The President of Child Welfare SA, Dr Dasarath Chetty
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning
I would firstly like to offer my sincere thanks for the invitation to address you on this first day of the General Assembly of Child Welfare South Africa.
I have basically been given carte blanche to speak on any topic of my choice, as long as it is motivational. We have so much to be thankful for and positive about, in South Africa and in many other places in the world right now, that I am sure I will be able to share a few thoughts which can inspire and motivate.
A topic that has dominated international news this week is the re-election of President Barack Obama in the United States. You may ask what the election of an American President has got to do with the matters under discussion at this General Assembly.
Well, as social workers we would be the first to acknowledge that it is extremely important for children to grow up in a home where parents respect, love and admire each other. In his acceptance speech, the US President said: “I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me”. After publicly declaring his love for his wife Michelle, he went on to say: “I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady”. To his children, he said: “Before our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom”.
To me, it is certainly uplifting to hear a man of his stature, a great achiever, paying tribute to his family in his moment of triumph.
The former First Lady of America, Barbara Bush addressing students graduating at some university appositely summed the importance, relevance and absolute significance of the family by impressing upon the students entering adulthood that “as important as your obligations as a lawyer, doctor, teacher, accountant, business leader will be, you are a human being first, and those human connections with spouses, with children with friends are the most important investments you will ever make.
At the end of your life you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with your husband, a child, a parent, or a friend. Our success as society depends not on what happens in the many high places we pass or interact in during our lifetimes but rather on what happens inside your family”.
I am convinced that if we as a society work diligently in every other area of life and neglect the family, it would be analogous to attending a wedding ceremony without the bride.
Reading through an article prepared by Pippa Green after Walter Sisulu was released from jail, I was touched by one of the responses made by the stalwart, he shared with Pippa that “the story of my family has been a story of imprisonment, persecution, exile, and suffering. But that it is also a story of love and of personal and political triumph. I have always admired the unity and strength of the family …. It was a tower of strength to me.”
South Africa is one of the world’s most admired young democracies, the role and contribution of the family institution in strengthening our democracy will be a fact beyond dispute. Whilst we have done a great deal in a short space of time to earn our stripes as a proud and succeeding nation we remain shadowed by huge challenges on whether the family institution is succeeding as it should.
I am reminded at this juncture of some of the spiritual words In Psalm 137 “by the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down; there where we wept when, when we remembered Zion; on the willows nearby we hung up our harps; Those who captured us told us to sing, they told us to entertain them; Sing a song of Zion.
How can we sing a song to the lord in a strange place…..”
I mention this psalm because it sums up for me the significance and dilemma of the South African Family in a post democracy set up. The families are challenged by hopes and dreams that are not realising soon. 18 years ago they had huge aspirations and hopes that some of the daunting challenges they faced previously shall be a thing of the past. We need to create through services of organisations such as SAPS and child welfare environments where families can joyously sing the songs of freedom and democracy.
For organisations such as Child welfare and many others focused in the family scope of work, the challenge before us is to identify those aspects of our today life and existence that continue to impede sound family existence and development.
In town and country today, South Africa teaches potent lessons in the meaning of the family, of patriarchy, of the exploitation of women. The illusion persists that the individual family is the basic economic unit of society. The conventional morality relating to the family, piously upheld by the state, by its religious institutions, by its laws and its codes of ethics, remains largely unrelated to reality.
The development of massive squatter camps of people in search for homes and jobs in order to survive; women entering towns to fend for their children; masses of youths educated and uneducated flooding cities and loitering in rural areas without jobs, most of all, the continued spread of the migrant labour, all these continue to have a devastating effect upon human relationships as expressed in terms of the family.
I chose to highlight some of these challenges with a view to:
- challenge ourselves as Child welfare to examine the relevance and appropriateness of the basket of services and programmes to meet the challenges that are facing the South African family
- to raise public awareness about family issues that remain a threat to our new found democracy
- to strive to address the holistic nature of family problems out of the normal sterile views.
