Programme director, Mr Xolani Gwala
The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Honourable Dr Z L Mkhize
The Deputy Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Logie Naidoo
The Honourable Members of the Legislature
The Head of Department, Ms Carol Coetzee
The leaders of various societal formations
Traditional leaders present
Academics and experts
Graduates and students
It gives us pleasure as the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism to welcome you to this, the Second Moses Kotane Ubuntu Conference. Last year, we convened the inaugural Ubuntu Conference to look at how we can harness this philosophy to be our guiding light as a nation trying to fashion a new future out of the debris of our sad past.
Programme director, it is often said that those who make history seldom realise that their humble efforts would contribute to creating something that future generations would be proud of.
As many of you are aware, this conference which is being held under the auspices of the Moses Kotane Institute started last year from humble beginnings. It gives us happiness that this year it has grown in leaps and bounds and in many ways this serves as the vindication of the correctness of our decision to start a forum of this magnitude to create a space for us to look at how we can exploit the concept of ubuntu for the benefits of all of our people.
From time immemorial, humankind has been defined by a particular philosophy that has served as its loadstar while it negotiates the travails and challenges of everyday life. For Africans and for South Africans in particular, ubuntu has always been the overriding philosophy that encompasses who we are and how we relate with other people. In short it is the currency of our human relations.
While there are many definitions of Ubuntu, one of the most popular ones is that ubuntu refers to the ability to subjugate one’s personal wishes to the great good of society. Embedded in the philosophy of ubuntu is the understanding that no man exists in an island and that our survival as a people is inextricably linked.
Programme director whenever the concept of ubuntu is discussed, one of the questions that comes up is what is the relevance of the concept today in a world that puts greater emphasis on the success of an individual, often at the expense of the whole society?
In a world which glorifies individual accomplishment, where everyone is the sum total of one’s achievements, is ubuntu still relevant? These are the questions that we need to answer as we gather here today. Critically, we need to discuss how we can use ubuntu as a thread that weaves through all our daily experiences, as opposed to an abstract pie in the sky concept that is the fetish of armchair intellectuals.
Programme director, we assert that ubuntu is relevant today more than any other time in the evolution of mankind. Since the advent of the industrial revolution there is no denying that human beings have made more strides than at any other epoch in history. However, there is no doubt that for each and every progress mankind has made; it has come at a heavy price for the sustainability and the durability of life as we know it. Often our advancement has spawned forces that, at times, threaten to wipe us off the face of the earth.
It is scientifically-proven and an archeological fact that Africa is the cradle of mankind. In the same vein, it is also well known that while Africa is the genesis of all forms of life, the continent is still mired in underdevelopment and its march towards a better future and stability is being undermined all manner of social ills. The same can be said of all the other parts of the world. The world, despite valiant efforts by the progressive forces, is in crisis.
However, programme director, we believe that at the time when the world’s insatiable drive for progress is threatening the survival of mankind itself, it is fitting that the world should look to Africa, the cradle of humankind, for answers. It was Steve Biko who once wrote thus: “In rejecting Western Values, we are rejecting those things that are not only foreign to us but that seek to destroy the most cherished of our beliefs, that the corner stone of society is man himself not just his welfare, not his material wellbeing but just man himself with all his ramifications. We reject the power based society of the Westerner that seems to be ever concerned with perfecting their technological knowhow while losing out on their spiritual dimension. We believe that in the long run the special contribution to the world by African will be in this field of human relationship. The great powers of the world may have done wonders in giving the world an industrial and military look, but the great gift still has to come from Africa – giving the world a more human face”.
While Steve Biko does not talk about ubuntu in explicit terms in this quotation, he reaffirms the centrality of a human being in the well being of any society. But more importantly, he dispels the prevailing thinking that a human being is a sum total of what he owns. The interesting thing about the words is that they are still relevant today as they were when they were uttered by Steve Biko about three decades ago.
As all of us know, the global economy is on the mend after it was plunged into the biggest financial mess not seen since the Great Depression. While there are many reasons that have been offered as causes for the financial meltdown, the fact remains that this was a human-made financial crisis.
Put bluntly, the crisis, according to many observers, was created by the greed of the few, their insatiable rapacity in line with the culture of rampant wealth accumulation. There is no doubt that if the global economic financial systems were run in accordance with the teachings of ubuntu, we would not have found ourselves in the mess that the global financial system is in today.
