of the Cradock Four Garden of Remembrance and Vusubuntu Cultural Village
9 July 2007
Programme Director,
Honourable Acting Premier of the Eastern Cape, T Mhlahlo
Your Worship, Executive Mayor of Chris Hani District Municipality, Councillor M
Sigabi
Your worship, Mayor of Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, Councillor M
Zenzile
Honourable Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Economic Development and
Environmental Affairs, Mr A Mtsi
"Nations are built through sharing experiences, memories and history. That
is why people have often tried to destroy their enemies by destroying their
histories, their memories that which gives them an identity."
Our people, especially our children should always remember the very high
price that has been paid to achieve our freedom. We must not forget the harsh
conditions and treatment that many of our people experienced. There was total
disregard for human life as people, including school children were shot,
tortured and ill-treated.
22 years ago, June 1985 to be exact, our brothers Matthew Goniwe, Sparrow
Mkhonto, Fort Calata and Sicelo Mhlauli met a gruesome murder in the hands of
the infamous seven South African Defence Force security officers while fighting
for human rights, our human rights.
Death Squad Police who were issued with orders to kill as the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission later found set up a road-block to intercept Matthew
Goniwe's car. The Cradock Four activists, as they are known today, were
returning to Cradock from a United Democratic Front meeting in Port
Elizabeth.
The police abducted them. They were tortured, stabbed and shot to death and
subsequently their lifeless bodies burnt in their car. Burning of bodies was an
infamous police strategy to disguise the assassination as carried out by other
black political opponents.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the apartheid system was about economic, political and
social factors. For instance our people were dumped on barren and unproductive
land while our leaders were incarcerated, tortured and killed. We were
exploited, deceived, humiliated and condemned to poverty of the worst type.
Hundreds of liberation fighters became victims to this and other cold blooded
assassinations which included letter bombs, car bombs, cross border raids,
poisonous powder which couldn't be detected and many other devilish tactics
were used.
The blood of all liberation fighters who were permanently removed here in
Cradock and elsewhere watered the tree of freedom which we enjoy today. We must
guard jealously against anybody who threatens to take away the democracy for
which people paid with lives to bring about its existence.
In loving memory of the brave action taken by our fallen heroes, our
department has deemed it fit to ensure that their spirit and memory live
longer. To this end, we have set aside R15 million for the construction of
Cradock Four Garden of Remembrance in honour of our liberation stalwarts.
This initiative is aimed at creating opportunities for job creation and
poverty eradication within the Cradock area. We believe the broader goal of the
Cradock Four was to deliver human rights which would include equal distribution
of the wealth of this country and our efforts to improve socio-economic
development in this area are aligned to this goal.
In addition, our department has provided R13 million for the construction of
a tourism centre, research on the history of Cradock, construction of
accommodation facilities and refurbishments of existing infrastructure at
Vusubuntu Cultural Village. The plan to include a Tourism Information Centre
demonstrates our collective intent to widen the scope of visitors to all
members of the global community.
Tourists visiting this area will therefore be exposed to the history of our
struggle for liberation, especially the contribution that our fallen heroes and
heroines made towards the achievement of democracy and freedom in our country.
In this way, we will be able to preserve our history and culture for many
generations to come.
History has to be intimately experienced in order to be told well and I
believe local people are best placed to tell their history better than anyone
else. As a result, it is of crucial importance that priority for tour guides
should be given to residents of Cradock.
I'm very happy to learn that there is a plan to train community members as
tour guides in order to make them competent to provide the required services to
tourists and the entire community of Cradock.
Ladies and gentlemen, hospitality and catering industry has become big
business with unsurpassed potential to create job opportunities and grow the
economy. It came to my attention that some of our communities are considering
building expensive hotels to attract tourists and generate income.
Tourists visit South Africa and other African countries to learn about our
cultures, our way of life. They want to experience sleeping in our traditional
huts and taste our traditional food. Attempts to impress them with hotels will
prove to be a futile exercise in the long run; they come from their highly
developed countries with lots of best hotels ranging from 5 stars upwards.
Tourists' decision to tour our country is always a welcome relief for them
to escape hectic city life and relax with us. So let us have pride to show and
live our traditional life and tourist will keep on coming. If we design chalets
the way our traditional huts are built, we will certainly attract more tourists
who are searching for a refreshing environment.
I would also like to commend the initiative of the Greening Projects already
introduced in 6 schools. Involving learners in protecting the environment is a
step in the right direction. This is a great investment for the future. This
initiative reassures me that the chain to pass on valuable and beneficial
knowledge from generation to generation will never be broken.
Between 1834 and 1845, the Anglo-Boer War created a historic route which we
know today as the Great Trek route. Regrettably, there are casualties in wars
and this cause too much anger and unprecedented pain as families are robbed of
their father figures who are also bread winners. Turning our sorrow into joy
through construction of tourism monuments and memorials which would generate
foreign currency, create job opportunities and improve our lives is a better
way of healing historical wounds. This also helps to foster unity and
reconciliation amongst people from diverse cultural backgrounds in our
country.
For the Cradock Four, the best way to remember and honour them is to ensure
the viability and sustainability of the Cradock Four Garden of Remembrance as a
vehicle for creating a better life for all.
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
9 July 2007
