Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Eskom
Representatives of Proudly South African, Business Against Crime, Business Unity South Africa, the South African Local Government Association and Primedia Crime Line
Invited delegates
Members of the media
Fellow South Africans
I want to start by thanking Eskom and the core partners of Operation Khanyisa for the invitation to join you on this important occasion. Much has already been said about the effect and impact of energy losses and electricity theft on utilities such as Eskom and municipalities, and indeed on our economy and country as a whole. In this short address today, I would like to concentrate on the issue of working together.
In the midst of all of the challenges our country faces, it is wonderful to be able to stand here today and see a partnership in action such as that represented in Operation Khanyisa. It is this spirit and commitment to working together that government has called for over the years and to see it coming together in a national partnership campaign against the crime of electricity theft, gives me a sense of fulfillment and pride that is hard to describe in words.
The commitment shown by Proudly South African, Business Against Crime, Business Unity South Africa, the South African Local Government Association and Primedia Crime Line, by signing up as the core partners of the campaign is to be commended. The interest expressed by other organisations is also welcomed, as the support of the South African Police Services and the National Prosecuting Authority. In support of this, government is also in the process of reviewing the legislation to enable law enforcement agencies to effectively prosecute offenders.
There have been many times when we have been called upon as South Africans to stand together and face challenges head-on. Indeed, we owe the very existence of our democracy and the new South Africa to the power of united action. More recently, and as President Jacob Zuma pointed out to us, it was the determined action of 49 million South Africans that made it possible for us to show the world that a nation at the tip of the African continent is capable of putting on a world class event and hosting a resoundingly successful Football World Cup. As South Africans, we were entitled to revel in our success for a short while.
However, all too soon the festivities had to end. We had to pack away our t-shirts and vuvuzelas, and get back to the reality that as much as had been achieved for the 2010 Football World Cup, much still remains for us to do to ensure that we achieve the kind of South Africa our Constitution envisions. A South Africa which belongs to all who live in it, united in diversity. A South Africa based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, a South Africa where all shall enjoy the fruits of our labour equally, as well as an improved quality of life.
One of the partners we must not forget and who is perhaps not as visible as most of the organisations here today are the people of South Africa. I speak in the first instance of communities, both rural and urban, who are important players in Operation Khanyisa. They do not have the offices, organisations, resources and public profiles that most of us here today have at our disposal. And it is for this reason that we must not forget how important their participation is in this campaign through a joint problem-solving approach.
The approach that Operation Khanyisa has taken to work at community level with elected local government leaders, traditional leaders, church leaders and the community itself is a remarkable idea and one that must be emulated in campaigns that aim to tackle social challenges in our country. This is the only approach that will sustain the kind of behaviour-change we require if we are to beat crime and poverty. Social change, true social change, can only come about if it is owned and driven by those whose lives it seeks to improve. This is one of the most important lessons of our history as a country and indeed of the world.
The broader community of South Africa must thus become the key driver of Operation Khanyisa. Our own beloved Nelson Mandela reminded us a few months ago as he celebrated his 92nd birthday that it’s “in our hands” to create a better world. He has always steadfastly refused to be acknowledged as the single saviour of our nation and has always emphasised that it is through the collective action of many that we have achieved what we have as a country. He reminds us at the same time that the many begins with one. He reminds us that we need to take responsibility as individuals for our own lives and for the lives of others. This is how change begins and how change grows and becomes a movement for the good of all.
There is a wonderful piece of African wisdom that says: “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together.” With the help and commitment of all South Africans, Operation Khanyisa will definitely walk far. I commend you all and commit on behalf of government to walk with you.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Public Enterprise
