Programme director
Members of the Sefularo family
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Members of the National and Provincial Legislatures
Premiers and councillors
Fellow citizens
We are gathered here today to say farewell to a father, husband, friend, and a son of Kenosi and Masabata Sefularo.
We pay homage to a Cabinet colleague who co-led the Ministry of Health with assurance and merit.
Ba ga Sefularo, Mohumagadi le bana, se se le tlhagetseng se boima go lebagana naso, mme fela namatshegang lo tiye, lo tla fenya, matsatsi ga a tlhabe ka go tshwana.
Jaaka bagarona ba bua, fifing go tshwaranwa ka dikobo. Mo motsing o, a re kitlaneng re fenye, [re bo] kwa bofelong re ipele ka botshelo jwa ga moswi Ngaka Sefularo.
The untimely passing of Dr Molefi Paul Sefularo is not only a loss to his family, but is a grief shared by the President, Cabinet and the nation as a whole.
We have lost a humble and diligent civil servant to whom the word and practice of ‘public service’ carried a significant meaning.
He was a leader in his own right and distinguished himself in all spheres and responsibilities. I am sure those who worked with him in the 2010 FIFA World Cup medical and health services task team will bear testimony to this.
He also demonstrated leadership when he took personal responsibility by recently visiting South African medical students studying in Cuba. He had discovered that the students take long to register with the relevant medical authorities back home which then present challenges for them when they return home to practice.
Here was a man, cut above the rest, who prized executing his duties in selfless service to his beloved country.
Here was a man whose professional life bears testimony to the Hippocratic Oath which urges medical practitioners to act to the best of their abilities to prevent diseases and care for patients irrespective of race or class.
Here was a rare individual, who remained a core member of society without demonstrating any false graces, but sought to align his training and expertise with the needs of his fellow human beings.
A lot has been said about his academic achievements. This tells us that here lies a man who could have easily pursued a career in the private sector where given his experience and qualifications he could have been in the apex of a major international corporation. Yet he remained in the public service because of his humility and dedication.
This man was wholesome and well-rounded when he identified certain weakness in himself he would pursue a self-empowerment intervention. And because of his selflessness, he would get results through others whom he considered best-suited to achieve the desired goals.
These distinctive qualities of dedication are the reason why he was highly admired by all and respected in the medical fraternity. Without a doubt, his departure leaves behind a great void.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We mourn a decent man whose pursuit of social justice remained unquestionable.
Dr Sefularo was a steadfast champion committed to addressing inequities in the healthcare sector.
To him, the pragmatic vision of building “a caring and humane society in which all South Africans have access to affordable, good quality health care” was realisable as part of government’s programme of action.
To realise this goal, he deemed it important to improve healthcare facilities for the poorest of the poor, especially for those in rural areas with limited access to quality healthcare service.
With his inopportune departure, it is left up to all of us, whether in government, civil society or the business sector, to carry forward the cause of which he championed.
Working with his colleague, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, they made a great team demonstrating capable leadership that resonated throughout the ranks of front-line healthcare workers.
Above all, by his example, we see a leader who led behind the scenes and this explains the glowing tribute describing him as someone who “worked tirelessly and selflessly” and was a “competent and accessible minister”.
Programme director,
The other tributes that have poured in fond memory of Dr Molefi Sefularo rightly portray him as an “accomplished scholar” and as someone whose “intelligence and expertise will be greatly missed”.
I want to believe these are not just words ordinarily said about someone who has gone to the great beyond.
I am convinced these tributes are not said in vain but that they mean something.
Yet the irony is that because of his humility he would have been embarrassed by these glowing tributes.
Ladies and gentlemen, the fact of the matter is that Dr Sefularo was a scholar of repute. Besides the achievements noted in his curriculum vitae, we knew him to possess an exceptional brilliance.
While he was unassuming and humble, he held a sharp X-ray mind able to penetrate to the heart of policy matters and their implications for society. Mediocrity did not have a place in his company!
But above all, I wish to emphasise his academic achievements as an example I wish our young people can learn from.
In my colleague Dr. Sefularo, I see here a role model who should be emulated by all young people aspiring to a better life that would improve the conditions of their families and bettering our country as a whole.
With education, we know one’s chances in life can be improved significantly.
With attainment of a qualification, whether at university or technikon, we know that an individual can lift others as he or she climbs the ladder of success.
I am told by those who worked with him closely in the broader Health sector, that Dr Sefularo was not selfish with his knowledge and expertise. As government, we convey special condolences to all those in the medical fraternity.
He lived constantly wanting to know more and to empower others with what he was privileged to know.
This giving out of knowledge is what he recently accomplished after a trip to Washington DC and London in order to address policy-related issues with regard to medical curriculum and Quality Standards for the health sector.
To the Sefularo family, know that your son, father, husband lived a life that burnt brightly with motivation and inspiration.
Indeed, Dr. Sefularo was the man that the grand poet Johan von Goethe spoke of when he said:
"Death is a commingling of eternity with time; in the death of a good man, eternity is seen looking through time".
In Zulu they say “isitsha esihle asidleli” which explains why distinguished men like him do not live long to fully make their impact known and appreciated.
And yet, it would seem the month of April is not kind to our heroes and heroines. Every April, we keep in mind the April of Solomon Mahlangu, Oliver Tambo, and Chris Hani.
Dr. Molefi Sefularo joins their ranks as a patriot who dedicated his life to public service beginning in 1994 as a Member of the Executive Council for the Department of Health in the North West province, serving as a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly since 2004 and finally to his responsibilities as Deputy Minister of Health.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the same time, the month of April is also the month of the birth of our freedom. In exactly 17 days the country will come together on 27 April to honour our constitutional democracy based on principles of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and free South Africa.
The work which lies ahead for all of us working in partnerships is to improve the quality of life for our people.
I fully support Mme Kgomotso Sefularo when she said at the memorial that: “Those of us who remain can honour him by carrying on where he left off”.
Boammaarure ke gore o dirile tholo, ditiro tsa gago di tla go sala morago. Motsogapele a re kgaka e ntsho e fofa, mebala re e bona e sule. Afrika Borwa o tla sega motlhala mo tseleng ya boineelo mo tirong, e o neng o e tsamaya.
O tlogetse loeto lwa kgololosego le sa ntse le le motsilanyana, fela ya gago tema o e segile, we will just carry the baton and continue the run.
We will honour the memory of DR. Sefularo by intensifying the programmes of action meant to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates, cut-off new HIV infections, expand HIV and AIDS treatment, reduce high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), and also reduce incidence of malaria.
He also took special interest in the building of a strong primary healthcare sector as well as the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) as measures to make quality healthcare accessible to every citizen of South Africa.
To this effect, we call upon all South Africans to join us when we embark in a few days on a massive counselling and testing campaign and an immunisation campaign against polio and N1H1.
During this period, South Africa will be mobilised to prevent outbreaks of diseases like measles because as a middle-income country these ailments place a strain on our health resources.
When all is said and done, the image of this noble son of the soil will live on through his positive actions, as a distinguished academic, first-rate medical practitioner, gallant public servant and as a doting father and caring husband.
To the Sefularo family, allow me to offer these parting words from the philosopher Seneca: “The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity”.
May Dr Molefi Paul Sefularo rest in eternal peace and his legacy live on work that lies ahead of improving our people’s lives for the better.
I thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
10 April 2010
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/)
