body, the Municipality and all the partners that have contributed in constructing these buildings that stand as monuments of progressive partnerships for fundamental improvement of Mhlontlo and surrounding communities.
Your ANC government is anchored on pillars that include pursuing the attainment of a just and fairer society that does not discriminate or marginalise persons with disabilities. Education continues to be number one priority under Premier Phumulo Masualle's and President Zuma's of Governments.
From today, the learners of this school will be part of an inclusive information society that was envisaged by our National Development Plan (NDP). They will be part of a new revolution called The Fourth Industrial Revolution driven by Internet hyperconnectivity and get an opportunity to fully participate in the digital economy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me borrow from Hubert H. Humphrey.
"The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life . . . the children; those who are in the twilight of life . . . the elderly; and those who are in the shadow of life . . . the sick . . . the needy… and the disabled."
The past few months have yielded significant milestones that are testament to the commitment to championing the rights of the vulnerable members of society.
In December 2015, Cabinet approved the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The White Paper is aimed at realising the Constitutional principle that “Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.”
Shortly after this milestone Cabinet approval, President Jacob Zuma inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on Disability at the National Disability Rights Summit that was held in Pretoria in March 2016. The Presidential Working Group on Disability is aimed at mainstreaming the promotion of the rights of persons with disability across government.
While opening this Summit, President Zuma said; “Let us focus our deliberations, keeping in mind the need to change the lives of children, women, young persons and older persons with disabilities living in poverty in deep rural communities.”
We are here at rural Tsolo in the Mhlontlo Local Municipality to deliver on the President’s call to ensure that government provides equal opportunities to all citizens to advance and claim their rightful place in society. We are contributing to restoring the dignity of our people who suffered under the Apartheid government because they were black, others female and were living with disabilities.
We are here to bring modern communication tools and infrastructure to the community and to these learners, who are in many ways, determining their future by learning vocational skills at this school. I was very impressed by the paintings and other items that have been made by these learners.
The computer lab that we are handing over is donated by the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA). It includes the following:
- 40 tablets
- 03 laptops
- A printer
- A server, and
- A projector.
These computers will give the learners an opportunity to market their products to an audience that is much larger than the Mhlontlo Municipality. These computers are a bridge to their future that is filled with endless possibilities. They are a digital canvass that we want the learners to use to paint their prosperous future. This is one of the ways in which the internet can be used as a powerful tool for development - as a force for good.
Let us remember the words of Mandela, "It is not a question of patronising philanthropy towards disabled people. They do not need the patronage of the non-disabled. It is not for them to adapt to the dominant and dominating world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognise the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity."
Providing access to such a powerful resource necessitates that we take care to ensure that we don’t open up the learners of this school to possible abuses online. We must always remember that the rights that we all enjoy offline are also protected online. A violation of these rights has real life consequences.
We are not dumping this computer lab. This school falls within the OR Tambo District Municipality, one of the eight rural districts identified by President Zuma for piloting the rollout of broadband or access to affordable, fast, reliable and secure internet. President Zuma has instructed us to prioritize rolling out broadband in rural areas to improve service delivery.
For an example, we want you to be able to take the regular tests for chronic conditions from home and use the internet to send the results to a nurse at a clinic. The nurse can assess the results and advise you when you need to come to the clinic or send an ambulance to fetch you if it is an emergency. This will save you the money you spend going to clinics when your condition is stable.
In turn, this will enable you to spend that time doing other things that are important to you. Nurses can also use technology to invite you to come to collect your chronic medication on a day it is not busy and before you run out of medication. This will save you the time you spend seating on chairs in clinics while you are waiting to receive your medication.
While the rollout has not started, USAASA informs me that they plan to connect schools, clinics and hospitals and other government facilities at the Mhlontlo and the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipalities before the end of March 2016. This means that they will be working in this municipality during this period.
I want them and the Department to provide me with quarterly reports of how the learners are using the computer lab and what interventions they are making to help the learners to use the lab efficiently. When there are challenges, they must help the school to resolve them. This information will help improve how we should connect schools catering for learners with special needs.
This information will also help us review the work the Department is doing to ensuring accessibility for all sectors of the population as we seek to achieve the goals of universal service and access.
We are doing this because we are partnering with the community of Mhlontlo. We have seen that partnerships here yield positive results. These partnerships are led by selfless volunteers such as the founder of this school, Ms Goso. These volunteers live the ideals of our global icon, comrade Nelson Mandela, on a daily basis.
They don’t claim him in adverts. Instead, they put their hearts and souls into bettering the lives of the less fortunate. That is the true legacy of comrade Mandela, whom the world is celebrating in July each year after the United Nations declared it the Mandela Month. UTata is in us. Happy Mandela Month.
Let me conclude by encouraging all of you to go and vote and renew the mandate of our local government next week. We thank our councillors for local and district municipalities for delivering service where we live. Unlike apartheid regime, your ANC government has restored our dignity. They are providing us with clean water, electricity, roads, and community halls.
They care about uplifting the poor. They listen to our challenges and together we will continue on our journey of improving our communities. Mama, tata, sisi and bhuti, woza usijoyine kulohambo oluhle lokuguqula izimpilo zethu. 'Sishoda ngawe.' The future of local government is in your hands.
I thank you!
