Programme Director;
Vho Mailausumbwa MPK Tshivhase;
Tshivhase Royal Council;
Executive Mayor of Vhembe District Municipality;
Mayor of Thulamela Local Municipality;
MMC for Safety and Security, Vhembe District Municipality;
Head of the Department of Safety, Security and Liaison;
SAPS Provincial Commissioner;
Provincial CSF Board Chair Mr NS Kgorutle;
Provincial CPF Board Deputy Chair Mr Mudau;
Leadership of SAFA Vhembe district;
Pastor MR Takalani;
SAPS Brass band;
Players, coaches and team managers.
Good afternoon.
It is my singular honour and privilege to grace this important public occasion which is about the important subject of the role of sport in fighting crime. I’m more than pleased to join the Tshivhase Royal House and the multitudes of you gathered here to watch this exciting game of football. In the words of Tata Nelson Mandela:
“Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
May I further add on to say that no earthly force has the power to harness youthful energy as sport does. It has the potential to empty our jails and divert youth away from crime. The role of sports in any society cannot be overemphasized. This explains why our department is relentlessly continuing this campaign from where we left off last year. Last year, as you will remember, we laid to rest the mortal remains of the late Khosi Lufuno Victor Nkhwathiseni Takalani. On the occasion we made a commitment to sustain the Chief’s legacy by combatting crime through sport within his area of jurisdiction.
As you very much know, Khosi Takalani spearheaded numerous crime prevention initiatives in Mukula. One such initiative was the annual 16 December soccer tournament which pitted local football teams against one another in the battle for supremacy. Our coming here today is to help sustain the chief’s legacy by diverting the youth away from crime.
I find it befitting that this year’s campaign takes place amidst great excitement generated by the FIFA World cup games. It is my fervent wish that this project grows both in stature and significance so that it attracts even more young people in all corners of Limpopo. Our other plan is that as this campaign grows not only boys must been drawn in but also young girls.
Programme director, we shall not be doing justice to the significance of this day if we do not cast our eyes back from where we come from. Our past should provide us with both a sense of hope and inspiration no matter the current difficulties we face. As you all very well know, the month of June occupies a special place in the history of our country. It was during this month that young people took to the streets to take on the might of the apartheid regime. Even though their uprising did not deliver freedom overnight, it however set the country on an irreversible course of freedom and democracy.
The 16 June 1976 events injected life into the liberation struggle led by the African National Congress (ANC). Overnight hundreds of young people flooded the base camps of the ANC in various parts of Africa like Angola, Zambia and Tanzania. Their resolute mission was to receive training and return home to fight for freedom and democracy.
Through the collective efforts of these brave young men and women the apartheid regime negotiated itself out of power and saw the advent of freedom and democracy after the historic 1994 elections which saw Nelson Mandela being elected as the first president of the democratic South Africa.
We owe a lot to the June 1976 youth. We may not give them back their youth or their lives, but we can lead meaningful lives as responsible and patriotic youth. This will ensure that in us their legacy lives on forever. The June 1976 generation fought a different enemy to the enemy we are confronted with today which is about fighting the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. These challenges need a different cadre to subdue in order to bring them to their knees as we did to the apartheid regime.
For our young people to fit into this space and carry the legacy of the June 1976 generation our youth must arm themselves with education and a selfless attitude. Armed with these two attributes our youth will go far and so will our beautiful country. Another June milestone in the history of our country is the adoption of the Freedom Charter on 26 June 1955 in Kliptown, Gauteng. The Freedom Charter envisaged the creation of a free, democratic, non-racial, no-sexist and prosperous South Africa. The Freedom Charter remains the beacon of hope in the fight against the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
I raise the significance of the month of June to remind us of our glorious history – a history written in the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. The knowledge of our history will enable us to know and appreciate where we come from as a country.
We are gathered here today to celebrate youth talent in football and at the same time to spread the message of hope for a future where we feel safe and are free from crime. I believe we all witnessed what talent lies buried here in the modest fields of Mukula. The dribbling skills and nifty moves displayed by our young footballers have indeed left us dazzled and mesmerized. We can’t ask for more.
Programme director, I believe it is events such as these which must offer professional coaches a platform to scout talent. Who knows, sooner or later some of you who played here today may very well find their way into our beloved senior national football squad, Bafana Bafana. As you all know, Bafana Bafana has been struggling to qualify for important tournaments in continental and world football stage. Talent unearthed from tournaments like this can help bolster the national team and bring back their winning ways.
It is in recognition and celebration of Khosi Takalani’s legacy that we also want to draw your attention to the escalation of crime in the area. From police and community reports the following criminal activities are prevalent in the area of Mukula:
- House breaking
- Rape
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Loud music at night
- Increasing number of undocumented foreign nationals
- Women and children abuse
The escalation of crime in the area causes us sleepless night as we would like all our communities to be safe and free from crime. We agree with the National Development Plan (NDP) when it states that safety is a necessary condition for human development, improving quality of life and enhancing productivity. When communities do not feel safe and live in fear, the country’s economic development and the people’s wellbeing is affected, hindering their ability to achieve their potential.
The NDP envisages a future in which people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they enjoy an active community life free of fear. Women can walk freely in the streets and children can play safely outside.
Such an ideal future will not drop on us like Manna from Heaven – it will not come on its own without any effort on our part. As they say – no sweat, no gain. We need to invest time and effort in the fight against crime. A society that is without crime is attractive to investors as business thrives better under circumstances free from crime.
Achieving a future where we feel safe and have no fear of crime requires organised communities. We require communities which will denounce crime and criminals. There can be no place for crime and criminals in our communities. We cannot co-exist with crime and criminals. Co-existing with crime and criminals makes us criminals too.
I therefore make an appeal to all sectors of the Mukula community to emulate the late Khosi Takalani. Let us follow his footsteps of righteousness and no tolerance for crime and criminals. Like any community in South Africa, Mukula has organisations and institutions which bring people together. I am referring to the Royal Council, civic organisations, churches, councillors, schools, churches and many others which play roles of leadership and social cohesion in the community.
These institutions and organisation must reclaim the mantle of leadership and lead the community into a brighter future free from crime and other social ills. We cannot surrender our communities to criminals. Neither can we watch helplessly as criminals reduce the lives of the people into misery.
Let us stand up and be counted. We defeated the might of apartheid; we therefore can defeat any enemy of the people.
My last word goes to the youth of Mukula: you are the future and no one can stop you. The June 1976 generation is a shining example of what young people armed with determination can achieve. You can emulate them or even do better than them – it is entirely in your hands to do what is good and make the best of your lives.
Say no to drugs ; say yes to sport. Work hard and smart at school. Take an active part in the life of your communities. Be the energy that propels your community into a better future. Return the investment the community has placed in your upbringing and education. Be true torchbearers of the late Khosi Takalani. Working together we can move South Africa forward.
