Programme director
The Makgothi family
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma
Deputy-President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe
The Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC), Ms Baleka Mbete,
The Treasurer-General of the ANC, Mr Matthew Phosa
The Secretary-General of the ANC, Mr Gwede Mantashe,
The Deputy-Secretary-General of the ANC, Ms Thandi Modise,
Members of the National Executive Committee of the ANC
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers
The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Councilor Amos Masondo
Members of Parliament
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Veterans of our struggle
Distinguished guests
Comrades and friends
Ladies and gentlemen
Programme director,
It is a great honour for me to be making a tribute to this great warrior, a giant, a great man of stature and moral rectitude, and a proud son of the soil. Ntate Makgothi, affectionately known to his peers as “Squire” epitomised the traits of a true revolutionary; astute as ever, yet unobtrusive and unassuming at all times.
He lived his life with tenacity and vigour that belied his age. He had a big heart that could only be rivalled by his contagious smile. He was a man who sought inner peace and tranquility, and this trait helped guide his demeanour in his daily life. Nothing captures more succinctly his inner soul than Maya Angelo’s poem “I Always Remember”. And it reads as follows:
There was a smile, I recall now jelled in a never yester glow. Even a laugh that tickled the tits of heaven (older than the smile).
In graphs, afraid, I see the black brown hands and white thin yellowed fingers Slip slipping from the ledge of life. Forgotten by all but hatred. Ignored by all but disdain.
On late evenings when quiet inhabits my garden when grass sleeps and streets are only paths for silent mist I seem to remember smiling.
In the midst of adversity and tribulation, Ntate Makgothi had a formidable war-chest from which he could launch his attack to rebuff the enemy – His smile!
Today, we are gathered to celebrate and not to mourn the life Ntate Makgothi. His was a life born of struggle for liberation of his people, and was inspired by the spirit of our forebears - Sekhukhune, the Rain-Queen Modjadji, Hintsa, Mkabayi, Manthata wa Basotho, Makana, Shaka, Moshoeshoe, Bambatha, and many others.
The history of South African struggle would not be complete without the inclusion of the role he played toward the attainment of democracy and freedom. His dogged resolve to rid of our society of poverty, disease, hopelessness and other ills was a project very close to his heart, and clearly, he would have wanted to do more before he passed on.
In whatever he did, he was a man who preached unity of our people. He was ever energetic in demonstrating his attitude of selflessness, carrying with him that enthusiastic zeal to always be doing something for someone somewhere. It was in him that many found solace and space of expression to discover their full potential, especially during the trying times of exile life.
His high sense of humour helped him to awaken joy, peace and a sense of serenity in others, often at his own expense. And, I dare say, that his was a life governed by altruism and high moral rectitude carried out with unparalleled enthusiasm, aplomb and optimism to proclaim that life was worth living.
His legacy in the education front of our struggle is captured in the epitaph that still stands at Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College, in Mazimbu, Tanzania, which state that:
“Ours was not for personal glory, nor distinction, but for a noble cause of our time – the liberation of the people of South Africa and the entire humanity.”
This tombstone is a home to deceased South Africans who fought for South Africa’s liberation. Ntate Makgothi nurtured this baby from birth until it had grown big enough to can run on its own. He loved Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College (SOMAFCO). Through efforts from people like him, SOMAFCO became a beacon of light.
In this regard, the then President of the ANC, OR Tambo was very clear, even at the time, about what the future held for all of us. He said: “The future is bright. The end is glorious; it is peaceful. But the intervening period is dark, bitter and finds its glory in the act of struggle.”
We should all reiterate our resolve to ensure that all those who have fought and died for the liberation of our country, did not do so in vain.
Now is the time to seize the moment, never before have we seen so many ordinary South Africans have their hopes raised so high into the future, notwithstanding their daily challenges and trials. This future is in the hands of every citizen and we need to work harder in weaving it together into a tapestry.
Allow me to quote the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, when he said “To achieve all our goals, we must hold ourselves to the highest standard of service, probity and integrity. Together we must build a society that prizes excellence and rewards effort, which shuns laziness and incompetence”.
