Keynote Adress of the MEC for Sport , Arts and Culture Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba at the official opening of the Norvelspont Library
Programme Director
Mayor of Umsobomvu Municipality
Councillors
Community Members of Norvelspont
Officials from the Department of Sport , Arts and Culture
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Molweni, Dumelang, Good Afternoon, Goeie Middag
There is no better month than July to officially open this Library. This library is been opened during a month that has been internationally acclaimed to an icon of this country , utata Nelson Mandela.
The month of July, every year in South African across the length and breadth of the Republic and the world celebrate the life and times of Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela. The African continent and the peoples of the world join South Africans in the campaign to do good for humanity. This is an opportunity presented by the humankind and human spirit to celebrate the values and principles that this stalwart of our revolution stood for in difficult and challenging epochs of our National Democratic Revolution.
There could be no better tribute or celebration of President Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela’s legacy that respond to a call for the people of South Africa to educate themselves. Madiba believed that education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.
As the ANC led government , we are here to officially open , a learning institution which we believe is an ideal for which Utata Nelson Mandela lived for. The eight libraries we will be opening during Mandela month in honour of the great man himself.
Ladies and Gentlemen
As we seated here this morning this is an electoral year in which our communities choose who must lead our local municipalities. In less than a month we will be going to the voting polls. Your participation in the 2016 Municipal Elections is non- negotiable if you want to live in a country with a strong functioning democracy. Through voting in the elections and keeping your ward councilors accountable you can ensure municipalities deliver services and respond to your needs.
As part of being responsible citizens, we should encourage and persuade our peers and friends about the struggle for freedom and what it means to live in a democracy.
We must therefore encourage them to vote when we consider the ultimate price that Nelson Mandela paid for us to live in a free country , we should realise that lack of interest to vote should have no place in our communities.
Our democracy is still a work in progress and the few challenges we are facing with regards to service delivery should never derail us from our vision to build a prosperous united country. A vision which can only be realised under the leadership of the ANC led Government.
So use your right to vote, it is a fundamental right enshrined in the Bill of Rights and in the most democratic constitution in the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen ,
Our involvement as the Northern Cape Provincial Government is providing Library Services to our communities as a Constitutional requirement.
Caring and developing of our young children and youth is the foundation of social relations and a starting point of human resource development strategies for the community of Norvelspont.
We all know that it is not an easy task to raise children today, more especially when they are teenagers. Daar is n Afrikaanse spreek word , wat sê “ beig die boom terwyl hy nog klien is “
It is therefore easier to shape a better person out of a child while they a young and small. And this is all achievable through education. We need to shape them and instill in them a culture a learning and reading
As the ANC led government we firmly believe that special attention must be given to children.
We believe that an emphasis of ensuring that all communities have libraries , we will produce tangible results for tomorrow – for adults – for our children and for our country.
We have specifically built this library in Norvalspont so that we bring services to our communities. We have also built here so that both young and old can refrain from frequenting shebeens and taverns.
It is my plea that the parents and educators of the learners at the schools in Norvelsponts ensure that the library is used optimally.
Libraries are built for the benefit of the community. They are the nucleus of communities where community members, parents and children gain access to government information, gain access to newspapers where jobs are advertised and where learners and students can gain access to information on the internet
Libraries are also places that must be open to everybody, irrespective of race, colour or creed. It is a place where social cohesion and nation building can be enhanced and promoted.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the ANC led Government a collective decision was taken that we build all new libraries in close proximity of schools. It is imperative to alleviate the pressing need for information to learners, especially disadvantaged communities. The learners from schools in Norvelspont are the ones that need the facilities most urgently.
The library is more than just a building where books are stored and read, it is a place where we as community members can come together, embrace each other and most importantly a place where we can promote social cohesion and nation building .
It also a centre where we can bridge the intergenerational gap between individuals of different ages. It is here at this very library where they can as partners explore, study, and work towards a shared goal, which foster cooperation and promote interaction among generations including children, youth and older persons.
These programs can be youth serving older persons, older persons serving youth, or youth and older adults serving together.
It is a common fact that our poor communities do not have the financial resources to buy computers and other information material, but they have a pressing need to have access to information. It is access to the information that remains key to personal development and improvement of social, economic, technical and scientific skills that are needed in the labour market.
For many communities in South Africa, it is only public libraries which provide free access to computers and the internet. The Norvelspont library which we are launching here today will expand the internet connectivity and technology resources to and for the less privileged communities.
Let us ensure that we retain the structure in its pristine condition so that we can enjoy the collective benefits of the library.
The library belongs to all of us – the government and the community. It is therefore our joint and collective responsibility to ensure it remains protected and far divorced from vandalism and theft. We must report all illegal activities to the municipality and the police.
Ladies and Gentleman
We need to congratulate the ANC led Government and the Umsobomvu Municipality for the role it is playing in changing the lives of the people of Norvelspont.
I challenge you, the people of Norvelspont to make use of this library , to look after it and use it as a way of gaining knowledge and conquering the world. Look after it , preserve it , take pride in this wonderful asset that will be used by generations to come.
I thank you
Dankie
Re aleboga
Enkosi
