Programme director, Professor David Mosoma
ANC Chief Whip and Chairperson of the Commission of Religion and Traditional Affairs, Dr Mathole Motshekga
Minister of Basic Education and President of the ANCWL, Mme Angie Motshekga
Minister of Public Service and Administration, Mr Richard Baloyi
Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty
Chairperson of the Moral Regeneration Movement, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa
CEO of the National Heritage Council, Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa
Religious and traditional leaders here present
Distinguished guests
Comrades and friends
Ladies and gentlemen
I am honoured and privileged to speak at this important event and occasion in the presence of all the eminent delegates. This conference occurs at a turning point in South Africa’s history. Together we face the challenge of protecting our children against the moral decay eating at the fibre of our society. Together we face the challenge of families that are falling apart. Together we face the challenge of keeping South Africa safe from criminal elements and druglords who rob our children of their childhood.
I know that the eminent delegates gathered here today fully understand the weight of these challenges on our society. We, therefore, need a consolidated national action to address these challenges.
This conference takes place at a time when issues of morality or lack of it dominates the national discourse. This is testimony to the importance of values in a society. It is therefore heartwarming to see various sectors of our society gathered here as we have done, to reflect on the challenges facing our growing democracy and evaluate the progress we are making in ensuring that South Africa becomes a value-based society.
The presence of so many of us from government, religious organizations and traditional authorities underlines the weight of our pledge for to work together join hands to build a better country together. Our presence confirms that the task of building a more caring society is one that can not be carried by government alone. It is a challenge that has to be taken up by the entirety of our people. It is a national task that calls for the mobilisation of the whole nation into united people's action, into a partnership with government for progressive change and a better life for all, for a common effort to build a winning nation.
It is indeed this challenge of building a just and caring society and the recognition that it can only be done through meaningful partnerships that should be our guiding light in discussing the revival of the positive values of a just and caring society.
The theme of this conference “reclaiming and living out the values of a just and caring society: Ubuntu in nation building goes to the heart of the challenge that our young democracy faces in South Africa. Perhaps no one has captured in words the essence of the theme of this conference better than the former President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel when he said: “without commonly shared and widely entrenched moral values and obligations, neither law, nor democratic government, nor even the market economy will function properly.”
These words spoken many years ago still remain relevant to our society today. They are a poignant reminder that the building of moral and value-based communities is important to sustain and consolidate democracy, peace and prosperity in our country.
Since its inception, the African National Congress has pursued the principle of a just society which treasures social solidarity and unity. It is around these values that our leaders mobilised all sections of South African society to fight for freedom, human rights and dignity. In one of his messages former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner who epitomises the true values of a just and caring society said, “The spirit of Ubuntu, that profound African sense that we are human only through the humanity of other human beings- is not a parochial phenomenon, but has added globally to our common search for a better world.”
Like Nelson Mandela the luminaries and forbearers of our liberation struggle such as Bantu Biko, Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Charlotte Maxeke Walter Sisulu and Lillian Ngoyi, devoted their lives to fight for a greter good of society. The memory of their individual and collective sacrifices should push us to pursue real and lasting change in our country. The myriad of challenges confronting our nation today serve as a clarion call and opportunity for those of us in leadership positions to rise to the challenge and emulate their visionary leadership, for they understood that there is moral victory in working for the greater good of society as opposed to individual gains.
In 2008 the Moral Regeneration Movement launched the Charter of Positive Values which serves as a moral compass for all South Africans. As government, working alongside our social partners, we believe the adoption of this Charter is indeed a step in the right direction, as it will empower us with a mirror through which our people will re-examine their state of morality as individuals, households and communities and being "committed to the spirit of ubuntu, which underlines our democracy and is embedded in our Constitution."
The nine (9) positive values contained in the Charter encourage all of us, irrespective of our position in society to stand up for what is right and to stand for morality. The values in the Charter are:
- respect for human dignity and equality
- promoting freedom, the rule of law and democracy
- improving the material well-being of the majority and economic justice
- enhancing family and community values
- upholding loyalty, honesty and integrity
- ensuring harmony in culture, belief and conscience
- showing respect and concern for all people
- striving for justice, fairness and peaceful co-existence
- protecting the environment.
