Programme director,
It gives me a great pleasure and a distinct privilege to be here with you today and to address this important gathering during the celebration of one of the landmarks, World Population day.
Today, South Africa and the family of nations around the globe celebrates World population day. This day was declared by the United Nation as the day in which all of us must not only celebrate but to take of what we needs to be done to accommodate the growth in population numbers.
We are therefore joining you today during this celebration as Vhembe District Municipality, not only to appreciate population figures but also as an act of solidarity, renewal and rededication to serve our people as elected representatives of our people.
We are excited that the provincial event is taking place in our backyard, shortly after the local government elections and the subsequent installation of yet another term of local governance lead by the African national Congress (ANC).
We are also meeting exactly seven days before the birthday of a world citizen, Dr Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela better known as Tata’ Madiba. The man who made endless sacrifices to free us from the shackles of apartheid to restore our dignity not only for the citizens of South Africa but for all the people of Africa and the world.
His birthday has become what is today known as Mandela Day, the day in which all citizens of the world are expected to contribute sixty-seven (67) minutes for their time to serve and to do good to others. To make a difference to those who are less fortunate than we are. Let us go out there to put smile back on the face of a sick child in hospital, set a table of food to that family that cannot guarantee where their next meal will come from. Let us resolve to assist that old man or an old woman out of his/her desperate situation without expecting anything in return.
Today as we celebrate the world population day, we must do so conscious of the fact that there many people who are underdeveloped; homeless; poor and are living in hunger and abject poverty.
We must therefore act in solidarity and in synch with all other individuals, organs of civil society and government at levels to end poverty, hunger and underdevelopment. This will ultimately assist us in developing a balanced human race and will certainly unleash the hidden human potential throughout the nations.
In his opening paragraph of a short but powerful message dedicated for the World population day, 2011 the Secretary General of the United Nations-Ban Ki-Moon had this to say and I quote: "This year’s World Population day falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the earth’s seven billionth inhabitant. This is an opportunity to celebrate our common humanity and our diversity. It is also a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for each other and our planet".
The central message this year is to "care for each other and the planet" and for us to be able to do so it means we need to preserve life.
These we can only do when we provide our people with affordable quality health care with an objective of developing a "long healthy life for all South Africans".
In this regard, we are pleased to state that the Department of Health and Social Development in the Limpopo province has embarked on a number of initiatives that are geared to contribute positively to the preserve of life.
We welcome, among many others the following initiatives:
- Provision of anti-retroviral treatment to those among us who are HIV positive and who suffer from AIDS.
- Roll-out of the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign.
- Implementation of Free Medical Male Circumcision at all our hospitals.
- Improvement of services at Primary health care (PHC) facilities through infrastructure development and the visitation of Medical officers at clinic level.
- Appointment of TB tracer teams to detect defaulters before they develop resistance to TB drugs and medication.
- Implementation of a massive immunisation campaign particularly to primary school children and candidates for early childhood development (ECD).
I must also state that indeed government and in particular the Department of Social Development is committed in building caring, cohesive and sustainable communities guided by the theme "together we can build better communities".
We are aware that in the past few months the MEC for Health and social Development has been all over the province to provide school children from improvised families with school uniform and food parcels.
The question that we must ask and answer is: What are we going to do to ensure that as the population grows we continue to contribute "build better communities"?
The Secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon said "Reaching a global population of seven billion is a numerical landmark, but our focus should always be on people".
In this regard, he announced that the United Nations Population Fund is giving meaning to the number by launching its campaign for "Seven Billion Actions" to contribute to a better world".
Perhaps, all of us in our communities must launch a similar campaign to contribute to a better communities and developed societies according to our population figures at that level.
We have no choice but to care and protect vulnerable groups and the less fortunate amongst us by providing the necessary support women and children; assist young people in despair; empower people with disabilities and sustain initiatives to support the aged, most of whom are neglected and abused.
I hope that inspired by the struggles we waged during the fight for freedom and democracy based on immense power of ordinary people to embrace hope over despair, to seek fairness or discrimination, demand justice over tyranny, light over darkness we will surely build better communities.
I therefore have no doubt in my mind that as we celebrate World Population day, we will also embrace other initiatives that are geared towards building the society we all fought and hoped for: a caring society build on the foundation and the respect of human rights.
Some among those initiatives that needs our collective support are the following:
- The announcement by the Minister of social development to increase qualifying alcohol intake age to 21
- The pending ban of alcohol and tobacco products in sports and public gatherings
- The closing down of shebeens in our communities
- The strengthening of the law to regulate operating times at shebeens, taverns and other related liquor outlets.
In conclusion Programme director, allow me to repeat after Ban Ki-Moon who said: "Later this year, a seven billionth baby will be born into our world of complexity and contradiction. We have enough food for everyone, yet nearly a billion go hungry.
We have the means to eradicate many diseases, yet they continue to spread. We have the gift of a rich natural environment, yet it remains subjected to daily assault and exploitation. All people of conscience dream of peace, yet too much of the world is in conflict and steeped in armaments. Overcoming challenges of this magnitude will demand the best in each of us".
Let us use this World Population Day to take determined actions to create a better future, to develop a better community for our world’s seven billionth inhabitant and for generations to come.
Every day is a reason for giving and giving is the key to living. O let us give ourselves to serve and pray for others, not only today but always.
Let us therefore make everyday a World Population day and or a Mandela day. We have all it takes to build better communities and a better world.
God bless you!
I thank you.
Source: Limpopo Department of Health and Social Development
