Programme director, Cllr Mamikie Molefe
Her Worship the Mayor of Kgetleng Rivier Local Municipality - Cllr Kim Onicca Medupe
Honourable Councillors
Head of Department for the Human Settlement Branch ofthe Department, Mr Thupi Mokhatla
The Municipal Manager for Kgetleng Rivier Local Municipality
Representatives of the business sector
Representatives of Cosatu and other labour federations
Representatives of Toro Ya Africa Housing Consultants
Representatives of women and youth organisations
Representatives of faith based organisations
Executive, senior managers and officials from all spheres of government
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Today as millions of our people and the people the world over mourn the death of Mama Albertina Sisulu, we count ourselves blessed that as a nation we nursed at the breasts of a great revolutionary, mother of the nation and heroine of our struggle for freedom and democracy.
Mama Sisulu taught us to hate injustice with passion but to love our enemies, to put behind memories of racial hatred and prejudice and embrace reconciliation and nation building. In her humility but assertiveness, she taught us to respect all of humanity and to carry ourselves with dignity but not with arrogance and pride. She was an embodiment of love, resilience and an undying spirit that defied colonialism, exploitation ,racial oppression and segregation.
She occupied a special place in our hearts and in the history of our people as a selfless mentor who led women with integrity in their heroic struggle against racial, class and gender oppression.
Though her death has left us poorer as a nation, her legacy of unwavering selfless service to others especially the poor comforts and serves as an inspiration for us to intensify the struggle against diseases, poverty and homelessness.
We are here to restore the dignity of our people and give practical expression to the clause in the Freedom Charter that Mama Sisulu’s generation aspired for in our revolutionary compass they had adopted in 1956 at Kliptown that declared that, “There shall be houses, security and comfort”
Bagaetsho tsholofelo ga e tlhabise ditlhong, ebile mojamorago ke kgosi,e rile maloba re le puso ya bokone bophirima le lefatha la kago ya matlo ra solofetsa gore re tlile go ipoa kgasu go tla go lo tlisetsa ditirelo tse di maleba mmedi tsenyeletsa matlo, metlakase,metsi,dintlwana boithuso ga mmogo le dikolo tse dinnye le tse dikgolwane.
Kana kwa re tswang go kgakala,mme kwa re yang go gaofi dipelodi se belaele. Ka matlho le bona maungo a go nna pelo tele le go se belaele puso ya lona ya ANC. Go mo maikarabelong a lona jaanong gore le tlhokomeleng se puso e se lereng mono. Rotlhe re le fano re a itse gore tulo eno e tswa kae mo malobeng le gore e tswelela ke go kgobokanelwa ke dilabe tse di e itsang go ka tswelela pele jaaka mafelomangwe.
Go botlhe ba le lebalang ka bonako,a ke lo tlhabeng botlhale ke logopotseng go re mo dibekeng di le tharo tse di fitileng re le lefapha la tsa matlo mo porofenseng ya bokone bophirima re nnile le kgotlhang kana dikgogakgogano le Boo-Rapolasi ba dingangele ba mabapi le kgaolo eno ya lona. Sesosa sa kgang e le lone lefatshe le re leng mo go lone leno.
Kgang eno e ne ya ya magoletsa mo re bileng ra bona go le matshwanedi gore e ye kgotla ya tshekelo,ko teng re ne ra ema ka dinao re le Lefapha ra tswa letsholo ra batla ba bueledi ba ba maleba ebile ba na le kitso ka tsa mafatshe go re thusa mo tebetebeng e re neng re le mo go yone.
Tiro ya go aga matlo ano, e ne ya diegisiwa fa go ntse go kgakgauthwana kwa dikgotla-tshekelo tse dikgolo. Kgotla- tshekelo e ne ya re morago fa e ntsha katlholo ya swetsagore kago ya matlo a tswelele, gore re busetse bagaabo ronaba ba sotlakilwengle ba ditshwanelo tsa bone di gatakilweng ke bathapi ba ba megagaru le mebuso ya tlhaolele ba tle ba newe matlo a ba ka ipelang ka one, matlo a a ba a agetsweng ke puso ya ANC go tokafatsa matshelo a bone.
Ke ka moo re leng puso re tlileng fano go tla go lo netehaletsale go gatisa kgang ya gore lo none dipelo ka mathe, dithole di a kupa, go semeletswe lo a iponela fa morago ga lona, ga ke bue ka kgomo ya mmopa.
Ga go ope yo o tla lo lwantshang kana gone go lo tlosa mo tulong eno ya lona. Re re lefapha re tlile go dirisana le masepala wa lona go netehatsha gore lotlhe lo dula lo babalesegile ka dinako tsotle.
We hope that our people will record this milestone as a turning point from despair and deprivation to hope, dignity and pride. As the ANC government, we will spare no effort in ensuring that the interests of poor former farm workers most of whom were evicted from neighbouring farms are protected hence we are here as a caring and compassionate government. We are here to write a glorious chapter of building better communities and redress of past imbalances in the hearts of the people of this neighbourhood.
Aligning ourselves with the Presidents call during his state of the nation address were he pointed out that Human Settlement “is a responsibility quite bigger than housing the nation”. Through this pronouncement, we are encouraged by the resounding clarity in the scope of our mandate to be the one that encompasses the entire residential housing fraternity and whose focus is not just about housing provision but working towards integrating all the relevant services at strategic, developmental and project planning level. This ladies and gentlemen is to ensure that the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in both urban and rural areas are prioritised and implemented accordingly.
On the other hand all these services that are required to the masses cannot be done by government alone. I therefore wish to call upon the district and local municipality and other sector departments to also come on board for us to turn Mazista into an integrated human settlement integrated that will shame those who were opposed to this housing development.
We are humbled by the support that the mayor has expressed for our objective to transform this landscape into a beautiful settlement with amenities and services that support the developmental needs of our children and people.
I wish to upfront warn and caution beneficiaries to houses under construction that housing units and should not be turned into tuckshops and or rented out. Those who intend venturing into this direction should know that we would not hesitate to evict them and reallocate the housing subsidy to someone who is really in need of a house.
As government through our many researches that we have conducted through the years we have realised and acknowledged the importance of making people and integral part of our planning as well as implementation, we are still firmly committed to this approach, as it is the only way that will make us realise our dream, and that of many South Africans who are forever waiting to have a permanent physical address. Kana go monate jang gore ke ya kwa game. Ek gaan by my plek.
We call on youth resident in farming communities to seize opportunities that the ANC government has created for them to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation. Bo Mama Sisulu, Tata Nelson Mandela and Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu fought for you grow up in decent homes, go to better schools and better health facilities etc, do not succumb to peer pressure to waste your lives to drugs and alcohol.
You are our future lawyers to defend our people against exploitation and abuse. Our future leaders, teachers, engineers, doctors, nurses that should nurse our communities to good health. You are our Itumeleng Khunes and Katlego Mphelasandshould not be discouraged by your humble beginnings but aim and reach for the sky. Avoid unhealthy lifestyles of early sex and alcohol and respect your parents.
In conclusion, I call on Toro Ya Africa Consultants to accelerate the pace of delivery without compromising on quality and to as part of your community social investment consider adopting an early learning centre and supporting a soccer team right here in Mazista/Skielik.
Though our people have endured many decades of cold winter nights, warmth and the hope of a better life are no longer a mirage. Working together we can do more to eradicate informal settlements and build better communities for our people.
Ke a leboga.