The question arises as to what the hallmarks of a just and caring society and what policy position of such a society should be? I strongly believe that the values of caring society should begin with the government making a clear commitment for human dignity and equality, promotion of freedom, the rule of law and democracy, improving material well being and economic justice in the society. These values remain vital in creating a society with individuals that respect each other and uphold individual human rights.
In the span of only 16 years, South Africans surprised the whole world by constructing a nation permeated with freedom and democracy. What we have achieved in short space of time has become a beacon of hope and courage for other countries around the world.
However, our great challenge has not come to an end. The moment we took office in 1994, we made it clear that our country must move onto the path to advancement and prosperity. Our vision is to make South Africa a more caring society and a society where everyone can better their situation. To reach for this dream, we have relentlessly worked around the clock over the past 16 years. Although confronted with tough circumstances, we have been able to yield good results thanks to the efforts and support of our people.
The government will continue to make increased efforts and take more care to provide support on all fronts, including job creation, education, healthcare, fighting crime and corruption. Our government believes in opportunity for all, particularly through education, given the power of education to transform life’s chances for poor people. In this way, we will create the conditions for a more inclusive society.
Ladies and gentlemen, the foundations of a just and caring society is a strong family. To this end, the Department of Social Development is currently developing a Green Paper on Families to promote family lives and strengthening families in South Africa. Through this policy we want to stimulate the development of family policies and programmes which are needed to build the values of a just, caring, equitable and productive society. Through our social assistance programme, the protection for vulnerable families is the centerpiece of our government agenda. These are the hallmarks of a just and caring society because in a fair society, opportunities are given to those who are left behind. Those who fall down once can stand up again.
Esteemed delegates, our government has already started implementing various, concrete policy measures for the sake of building a just and caring society. They include social assistance programme which to date benefit over 14 million eligible South Africans, social security and retirement reforms designed to prevent and address poverty among the most vulnerable members of our society, rural development, the provision of free basic services to indigent families, clean water and sanitation, free primary healthcare, education opportunities for poor learners, school nutrition programme and the construction of free low cost housing to poor families, to name a few.
Ladies and gentlemen, our government has committed itself to continue do its utmost to build a fair society by further reinforcing the implementation of policies and programmes geared to assist poor families based on pragmatism policies that have a direct bearing on ordinary people’s daily lives. It is our belief that government policies and programmes must serve as the driving forces in meeting the everyday needs of our people and movement toward a just and caring society.
We can all agree that given the challenges confronting our country, it is impossible for our government to undertake these tasks all by itself. Not only the government, but civil society, politicians and businesses should all take their due share of social roles and responsibilities. Only when we do will our society become stronger and the spirit of ubuntu flourish and be more actively practiced. Esteemed delegates, as moral leaders we should guard against the temptation to use power for the pursuit of the interests of a single group. Otherwise, there will be no way for our society to stay clear of the trap of the widening disparity between rich and poor. All these would jeopardise the values of a just and caring society which we have upheld thus far.
Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to waste the positive legacy and value system handed down over generations by the forebearers of our struggle for liberation struggle. Building on such a foundation, and working together, we will eventually be able to remove all impediments towards the attainment of a just and caring society. It is therefore our duty to start thinking about real and substantive ways in which we can work together to build a strong and progressive society based on ubuntu values and principles. After successfully hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, our country is now given a golden opportunity to take the national prestige to a new height. We should not miss this opportunity. I hope that as leaders we will take swift and bold action to revive the positive values of a just and caring society because positive values prompt right actions.
To achieve the objectives of restoring the unifying values in society for a stronger, fairer South Africa, we need partnership with you. I believe that we are well-positioned to develop a clear vision of a value-based society. I believe such a noble effort is in the finest tradition of the rich political leadership in our country.
In closing I would like to quote from a speech delivered by the Honourable Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe at the closure of the Moral Regeneration Month when he said, “The theme of reclaiming positive values therefore should be seen as talking about what it means to be a decent human being who values the lives of others irrespective of where they come from. After all, it is not in our culture to rob and inflict violence on fellow human beings.”
I thank you.