This, programme director, proves that ubuntu can be Africa’s biggest export and major contribution to the world’s well-being. As we speak, programme director, one of the biggest debates that is raging in the business circle is what is the role of business in society? The question that is being asked is whether businesses should be solely concerned with creating a healthy bottom line or should they contribute more to the well being of society. As many of you are aware, it was Milton Friedman who set the cat among the pigeons in the 1970s when he averred that: the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. Obviously, this is true in a capitalistic economy.
However, in the context of Africa in general and South Africa in particular, where most countries are rebuilding following the toppling of colonial and neo-colonial regimes, can we afford to have business and other social partners who only think in the context of the self and not the greater good of society? The answer is, at least for us, a resounding no.
We believe that businesses can still be profitable while they play their role in fostering growth and development. If we take the example of homesteads in the olden times, where no stranger went hungry, we can appreciate that those who extended a helping hand to travelers were not ruined because of practicing the culture of ubuntu – taking care of travelers. We, therefore, argue that the business sector has to move beyond the PR-driven social responsibility programme and understand that they are serious partners in the rebuilding of our continent.
Capitalism, like all other philosophies, is an ever evolving concept. It was interesting to note, at the height of the recession, how the principles of free enterprise and non-state intervention, were quickly jettisoned when the corporate multinationals faced ruin.
The trillion dollar bailout in the US and huge sums of money that were ploughed into ailing companies elsewhere in the world, proved beyond any reasonable doubt that there are no absolutes when it comes to the survival of the capitalist system. Our argument in this regard is that surely there are other ways of conducting business in a humane way, in a manner that seeks to contribute towards social development while the players in the business world still make their profits. The various governments’ response following the global economic meltdown is proof of this.
The principles and the values of ubuntu are not antithetical to business development but they can be a stimulus for business prosperity. Even the King Codes of Good Governance recognise that: social responsibility is not a voluntary “nice to have” activity on the sideline of the mainstream activity of making money but an imperative, must-have governance principle contained in the purpose and conduct of the business enterprise.
As we speak, the unemployment figures for the third quarter of 2010 have been released. The unemployment figures for KwaZulu-Natal have declined to 19,7 percent from 20, and 9 percent in the previous quarter. The number of unemployed persons declined from 645 000 in the last quarter to 580 000 during the third quarter. While we are pleased about the decline, we remain worried that the number of discouraged work seekers has increased to 563 000 from 504 000 in the past quarter. Therefore, if we were to use the expanded definition of unemployment, the rate of unemployment would have risen from 37 percent in the second quarter to 38,5 percent in the third quarter.
What have these figures got to do with this conference? We believe that in tackling the social ills and challenges that face our society, ubuntu can be utilised as a potent weapon for empowerment. The national Minister of Finance, during his Mid-Term Review, announced that the government was probing R25 billion worth of procurement transactions where there is a strong suspicion of fraud. Even if, ultimately, it is discovered that only 10 percent of these deals were fraudulent, that would mean that R2,5 billion that was earmarked for building a better future for our people, including the unemployed, has gone to waste. The net effect of this is that the rate of service delivery is seriously slowed down because of theft and our objective of building a prosperous country is set back by a number of years.
If ubuntu was the ethos by which all of us live, then we would not have these suspicions of fraud. Indeed, we would not have to spend money fighting fraud, money that could be used to fast track service delivery. When we conceived this conference, we felt that through dialogue and debate, we would be able to start a new revolution, a revolution where the self takes the back seat and the collective takes centre stage. Our aim was to chart a new, humane way of conducting business. Our stated objective is to create a cadre of public servants as well as those who are employed in the private sector who would cherish the honour to serve and be content with the remuneration commensurate with their effort.
Our ultimate goal is to build a society that is the envy of the world. In this regard, we are of the firm belief that ubuntu is a cornerstone of these efforts. The very future of our country and our continent depends on how we harness the philosophy of ubuntu for the growth and development of our people.
Therefore, we would have failed at this conference if we do not, through our papers, debate and resolutions, give the philosophy of ubuntu a practical expression. From this conference, we expect to emerge tangible means and ways in which we can ensure that this concept does not only become a convenient cliché but a way of life and a defining feature of the way we conduct our affairs.
We are starting a revolution, reclaiming that which is dear and makes us better people. It was Thomas Jefferson who once said, “Every generation needs a new revolution.” As we rebuild our country from the centuries of inequality and neglect, we need to understand that ours is to show the world that there is a much better and more humane way to attain growth and development, both at individual and collective levels. That way is the ubuntu way and it is our new revolution to change the world and make it a better place for all who live in it.
I thank you.
