Address by President Jacob Zuma, at the National Orders Awards Ceremony, Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, Pretoria
The Deputy President of the Republic, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa
Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Dikgang Moseneke,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Premiers, MECs, MPs and MPLs,
Chairperson of the National Orders Advisory Council Ms Brigitte Mabandla and all Council members,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives of the religious, business and other sectors,
Veterans of the liberation struggle,
Distinguished recipients of the National Orders and members of their families and friends,
Fellow South Africans,
It is always a wonderful occasion when we get together to honour compatriots and friends from beyond our shores, who have contributed to the upliftment of humanity.
The Orders are a moment of great reflection, celebration and pride for our people. They celebrate human achievement, human sacrifice and human endeavours that make our country a better place.
They also embody the spirit of excellence that is necessary for our country to advance and prosper.
We are truly proud to bestow the Orders on behalf of the nation, on the outstanding recipients before us today.
We confer the Order of Mendi to any South African who has performed acts of bravery.
We will today award the Order of the Mendi to Mr Jetro Ndlovu, a veteran of the former liberation army uMkhonto Wesizwe who joined MK at its establishment in 1961, and a former prisoner on Robben Island. He pursued the struggle relentlessly in Cato Ridge, Fredville and Camperdown areas in KwaZulu-Natal despite persecution by the security establishment at the time.
We honour the late Northern Cape trade unionist and activist Mr Joseph Morolong, another former prisoner on Robben Island. He was one of the participants in the drafting of the Freedom Charter and one of the trialists in the first Treason Trial of the 1950s. He was tragically and cowardly assassinated by the apartheid regime.
We recognise freedom fighter Mr Caleb Motshabi, who recruited, mentored and ensured the smooth transit of recruits from around the Bloemfontein area into Lesotho. He suffered torture and a long incarceration period on Robben Island.
Esteemed guests,
We honour veteran of the struggle, Mr Eric Mtshali, who is one of the founding members of uMkhonto Wesizwe, a leading trade unionist, founding member of the ANC’s intelligence unit in exile and former MK Chief of Personnel in Tanzania.
Esteemed guests,
The late Mr Mpumelelo Washington Bongco received a death sentence in 1964 for his political activities and was ultimately executed on 10 December 1964.
While on death row, Mr Bongco refused to have his sentence commuted in exchange for giving evidence against his comrades.
These were the committed compatriots on whose shoulders the subsequent generations stood to advance freedom and equality in this country.
Compatriots and friends,
We confer the Order of Ikhamanga to South African citizens who have excelled in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sports.
We award it in bronze to Mr Themba Magaisa a prolific writer whose work in language and literature contributes immensely to the survival and vitality of the Xitsonga language.
We also award it posthumously to a renowned athlete and Olympic medallist, Mr Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, for his exemplary exploits in the field, which raised our flag high in the international arena.
We award it to the late Mr Darius Dhlomo for his rare boxing and soccer prowess. He was the second South African to play for a European football league in 1958.
Another pioneer in this category is Ms Winnie Busisiwe Mahlangu, the first woman announcer in the SABC’s then Radio Bantu/Radio Zulu which is now Ukhozi FM, the biggest radio station in the country with more than seven million listeners a day.
Ms Mahlangu defeated discrimination in terms of gender and race and became a soothing voice and educator to millions of radio listeners, especially the poor and the working class.
Mr John Mekoa, a remarkable musician who established the Music Academy of Gauteng in 1994 is also recognised in this category.
The late Prof Mbulelo Mzamane, the first post-apartheid Vice-Chancellor of Fort Hare University earns it for his outstanding contribution to African literature, heritage and education and to academia in our country.
The Order of the Baobab is awarded to South African citizens for distinguished service in the fields of business and economy, science, medicine and for technological innovation and community service.
We award it Justice Yvonne Mokgoro for her distinguished service as an academic and one of the first constitutional court judges in the democratic dispensation.
It is also awarded to Mr Douglas Anderson for his commitment and initiatives to improve the lives of disabled people in South Africa.
Dr Mary Susan Malahlela is awarded posthumously, for her provision of essential medical services in the townships of Kliptown, Mofolo, and Dobsonville starting from the late 1940s.
Dr Andrew Ross receives this honour because of his commitment to improve education among the underprivileged, focussing mainly on the medical field. He started initiatives to fund and mentor learners in various medical studies from the Ingwavuma community in KwaZulu Natal, which culminated into the Umthombo Youth Development Foundation, and produced two hundred and eighteen healthcare professionals so far.
The Foundation continues to support two hundred and thirty four students from rural areas across all South African universities.
The award also goes to Mr Otto Stehlik, founder and owner of the Protea Hospitality Group for his contribution as a pioneer in the hospitality and hotel industry in the country.
Prof Emeritus James David Lewis-Williams has been selected for the award for his exceptional contribution as a rock art specialist, particularly in the field of San rock art.
All these recipients make us truly proud.
