Mpumalanga MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreaton Ms Norah Mahlangu-Mabena: Policy and Budget Vote speech 2015/16
Madam Speaker, Honourable Thandi Shongwe Deputy Speaker, Honourable David Dube Honourable Premier of our Province, David Mabuza Members of the Executive Council
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature Honourable Members of Parliament
Kgoshi Mokoena Traditional Leaders
ANC Provincial Secretary Lucky Ndinisa
Acting Head of the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mr Walter Mnisi and other Heads of Departments
Leadership of Cultural Forums, Sport Federations and Multi-Faith Formations Comrades and friends
Members of the media Invited guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Honourable Speaker, we are standing before this august house a day after celebrating Africa Day which is an important day for all Africans. As we celebrate Africa Day, we are reminded of what one of Africa’s finest sons of the soil, Kwame Nkurumah said and I quote: “The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart,” unquote.
We have observed that one of the superimposed influence that still keep us apart today is criminality perpetrated against our African brothers and sisters which needs to be condemned in strongest possible terms. We know that most South African communities have embraced their African brothers and sisters and they are living harmoniously with them and working together to confront challenges that they face. As Africans, we are all off springs of our forbearers who many years ago had a vision of a united Africa where all of us will work together to eradicate the legacy of decades of colonialisation and uplift ourselves from challenges brought about by our colonisers. We remain convinced that it is utter most important for us to work together to ensure that all Africans are freed from poverty, under development and social challenges that continue to inflict our continent.
Former President of the African National Congress, Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, was correct when he said ‘we have known that as Africa and Africans, acting together, we will achieve our Renaissance, our rebirth’. We therefore call on all our people in the province to continue embracing our brothers and sisters from our neighbouring countries, Mozambique and Swaziland and other parts of Africa and to continue to live with them in a peaceful environment.
It is an undisputable fact that we are a diverse continent but we should use our diversity as a weapon and strengthening tool to unite all Africans to work towards the common purpose of realising the dream of our forbearers of a united Africa that will collectively respond to the need and aspirations of its people. As South Africans, we have a common defining identity which is Ubuntu and we proudly embrace this identity which we need to profoundly extend to our brothers and sisters from our neighbouring countries.
We are continuing to mobilise all communities to work together and join efforts of creating African integration so that we can all realise unity across all Africans who will in solidarity eradicate the legacy of colonialisation and accordingly respond when actions that seek to undermine our unity emerges.
It is against this background that as the provincial government, we ensured that our Africa Day commemoration that took place yesterday had participation of our neighbouring countries and we interacted warmly and shared cultural norms and practices where we embraced the spirit of togetherness. We used to better effect the values and ethos of unity with our counterparts from Africa in a manner that is exemplary to all our people.
