provincial Moral Summit gala dinner, Bolivia Lodge, Polokwane
29 March 2007
Programme director,
MECs here present,
The provincial and national leadership of the Moral Regeneration Movement
(MRM),
MPLs,
Councillors,
Traditional leaders present,
Leaders of religious and faith based organisations,
Representatives of LimDev and other business organisations,
Academic and non-governmental organisations,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the aftermath of our liberation in 1994, the then President Mandela
stated in one of his State of the Nation addresses that; "our country needed
its own RDP of the soul." This he said after observing the various degrees of
social disorder which had then taken their toll, including the many incidences
of crime and corruption.
President Mbeki reiterated similar assertions while delivering the 4th
annual Nelson Mandela lecture last year where he said:
"Human fulfilment consists of more than 'access to modern and effective
services like electricity, water, telecommunications, transport, health,
education and training for our people.'�As distinct from other species of the
animal world, human beings also have spiritual needs. Thus all of us, and not
merely the religious leaders, speak of the intangible element that is immanent
in all human beings - the soul! Acceptance of this proposition as a fact must
necessarily mean that we have to accept the related assertion that
consequently, all human societies also have a soul."
Our country comes a long way since 1994 when issues of the 'soul' were first
raised by former President Mandela. We are pleased that today the issue of
morality has now occupied a central place within the ranks of the ruling party
and in our own government. By June this year, the African National Congress
(ANC) shall hold an important National Policy Conference where amongst other
issues to be discussed would be the crucial subject of the 'RDP of the
Soul.'
While government on its part has developed a number of self regulating
measures to fight social corrosion, including, corruption and impropriety, we
are under no illusion that the problems can be solved merely as a result of
these interventions. Through the partnerships we have with relevant
stakeholders, like traditional leaders, religious community, business and
organised labour, we are continuing to strengthen our efforts to regenerate
morals, acceptable norms and values that have always defined our being as
Africans. It is precisely because of the nature of the challenges South
Africans are facing today, that the ANC and our government are devoting
considerable amount of time on these questions.
Programme director,
Therefore, the convening of your summit, would not have taken place at any
better opportune moment than now, when our country is grappling with these
kinds of moral challenges.
High on the list of our country's priorities are correctly the issues of
moral justice and social transformation. This relate to such concerns as
poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment, crime, women and child abuse, teenage
pregnancies, domestic violence, road accidents and diseases. As a result of the
enormity of these challenges, almost every weekend we count deaths which have
been caused by unnatural causes. If we have to use the recent figures of the
South African Medical Research Council (MRC) on human development; the life
expectancy of the average South African population has fallen below 57 years in
1995 to 51 years this year. This can only mean that the country is losing a lot
of able-bodied citizens through unnatural causes. We must obviously worry about
this trend and the impact this will have on the overall future stability of our
economy and the social consequences in the long term thereof.
As government, we have come to terms with the fact that, morality is an
elusive concept which we cannot legislate nor police. We have also accepted
that it is a responsibility that solely belongs neither to ourselves nor to our
religious leaders. Every human being with a soul and conscience carries the
responsibility to do something about the challenge of building the moral fibre
of our nation. The challenge always starts with us. Our thoughts play an
important role on whether we want to do the right things or bad things. Giving
everyone a police uniform for instance, may not make us police persons, which
is the reason why cellphones may still disappear in this room. In this regard,
we challenge everybody to become a moral activist. Whether the challenge
relates to racially motivated crimes or ritual murders, we must hear someone
with a moral voice talking to our nation and leading the way.
The Moral Regeneration Movement is one of the most cross-cutting movements
in our country that should involve every sector of our society and every
person. The contribution of all sectors of society can make a huge difference
to the success of the campaign.
What makes the moral regeneration movement unique, is that it encompasses
all sectors of our society and is becoming, a special-purpose-vehicle that
appeals to the inner soul of each and every individual. Through this movement,
we can be able to bridge class, race, gender, language and ethnicity
differences that are always the source of our conflicts.
Past African societies should always inspire us because of their embracing
of ubuntu and human solidarity. Equally, we must cherish Biblical values such
as:
"Love thy neigbour, as you love yourself."
In a similar vein, the old English saying also has an equal tone when it
says:
"A bad family breeds bad neighbourhood and bad neighbourhoods make a bad
community."
It is therefore crucial that we find it easy within our hearts to love
others, to build friendships with our neighbours and to live peacefully with
our fellow human beings.
Not least important in this campaign is the role which parents should play.
Parental care and role-modelling should be regarded as the first step to be
taken in the rejuvenation of our morals.
The socialising institutions like schools, church and the media can only
play a secondary role in moulding the consciousness of our youth. We
particularly, expect them to embrace humane teachings of respect, self-respect,
love, solidarity, ubuntu, family values and moral regeneration amongst others.
In this way, we believe our nation will be spared the possibility of
degenerating into Sodom and Gomorrah which we have come to know in the
Bible.
God Bless!
I thank You
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
29 March 2007