Life is a journey… full of wonder…and with a blink…it is already tomorrow …so let us take time to reflect and deal with that which inhibits that family today.
Let us pause here to ponder, “What makes achievers great? What propels achievers to defy the odds and become legends in their own right”?
The fact is that we are all born with the potential for greatness. There are no exceptions. Yet, as some of us struggle to achieve our potential, a small handful of others rise to extraordinary heights and become legends.
It is always important to remember that success comes from the inside out. External greatness derives from an internal source. It is not a goal you achieve, it is a state of mind, an inner game where the only way you can claim victory is to elevate your mind.
“There are no ordinary people, just ordinary minds”- Denise Corcoran.
On the path to achieving the “greatness” to which you aspire – even if your “greatness” is being a better parent / partner or worker – there are drivers which must be taken into account:
Power of Mission and Vision
The common thread among those who are achievers is that success is not their ultimate goal. They build causes. They are propelled by a vision to make the world a much better place, and they do so with conviction and perseverance to make things happen. In everything that I do, I continue to pose these questions to myself:
What is your compelling cause?
What passionate cause are you willing to fight for?
Is this cause a “vehicle” to make the world a better place?
Power of Values
Values are the unconscious motivators that shape our future and drive our actions as well as behavior. Every great achiever is fanatical about the values which they stand for. I have always cherished the philosophy that holds that “You don’t need to lose your soul to achieve success.” Ask yourself:
What core values do you stand for?
How can your core values differentiate you from others?
Power of Beliefs
Your beliefs form your inner “rules “on how you play the game of life. As you journey along in pursuit of your goals, the importance of one’s inner “rule book” or beliefs that enhance your life become important. I have always cherished the notion of deep spiritual health. God remains a solid anchor in my life. I believe in the ordinary goodness of human beings.
Power of "Journey"
The journey to achieving greatness is less about the destination, and more about the journey.
If you want to reach a different destination, you must travel a different journey. The challenges I have met, which were many, I used as stepping-stones and “coping muscle toners”.
Power of Decision-Making
Success is a decision. Leadership is a decision. Every great achiever makes a decision about the future they want to create.
Power of Self-Identification
How you “see” and identify yourself are the most powerful influences on your future and the potential of what you may become. At all times it has been necessary to let my past input into the future rather than control my destination. I found it helpful to keep the future as a large horizon of possibilities to be explored. The past should for a definite purpose reflect a rear view mirror in size and significance whereas the future horizon should be as large as a windscreen it presents ample opportunities.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, most of you have seen me wearing many hats. For the past several months I have been wearing a blue hat, with a gold star, that of National Commissioner of Police. This was not a path that I had ever envisaged for myself, but when that call to duty came, I was ready to take on the challenges associated with the post. And challenges there are many, I am sure you have realised that. But, with the challenges, there are also the rewarding aspects of policing, which – for me – include being in a position to contribute towards improving the way in which women and child victims of crime are dealt with in the criminal justice system.
Clearly this is a matter which is close to all our hearts, so I am pleased to be able to tell you that in order to improve the investigation of crimes against women and children, the SAPS has re-introduced the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. A total of 176 such units have been established in police clusters across the country. The members of the units provide a specialised investigative capacity to cases of crimes committed against women and children, including rape and other sexual offences.
Among their victories in cases that involve children under the age of 18, the unit has secured convictions which resulted in a total of 10 345 years imprisonment for the offenders, as well as 175 life sentences.
We have also managed to establish 951 “victim friendly” rooms at police premises throughout the country, some of them specifically prepared to cater for child victims. These facilities usually contain toys, including special toys used by experts to assist in taking statements from child victims.
As we prepare for the “16 Days of Activism for No Violence Towards Women and Children”, the safety and welfare of our many homeless children, abused children and children who have become heads of households because of illness and poverty, weigh heavily on our minds.
Together we will, each in our own way, continue striving towards being great achievers in the battle to provide the children of this country with food, warmth and safety.
Again, I thank you for your kind invitation to join you here today; I look forward to doing it again in the near future.