Ladies and gentlemen
We confer the Order of Luthuli to South Africans who have served the country by making a meaningful contribution in any of the following areas: struggle for democracy, human rights, nation-building, justice, peace and conflict resolution.
We confer the Order today to Mr Kay Moonsamy, a trade unionist and SACP and ANC veteran who remained committed to the struggle despite detentions and torture by the apartheid regime.
Mr William Henry Frankel receives the honour for providing legal services and sourcing funds secretly over many years for legal support to the anti-apartheid activists on trial.
Mr John Malcomess Mgabela served 18 years on Robben Island after serving as MK Commander in the Border Region of the Eastern Cape, and on release, he continued with the struggle for liberation. Jail did not deter him.
Husband and wife Mr Petrus Nyawose and Ms Jabulile Nyawose were also united in their commitment to the struggle.
They died tragically when the apartheid security police planted a bomb in their car Swaziland in 1982. It detonated when Mr Nyawose started the engine of the car.
Our freedom was indeed not free. We lost many compatriots painfully and we must always remember this as we enjoy the fruits of this democracy.
Mr Mohammed Tickly, former Secretary of the ANC’s Education Committee, earns the honour for his contribution to the education of ANC cadres in Tanzania. Under his directorship of the African National Congress school the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College groomed many young freedom fighters.
Compatriots
The Order of the Companions of Oliver Tambo is awarded to those who actively promoted the freedom, justice, human rights and democracy, through active support and expression of solidarity for the struggle against apartheid colonialism, beyond our shores.
President Nelson Mandela made a simple but very profound statement at the Wembley concert organised in his honour on his release in 1990, when he said to the international community - thank you that you chose to care. We echo those words wholeheartedly.
The highly regarded late General Hashim Mbita of Tanzania contributed immensely to the liberation of many countries through his work as Executive Secretary of the Liberation Committee of the Organisation of African Unity.
The Former Prime Minister of Canada, Honourable Mr Brian Mulroney, who is with us today all the way from Canada, campaigned vigorously for sanctions against apartheid South Africa, and for former President Mandela’s release from prison.
Prof Gareth Evans, who among other portfolios served as Foreign Affairs Minister in the Federal Government of Australia of 1983-1996, campaigned relentlessly for sanctions against apartheid South Africa.
He also facilitated humanitarian support to the victims of apartheid under a programme called Special Assistance Programme for South Africa.
The programme offered many scholarships for South Africans, including those at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College in Tanzania.
Esteemed guests,
Today we are pleased to be able to honour a key leader and activist of British Anti-Apartheid Movement, Mr Peter Hain, a Labour Party Member of Parliament in the UK.
Mr Hain campaigned tirelessly against South African cricket tour in 1970 as part of the sports sanctions, and his efforts spiralled to all sports, including rugby. He had begun activism at the tender age of 15 when he spoke at the funeral of John Harris who had been hanged by the regime for bombing the Johannesburg railway station. He was harassed and persecuted for his support of the South African struggle for liberation.
Esteemed guests,
The former ambassador of the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) to Angola in the late 1980s, Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov distinguished himself a friend of the liberation movements in Southern Africa.
He participated actively in the Joint Commission on South West Africa and in the resolution of the Namibian and Angolan conflicts; a positive development which was a significant part of the geopolitical shift which became a catalyst for our own liberation in South Africa.
We also honour Prof Andre Yurievich Urnov, also from the Russian Federation, a Diplomat and a historian who was one of apartheid South Africa’s most vociferous critics.
Mr Lars Nordbo, a thoughtful Danish architect helped to improve the lodging facilities and other conditions for the ANC activists in Mazimbu, near Morogoro in Tanzania.
A habitable dormitory block, a nursery, a pig farm and a chicken farm were part of his legacy in Mazimbu.
Compatriots and friends,
Today we also have the pleasure to recognise the accomplished Malaysian international educationist, global entrepreneur and communication strategist Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, who has been a friend of the democratic South Africa for many years.
He has opened doors to many young people to obtain education and skills through his Limkokwing University of Creative Technology which now has campuses in Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.
The University honoured President Mandela with the Lifetime Campaigner for Peace and Freedom award in 2013 and an honorary doctorate in 2008.
Esteemed guests,
The historic television footage of President Mandela voting for the first time in 1994 in Inanda shows Prof Gay McDougall from the United States, assisting him to cast his ballot.
This renowned legal scholar was one of the five international members of South Africa’s 16 member Independent Electoral Commission that organised our country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
She also played an immense role in dismantling the maze of apartheid laws, thereby helping the birth of a new dispensation and a new nation.
For all these immeasurable efforts and gestures of solidarity, compatriots and friends, our country remains eternally grateful.
We salute all our recipients. All have contributed to building a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world.
Distinguished guests
By the power vested in me in terms of Section 84 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, I now confer the Order of Mendi, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to the distinguished persons indicated.
And they shall henceforth be honoured as esteemed Members of the Orders.
I thank you!
