Programme director
Government leaders from all spheres
Community leaders at various levels
Organisers of this important event, including National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA), Positive men's movement of South Africa (POMESA) and African Cultural Music and Dance Association (ACUMDA)
All men present here
Friends, ladies and gentlemen
Thank you very much for inviting me to this important event organised by National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA), Positive men's movement of South Africa (POMESA) and others.
The second International Men's Day
This is the day on which all men should rethink their role in society in terms of building peace, building bridges of understanding in their families and communities, and in reaffirming the values of Botho/Ubuntu which lie at the foundation of our society.
This day should encourage men to stand up to be counted in the fight against abuse of women and children, plus in fighting poverty and all other social ills.
At the same time we must live our daily lives as if each day is an international men's day, taking care to embrace the most vulnerable members of our families so that we instil values of gender equality in each step we take.
From whatever angle one looks at it, today is a defining day that arouses our collective awareness about the important roles women and girl-children play in nurturing and providing for our families and in society at large. After all, we can only build a stable and peaceful society if there is stability and progress in our homes, at school, in religious institutions and in other areas where we gather together.
I understand the theme of this event to be: 'proud to be caring men'. Indeed, if all of us were proud to be caring men, so much in our communities could change for the better. Our attitude towards our wives, our girlfriends, our mothers, our grand-mothers, our sisters and families in general could be one of respect and appreciation.
If all of us men in South Africa could begin to live out this positive message of being proud of our manhood, defined by values of equality, we could indeed make this a better world. I am sure all of us in South Africa will be the first to appreciate the importance of this event, given our history of gender violence and oppression at work, in our homes and in many other social settings.
In this regard, in a few days from now government will be kick-starting the 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children. This development , important as it is in its own right also doubles as a build-up towards this government initiative where we make all citizens aware of the benefits in promoting and practising love and care for women and girl-children. Since the inception of the political freedom in 1994, we as government have expressly committed ourselves to a society free of all forms of discrimination, violence, fear, abuse and oppression.
Accordingly, in 1999 we formally joined the global campaign of the 16 Days of Activism to eliminate gender-based violence. The 16 Days of Activism campaign is a United Nations-endorsed initiative and therefore a global campaign that seeks to raise global consciousness on the epidemic of gender and child violence besetting society.
What essentially defines being a proudly caring man is a culture of being cultured in our outlook, especially to the vulnerable groups in our communities.
The message we seek to communicate is simple: real men do not abuse women; real men do not mistreat their children.
All of us need to be aware that as long as we mete out violence to women, we cannot proudly lay claim to manhood. Moreover, real men don't remain silent when they see abuse and social crimes being committed. Real men don't remain silent when other men use sexual violence to assert their authority.
We therefore hope that this day will combine meaningfully the messages communicated during the 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children – the better to strengthen our collective message about the need to play our expected roles as men, as fathers, as brothers and as caregivers and protectors.
Closely related to our role of upholding peace, stability and values as men is the challenge of dealing with HIV and AIDS. Over the years we have come to identify the conditions that allow this dreaded disease to flourish.
Among others, unprotected sex is the most critical cause in spreading HIV and AIDS. In some cases men use their power, especially financial resources, to control sexual relations with women, such as demanding to have sex without a condom. Such conditions of gender disempowerment contribute to the growth of the Aids pandemic.
Once again we call upon men of all classes and races to join the fight against HIV and AIDS, occupying the front trenches in this war through their social conduct. When good men don't stand up to be counted HIV and AIDS spreads. When good men are silent when other men brag about committing sexual violence against their partners, HIV and AIDS spreads. Real men speak up and condemn abuse and mistreatment of women and girl-children. There can never be any excuse for remaining silent!
As part of the war on Aids the ANC-led Alliance has come up with a campaign called 'Campaign for Health Care Fore All'. Among others, this ANC-led Alliance campaign has the following as its objectives to:
* mobilise our people around HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB prevention
* intensify efforts to create an environment that promotes positive individual behaviour to HIV and AIDS;
* promote responsible sexual behaviour, encourage regular voluntary resting and counselling
* keep our people informed about their rights and responsibilities regarding their health, including the services available to them.
* ensure that the above objectives are met; the following activities are among others, identified:
* popular mobilisation during a National Testing Week culminating into a National Day of Action during the World AIDS Day
* community mobilisation in particular health campaigns, including the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign; the anti-alcohol and drug abuse campaign, TB and HIV prevention campaign; the immunisation campaign, and sexual awareness campaign; and popularising the comprehensive health care strategy emphasising the HIV and AIDS and STI Strategic Plan and other health promotion material.
We are confident that, working together with civil organisations such as NAPWA and POMESA this all-out onslaught on the conditions that encourage the spread of this disease will bring about the desired results. On a broader front, we trust that the onset of a campaign against gender oppression will also help us fight many other social challenges that plague the lives of our people.
These challenges that we face are not only about violence against women and children, but also alcohol abuse, child neglect and abuse, abuse of the elderly people, and crime generally. There is an important role for us men to play in the fight against crime. Half the time crime is committed by men, I believe it can and must be stopped by men.
Crime is affecting all of us in different ways. While government has a clear strategy to fight crime, government alone will not win this fight.
We need a strong partnership with our communities to push back the tide of crime. Once again government calls on all our people to join forces to stamp our crime.
Among other measures, we can eradicate crime by doing the following:
* reporting any and all criminal activities being committed
* protecting our police force and allowing them to do their job
* not buying stolen goods
* not harbouring criminals in our homes or in whatever manner, even if there are our sons or daughters because in such situation they will leave no proud legacy for you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are fast nearing the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, of which our nation will be the proud host. I am confident that we will share with the people of the world our generosity and display the spirit of Ubuntu/Botho that we are known for.
As men we must make our country and continent proud. Let us support our team and all African teams.
This, among others, means we will protect visitors from the negative activities perpetrated by criminals and ensure that we work with the police by reporting all crime-related activities.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me make also make a few remarks regarding the nature of this gathering today:
One of the important lessons we should learn from social gatherings of this nature is the value of acting in concert with others in an organised fashion to tackle our challenges.
By organising ourselves this way, there is a lesson to all of us that our views may not necessarily be wrong and there is value in working together and testing ideas collectively. I am aware that in addition to these social concerns and values about which we are gathered here today, there are other societal concerns that need us to always organise ourselves to achieve our goals.
There are challenges such as lack of schools in our communities, clinics, community centres, sport facilities and so on, which would require us to throw our lot together not only to raise such issues but also to address them together.
We should not as communities always depend on conventional wisdom for ideas about what is the best way forward for us, because we are the ones on the ground, and therefore should always proceed from the understanding that none but ourselves have the capability to address our problems.
This is the second such gathering. Going forward the challenge is to find convergence with other organisations pursuing similar ideas in order to build a robust and inclusive social movement.
Lastly, I want to personally congratulate all men here today for their caring attitude. A caring man is one who is capable of feeling deeply about the pain visited upon others; someone who pursues justice whether it implicates his family or other members of society. This is someone who wants justice for all, whether friend or foe. In essence, this is the basis of building a caring society.
Let us spread this message of love, peace, responsibility and care. It is men, women and all members of society who bear the responsibility of building a united, democratic non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society! In a word, a caring society.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
19 November 2009
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za)
