N Madlala-Routledge: University of KwaZulu-Natal award

30 October 2006

I am greatly honoured to receive this University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
convocation award for Human Endeavour and Freedom. I am grateful to the
university and all those who have supported me to get to where I am now. I am
grateful to my mother who is sitting in the audience here this evening. She
totally believed in education and devoted forty years of her life teaching
African children, twenty-six of those years she served as Principal of
Nomakhanzana School, which started off as four classes in one small church
building. My sister, Thandi and two of our children, Mabongi and Martin started
their education at that school. It was from her that I learned the values that
I hold dear and continue to strive to uphold: honesty, truth, integrity,
commitment and courage. Not long ago two of her former students were in trouble
with the law. Initially they did not want to disclose that they had been her
students, but when she was called they admitted being at the school and said
she had taught them to always tell the truth.

Before I came to the then University of Natal as a first year medical
student, the university had already been involved in my personal development
and growth. As a matric student at Inanda Seminary, I took part in the summer
school programme at the Gandhi Settlement, organised by the university as part
of community outreach. This is where I met Steve Biko, Rick Turner and Laurie
Schlemmer. As part of the summer school, I joined other students in doing
community surveys at the Dube village and cleaning up the Gandhi settlement. I
also benefited from the political discussions. On their part, the medical
students did community work in the Mahatma Gandhi Clinic.

Inanda Seminary ensured an all round education for all of us at the school.
During the time I was there, the teachers encouraged us to be politically
aware, without deciding for us. They got us involved in debates and facilitated
our meeting with young people of different racial groups. As part of our
political development, our teachers encouraged us to analyse the news. This is
how I came to know about the Black Panthers and Angela Davies in
particular.

Many of the girls, like most black girls in South Africa at the time used
skin-lightening creams in pursuit of a white skin, even if it was just your
face. Our teachers were concerned about this and wanted us to see why it was
not right. Many of us used only our Christian names. When Steve Biko and Barney
Pityana came to Inanda they taught us to be proud of our black skin colour and
our African names. They taught us to say, "I am black and I am proud. Say it
loud."

This was a crucial part of my political development because I learned to
accept myself and to be proud of who I was, even though apartheid had tried to
strip black people of dignity and pride.

When I started my medical training I was immediately taken under Steve
Biko's wing and became involved in student politics. Unfortunately, my studies
suffered and I was excluded by the Medical School. Although I did not finish my
medical studies, I learned much more during that time. University of New
Brunswick (UNB) was a melting pot of talent, and I had a wonderful time, so
much so that I returned every holiday to see my friends there.

Later, when I was active in the Natal Organisation of Women and in the
United Democratic Front (UDF), we often used the Alan Taylor Residence (ATR)
for our activities, when during the State of Emergency; very few places were
available for political meetings. On one of these occasions we came to ATR and
the whole place was teeming with soldiers. The hall where we were meant to meet
was surrounded. We were not deterred. We found ways to fool the South African
Defence Force (SADF) into thinking we were singing church hymns and reading
scriptures. I am certain that the part that our former Deputy Chairperson had
found to read from her Bible said "let my people go."

The university provided the space for us to organise. It also sheltered us.
When I came out of detention I got employed in the Centre for Social and
Development Studies (CSDS) working with Professors Francie Lund and Paulos
Zulu. One day the Special Branch of the Security Police came to interrogate me
at the CSDS. On impulse, I thought of a plan. I was not going to let them
interrogate me without a witness. So, I went to Professor Bekker who was in
charge of the CSDS and asked him to sit in during the interrogation. The police
were dumbfounded. They got up and left without subjecting me to an
interrogation.

I want to close by re-iterating the importance and relevance of our
universities in teaching and upholding the values that hold us accountable to
one another, that help us separate truth from lies, that help us retain our
integrity and dignity as a people. Universities have a role to keep alive the
intellectual debate about social issues. Virchow, a German doctor who was sent
to investigate the bubonic plague in Poland said in his report, "the people
need full democracy."

The desire for freedom is what inspired total commitment and sacrifice. I
thank the people who were part of the struggle for freedom who taught me so
much. I thank my husband, Jeremy, my children, the extended family for
supporting me and for making the sacrifice that came with me entering the field
of politics. I thank the youth for their faith in the women in National
Organisation for Women (NOW). At one stage when all the organisations in the
UDF were banned, it was the youth and women that kept the organisation going. I
hope the new generation of young people will keep the flame of freedom alive. I
thank Inanda Seminary and the UKZN for contributing to my academic and
political development. I thank Pingla for that lovely citation and for
believing in women. I thank all of you for being here and for listening to
me.

Issued by: Department of Health
30 October 2006