Similar to Ntate Makgothi, who held himself to the highest standards of scrutiny to meet the high expectation and inspire others to achieve, as government we must hold ourselves and all the other stakeholders responsible and accountable for delivering results and meeting the needs of our people. We must provide continuous feedback on progress and follow-up on concerns and complaints. As government we should become a learning organisation.
We need to be accessible to our people and possess an in-depth understanding of their concerns. Nothing more and nothing less would be what Ntate Makgothi expects from us.
In addition, nothing would make Ntate Makgothi happier than for us to reach out to his traits of modesty, humility and selflessness. South Africa, in general, and Gauteng, in particular, needs patriots like him. For Gauteng residents, it will be a tall order to emulate his character.
Nothing could serve as more appropriate a tribute to Ntate Makgothi than for us to build capacity for accelerated service delivery, move away from entitlement to accountability; move from lethargy to renewed energy; turn our anxiety into hope and our sense of doubt to belief.
As part of embarking on this journey of transformation we need to demonstrate and build functional excellence in all areas of government service delivery. Functional excellence will have to be embodied across every department and every civil servant should embrace the know-how and passion for executing the services of government with quality and efficiency. For this is what Ntate Makgothi would have loved us to do.
The new ethos of our service delivery must be driven by discipline, consistent processes and a continuous improvement philosophy and practice that stems from our slogan that says - Together We Can Do More.
The type of organisational culture we need to foster is the one that unites all of us with a purpose, guided by a set of principles and standards to live and work by, and be able to foster national identity and social cohesion. In fact, unless the culture can be changed, resistance to transformation will always rear its ugly head.
As government in this province we must show initiative, courage, integrity and good corporate citizenship in guiding our administration and machinery to improve quality and deliver sustainable and inclusive development for the benefit of all the residents. Lest we forget, Ntate Makgothi was an honourable and law-abiding resident of both Gauteng and the Great City of Johannesburg.
As we join hands in committing the mortal remains of Ntate Makgothi to the soil, let us all answer to the clarion call on moral regeneration that seeks to rid of our society of all the moral ills.
The fragility of our moral fibre has in recent times been uncompromisingly exposed and beckons for all to ask and answer this question: “What is happening in our society today?” In one of the tributes to his life we are told that he commented that “The wheels seem to be coming off”, as reference to his concern that the respect for elders and respect for each other- Ubuntu/Botho - had gone out of the window.
Let us today, as we join hands to form new partnership across race, sex, colour, faith and value systems, be guided by a strong belief that the answers to the moral degeneration and decay within our society lie with all of us. We should all strife to reach for that golden yearning for high moral rectitude that Ntate Makgothi epitomised. I am confident that there is a Ntate Makgothi in all of us, and together we will persevere and succeed in driving this agenda of moral regeneration.
Let me hasten to say that we should all be inspired by the words of one of the foremost woman evangelist, Paula White in her book: “Move On, Move Up: Turn Yesterdays Trials into Today’s Triumphs” in which she states:
“Perseverance is not a nicety or an option. It is a must if you are going to reach the place where you are living an authentic, purposeful, and fulfilling life.”
Let us all celebrate the life of Ntate Makgothi. It was a life worth living.
We cannot do more to the memory of Ntate Makgothi than to have his name be inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance at the Freedom Park as a reminder to all of us to serve our people’s unquenchable thirst for a better tomorrow. Yes, his name, like that of many of our heroes and heroines, will always be indelibly embedded - stubbornly as ever - in our collective memory; notably urging us to emulate the steadfastness and tenacity of his generation and the generations before him.
The supreme price for liberation paid by many patriots, like Ntate Makgothi, who laid down their lives in the service of their people, is, in the words of former President of the ANC and of the Republic, Nelson Mandela “the embodiment of the fighting spirit of our people and came to represent the highest aspiration and ideals of our struggle.”
Ntate Makgothi is beckoning us all to catch the moment, seize the day, to capture the moment of his heart and the benefit of his pain. He is saying that when his chariot had come and we feel the whirlwind and the storm, we need to catch what he has left behind because it is wealth to our collective memory and consciousness.
Robala ka kagisho motabe!
Dankie, ngiyabonga.
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
