Honourable Madam Speaker and all the presiding officers,
Honourable Chief Whip
Honourable Premier Chupu Mathabatha, Mahlatjie A`Hlabirwa
My Colleagues in the Executive Council Members of the Provincial Legislature,
Executive Mayors, Mayors and MMCs of Sport, Arts and Culture,
Stalwarts of our Liberation Movement,
The Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders under the Chairpersonship of Kgoši Malesela Dikgale- And All Traditional Leaders Present here today
The Limpopo Sport Confederation, Representatives from our respective statutory and non-statutory bodies,
Our artists and athletes, The business community,
Our beloved friends from the Media, Esteemed Guests, Comrades and Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thobela, Ndimacheloni, Avuxeni, Lochane,
Gooie Dag, Good day,
Madam Speaker, as majority of South Africans voted for the first time on 27 April 1994, President Nelson Mandela chose to cast his ballot at a secondary school built by the first ANC President, John Langalibalele Dube in KwaZulu-Natal.
Immediately after he had voted, President Mandela went to Dube‟s nearby grave and said: ”Mr President, I have come to report that South Africa is free today.”
Madam Speaker, indeed South Africa is a free and democratic country.
Madiba‟s vote was the herald of a new South Africa that would be anchored on civil liberties and human rights.
Enshrined in The Bill of Rights, is the right of everyone to use the language and participate in the cultural life of their choice. The Constitution also gives all South Africans the right to enjoy their culture and freedom of artistic creativity among other things.
Part of our mandate as the Department of Sport, Arts & Culture, is to develop sport, promote our cultural diversity and foster social cohesion.
In all these endeavours, the people of Limpopo, and all who live in our beautiful province, are our priority.
Hounorable Premier, during your State of the Province Address, you fittingly paid tribute to O R Tambo as the embodiment of unity.
You emphasized our moral responsibility as a people to promote social cohesion, a task O.R lived and died for.
2017 has been declared the year of O R Tambo by the governing party, the ANC.
If he was still alive, O R would be turning 100 years old this year.
In the honour of this gallant revolutionary, we will host a series of activities during April. We will open the O R Tambo Art Gallery at the Library Gardens in Polokwane, where we will showcase the material like books and pictures about his life and times.
The O R Tambo Memorial Lecture will be held at the University of Limpopo to remind and educate the people of our province about his role in the liberation struggle.
Madam Speaker
We would like to applaud the majority of the people of Limpopo, for shunning the demons of xenophobia, ethnicity and racism.
The continued tolerance showed towards foreign nationals by the people of our beautiful province, is testament to the fact that the principle of UBUNTU/BOTHO is deeply ingrained in us.
Our province is the melting pot of rich and diverse cultures. We are the home of the VhaVenda, Bapedi, VaTsonga, AmaNdebele, Batswana, the Afrikaners, the Indians, people of Colour and the English.
We are the Heartland of Southern Africa. Ours is the only province that shares borders with three countries: Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
This puts us in a uniquely pole position to champion cultural exchange programmes of mutual interest with our neighbouring countries.
In September last year we visited Xai Xai in Mozambique. One of the shared features of Limpopo and Gaza, is that these two provinces are the homes of Machangana and VaTsonga nations.
Still on Regional Integration, majority of residents of Waterberg District are Batswana. This compels us to strengthen ties with Botswana.
To that effect, late last year we went to Botswana for the Africa Women and Sport Conference.
During our stay in Botswana, we seized the opportunity to meet with the Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture of that country to exchange ideas.
South Africa is an integral part of Africa and Limpopo is the gateway to the rest of the continent.
Our Provincial interest in some respects, is naturally reliant on the fellow citizens of the SADC region. To promote the regional cultural integration, during
Heritage Month in September, we have brought the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa on board.
A “Culture & Heritage Train” will travel from the rolling deserts of Namibia. It will traverse the savannahs and safaris of Botswana, move through the majestic landscape and bushveld of Limpopo province, towards the clean waters of Xai Xai in Mozambique.
The train will end the multi-cultural and heritage awareness journey at the breath-taking Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe.
Madam Speaker, we continue to strive towards meeting the obligations of ASPIRATION 5 of the AU Agenda 2063 which advocates for the Africa We Want. The charter reads in part: “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics.”
To this effect, during Africa Month in May, we will host a myriad of activities aimed at forging regional integration. These events include Africa Carnival, Africa Food Expo, Africa Lecture and Africa Sport Day.
On Social Cohesion
Madam Speaker, as the advocate of social cohesion, in the 2016/17 financial year we hosted events that sought to create a sense of belonging for all the people of our province.
We had a fruitful social cohesion conversation with minority groups in December. This saw us
incorporating the Bush Braai element into the Mapungubwe Arts, Culture and Heritage Festival and minority groups appreciated the fact the festival was inclusive. Limpopo belongs to all who live in it ! Full speech [PDF]
