Roads and Transport at the memorial service of the late Zolile Ndyawe, Nangoza
Jebe Hall, Port Elizabeth
7 November 2007
On behalf of the Eastern Cape government, I would like to convey our
condolences to the Ndyawe family in this difficult period of mourning the death
of a beloved and talented son. I would like to assure you that members of the
South Africa Police Service (SAPS) are working tirelessly to ensure that we
arrest the person responsible for this tragedy.
As the people of the Eastern Cape and South Africa, we are also mourning the
passing away of this multi-talented individual, who played a pivotal role in
the building of the student movement structures in this region and later become
a nationally-acclaimed gospel music star. We are saddened by the manner in
which he has left us, which was because of criminals, who gunned him down for
his own belongings, a laptop and two cellphones.
Some of us would recall that last year we buried a world boxing champion in
this metro, Mzukisi Sikali, who also lost his life after being stabbed for his
own cellphone in Uitenhage. This means we have a mammoth task of eroding all
these elements, which undermine the talent that we have nurtured as this
community. I believe that we can be defeated by few individuals.
All we need to do is to work together in pursuit of peace, security and
comfort for all our people. We all know that Nelson Mandela Bay will be our
Host City during the 2010 Federation of International Football Association
(Fifa) World Cup. As we prepare for the tournament, we are equally charged with
a responsibility of ensuring that our people and visitors enjoy this historic
moment through providing a safe passage.
If we talk of an African World Cup, we need to attend to issues of safety
and security in our townships today in order to ensure that all parts of the
Eastern Cape province are accessible to all visitors and create a crime-free
environment for all our people. I think that the time has come for our law
enforcement agencies to unite around a common goal of cleaning our streets
through intensive crime prevention methods, including stop and search
operations aimed at confiscating dangerous weapons.
We cannot fold arms when our people are under siege from criminals. As
government law enforcement forces, we need to build the first line of defence
in order to restore public confidence on us as stewards of law and order in
this country. I know that there is Operation Coca (Clean Up), which has been
taking place in this Metro for the past two weeks until January 2008.
I am convinced that through this operation, we will be able to uproot all
these elements that undermine our freedom and democracy. We need to further
intensify our mass mobilisation programmes against crime to prepare our
communities to be vigilant against any criminal element that seeks to disturb
peace and stability in our areas. Our mass mobilisation strategy should be
centred around:
* mobilisation of our people, especially the youth, around safety and
security matters
* empowerment of young people through sport, music and cultural activities in
an effort to inculcate community values such as ubuntu
* restoration of our "Reject and Report Stolen Goods Campaign".
I believe that such an approach would be a fitting tribute to Zolile Ndyawe,
because through his music, he conveyed a message of unity, love, peace and
happiness in our society. In conclusion, I would like to call upon all organs
of civil society, which include churches, sport bodies, youth structures,
women's organisations, business, community-based organisation (CBOs) and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support our endeavours in this mammoth
task of fighting crime in this province, particularly in this Metro.
The time has come for us to reclaim our streets from the hands of criminals
and we can only succeed in that exercise if we work together as a "united front
against crime".
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape
Provincial Government
7 November 2007
