Honourable speaker
Honourable Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces
Honourable Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP
Honourable Premiers
Honourable members
Representative of South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
Directors-General and other leaders of the public service
Distinguished guests, comrades and friends
Fellow South Africans
I thank you most sincerely for giving me the privilege to address this special Joint Sitting of Parliament on the occasion of celebrating the life of the Esteemed Member of the Order of Mapungubwe, internationally decorated, Nobel Peace Laureate, Isithwalandwe Seaparankwe and former President of our Republic, Ntate Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
On this occasion we celebrate the 67 years that Madiba has given of his life to building a better South Africa and a better world.
Understanding only too well that like everything in life, progress and change require a mobilisation of social forces, Nelson Mandela involved himself in all forms of struggles of communities wherever he lived.
As a student Madiba struggled to improve the conditions at Fort Hare University and later through the African National Congress and in government he strove to address the challenges facing the youth of our country.
As you are aware, Madiba was an avid boxer in his younger days. In later years he did much to highlight the importance of sport in building national unity.
Who can forget Madiba holding the Rugby Webb Ellis Trophy above his head when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 1996 or the excitement on his face when we won the right to host the 2010 FIFA Word Cup? These were indeed defining moments of our nation.
Madiba the lawyer placed himself at the disposal of the disadvantaged people who were suffering from the injustices of the apartheid system.
Madiba marched in the frontline as the African National Congress was forced to embark on new forms of struggle from the mass action of the defiance campaign, the drafting of the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People in 1955, the treason trial which began in 1956 to the formation of Mkhonto we Sizwe.
Faced with the apartheid regime which was incapable of hearing the cries of the Black majority and which responded with increasing violence and repression, Mkhonto we Sizwe launched the armed struggle.
The Manifesto of Mkhonto published on 16 December 1961 stated, “The time comes in the life of any nation when there remains only two choices submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom.”
For their part in this, Madiba and his comrades were sentenced to life imprisonment.
We all know that Madiba toiled in prison for 27 years for leading a struggle against the inhumane apartheid system.
His fortitude and integrity during this difficult period inspired millions of oppressed people and peace loving democrats all over the world.
The way he conducted himself during his incarceration represented not only the irrepressible human spirit in the face of adversity, but also, the possibility of a refreshingly new dawn in human society.
Yet even from his prison cells on Robben Island, and in Pollsmoor and Victor Verster Prisons, he played a crucial part in achieving a peaceful transition from the apartheid state to a democratic South Africa.
His persona gives meaning to the multitudes of people who aspire to and share the vision of a world free of oppression, exploitation, hunger and diseases.
As the first President of our republic to be elected by all the people of South Africa he steered us through those difficult years of transition forging a new nation from the divisions of the past.
His imprisonment meant that Madiba as a father was not able to give his own biological children the affection and attention they deserved. His love of children is well known and he has extended this love to children all over the world. He has given particular attention to improving the lives of children through his foundation, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund as well as focusing attention on those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.
Madiba the moral leader has, on the international stage, continuously been called upon to resolve disputes all over the world and to give inspiration to the people of our planet.
Madiba has made the world a better place. Let us emulate his confidence, his humility, his determination, his strength and his vision.
Today we honour this extraordinary being, a sage of our age whose life represents the triumph of human will for justice, equality, democracy and progress.
Next week, on 18 July when Madiba celebrates his birthday we are called upon to spend at least 67 minutes of our time doing something useful in our communities. The 67 minutes relates to the 67 years Madiba spent in public life.
During this allocated time, when the world celebrates the life of a legend we shall find meaningful expression in a minimum of 67 minutes contribution to those less fortunate.
On this seminal day, when we respond to the call for contributing towards the welfare of those in need, we need to be imbued with the values, principles and ideas that inspired Madiba’s life.
Our actions should be motivated by the vision that drove Madiba’s life, a life dedicated to social transformation.
We need to remember that the struggle for human equality that Madiba personified was not consummated by the achievement of freedom and democracy in April 1994.
Freedom means the recognition of necessity and democracy means that, in the words of the Freedom Charter, “The people shall govern and no government can claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.”
As South Africans we have a host of accumulated disabilities that we have to grapple with the stubborn problem of poverty, underdevelopment in many areas of our country, ignorance, disease and unemployment.
For many, freedom, justice and democracy remain a mirage that keeps shimmering tantalisingly on the horizon. The fight for freedom all over the world continues to find nourishment from the legacy of this wonderful leader of our people.
Thus, many of us continue to draw inspiration from the life of this exceptional human being, facing the challenges of our generation in the firm confidence that we will achieve during our generation what Madiba and his comrades achieved during their generation.
So these 67 minutes of giving our time to help out others is a way of reminding ourselves that, working together, a new world is possible. It is a way of promoting the spirit of helping others even as we face our own challenges.
Equally, we are confident that these 67 minutes of free contribution to communities on Madiba’s birthday will reach a critical mass, which will bring about a new consciousness that leads to a culture of working for the improvement of human life.
Indeed the best way to honour Madiba’s life is by injecting this spirit of sharing into the bloodstream of our daily lives, so that even the mere thought of poverty and homelessness, unemployment and diseases, among other ills, make us sleepless at night and spur us to act all of the time.
The distress of others should continue to be a source of discomfort to all of us, and drive us to act for change.
Honourable members
I quote: “Working together for the common good of our nation” the theme of today’s joint sitting demands that we see each other as potential partners in a fight for a better life for our people.
All of us gathered in this chamber Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Premiers and MECs, MPs and MPLs, Mayors and Councillors need to ensure that we spend at least 67 minutes of our time on Madiba’s birthday engaging in meritorious activities.
We hope that through our actions we can inspire others to do the same. We trust that public servants, traditional leaders, the religious fraternity, sports people, musicians and artists, business people, workers, students, the youth and the aged will join hands in this event to improve the lives of the vulnerable in our communities.
We should therefore act in concert as social partners, in a quest to bring about change for our people.
Honourable speaker and chairperson
This debate takes place in the midst of a global recession, more severe than anything we have seen for a long time.
Like the rest of the world, we find ourselves affected by the global economic downturn which has demanded of us to devise a common national response that will place us back on the road to improving the lives of all our people for the better.
We need to take strength and inspiration from the life of Nelson Mandela even as we wade though this economic crisis, enhanced by our ability to help others.
Following Madiba’s example, we should work closer together as government, non governmental organisations, community based organisations, labour and business, ensuring that we bring our collective weight to bear on the achievement of the common good for our nation.
Honourable speaker and chairperson
On 18 July all of us are called upon to respond to a moral imperative.
In those 67 minutes, each one of us should involve ourselves in reawakening the spirit of human solidarity. However, we should all regard the 67 minutes as the beginning of a much longer effort.
It is through helping others that our ability to deal with our own problems and challenges will be enhanced. In each and every one of us resides the potential to fashion a united and cohesive society in which all can stand proud as one family, under the sun.
In conclusion let us draw from Madiba’s rich contribution to our world outlook by quoting from his inauguration address in 1994 when he said, “out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.”
I thank you
Issued by: The Presidency
8 July 2009
