Farewell to a patriot

Last weekend, on April 27, our country marked Freedom Day. This should have been a happy day for all our citizens as we all celebrated the freedom and liberty we attained for ourselves when we elected our first democratic government eight years ago.

Unfortunately, as the country woke up intent to enjoy this important public holiday, it was confronted by the shocking news that the Minister of Safety and Security, Steve Tshwete, had passed away during the night. A pall of sadness fell over all our people who found it difficult to accept that Minister Tshwete was no longer with us.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the very many people, both South African and foreign, who have conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the Tshwete family, our people and government. Their messages have communicated a deep sense of sorrow and admiration for the late Minister. Clearly, the life and personality of Minister Tshwete had touched many people, a good number of them non-South African.

I am pleased that as we began the national public ceremony to mark Freedom Day at the Free State Rugby Stadium in Bloemfontein/Mangaung, led by the South African National Defence Force, we observed a moment of silence in honour of Minister Tshwete. On the same day, our first African cosmonaut, Mark Shuttleworth, conveyed his own message of condolences from space, speaking directly to the people gathered at the stadium and the country as a whole, through television.

Steve Tshwete passed away a few hours before our people joined in celebration of the freedom for which he fought and sacrificed. The condolences conveyed on his death constituted a tribute to him for what he did to secure our emancipation.

His life of sacrifice included arrest and torture, 15 years imprisonment on Robben Island and many years in exile. During this period, he gave distinguished service within the ranks of the ANC, the United Democratic Front and Umkhonto we Sizwe, as a cadre and a leader. When he died, he was a member of the National Executive and National Working Committees of the ANC.

His life of struggle deepened his love for all our people. The need to work with many people to achieve a common and noble goal strengthened his sense of humility and appreciation of the worth of every human being. Having experienced pain himself, he was very sensitive to the pain suffered by others.

He demonstrated his humanity when he readily and genuinely forgave the former member of the South African Police who arrested him, leading to his long years of imprisonment. He was a committed adherent of the cause of non-racism and national reconciliation in our country.

Once again, the messages of condolences conveyed by so many after his death gave thanks that we had had among us, such a humane son of our people who stood against hatred. They gave thanks that we had had a patriot who upheld the concept and practice of friendship and fellowship among all our people and between us and the peoples of the world.

Steve Tshwete demonstrated this spirit practically when he served as Minister of Sport and Recreation in our first democratically elected government. Himself a sportsman, he understood very clearly the role of sport in moulding our youth and uniting our people across the colour line.

He therefore spent a lot of time helping to build and promote our national teams, encouraging individual sportspeople and building the sports infrastructure in those areas of our country that had been denied such facilities. He taught all of us to rally around our sportsmen and women, driven by a common sense of nationhood and a shared patriotism, breaking out of the racial compartments of the past.

Inspired by the same sense of service to all the people of our country, without regard to race, colour or gender, he responded readily to the task he was given to lead our Police Service in the fight against crime, as Minister in our second democratic government. He was passionately committed to the objective to guarantee the safety and security of all our people.

Fearless as an individual, he was not daunted by the unacceptable levels of crime in our country. Determined to support the hard working members of our Police Service, he led from the front in the fight to bring to justice all those who preyed on the people, especially those engaged in organised crime and crimes against the person. In all this, he was driven by the same love for the people that had persuaded him to sacrifice everything for the defeat of the apartheid system.

The messages of condolences generated by his untimely death paid tribute to him that he worked so hard and selflessly to ensure that the people he helped to liberate, both oppressor and oppressed, could live and work in conditions of safety and security.

At the same time as he made all these indelible contributions to the well-being of all South Africans, Steve Tshwete remained always very kind, humane and considerate, never driven by malice or personal ambition and gain, big hearted and very humble. Steve Tshwete stands out as the kind of human being, the new South African that all of us would like to see as the citizen of our democratic country. We joined together to grieve over his sudden departure because together we felt the loss of one who was an example to all.

We joined together to mourn because together we understood that we had lost a leader who led by example. We shared the sadness of his departure because together we understood that we had lost a true architect of the caring and people-centred society we are all committed to build.

It was fitting that we began the national Freedom Day celebrations at Bloemfontein/Mangaung with a solemn minute of silence in honour of the late Steve Tshwete and ended with the unveiling of three new National Orders.

These are the Orders of Mapungubwe, the Baobab and the Companions of O.R. Tambo. They are the first National Orders to be issued since our liberation in 1994. They mark yet another step in the process of giving a common, shared identity to ourselves as a nation and a country. They are an integral part of the common effort to evolve the national symbols that will both define and inspire us as the new South Africans represented by Steve Tshwete.

What distinguishes these Orders is that they are deeply rooted in our reality, our history and our achievements. They celebrate our national heritage. Like the National Anthem, the National Flag and the Coat of Arms, they draw directly from our experience, while containing within them values of universal application. Like the Coat of Arms, they are outstanding examples of innovative heraldry and creative artistic expression.

The Order of Mapungubwe, which celebrates excellence, is inspired by the Kingdom of Mapungubwe that existed in the north west corner of the Northern/Limpopo Province a millennium ago.

Excavated by scientists at the University of Pretoria over a number of decades, its ruins tell an extraordinary story of an African kingdom that had a highly developed state structure and sophisticated economy. It had advanced agriculture, mining and metallurgy, arts and crafts. It traded with areas of the world as far afield as India and China. No better example could be found in our history that represents the excellent achievements of the people who are our common African ancestors.

The Order of the Baobab will be awarded to those who render outstanding service to our people, as Steve Tshwete did. Such service is represented by the baobab tree, which grows in the northern parts of our country and many other countries of tropical Africa, an indigenous African tree. It lives for many centuries and grows to a very large size.

Traditionally, it was used in a variety of ways, providing the people with such products as medicine, food and spiritual fulfilment steadfastly for centuries. One such baobab tree, with clear marks where its bark was stripped to serve the people, stands at the entrance to the settlement at Thulamela in the north-east, a successor to Mapungubwe, which dates back to the period 1400 to 1600.

The third new national order is the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo. This will be awarded to our foreign friends for friendship with our country and people and their contribution to the enhancement of our dignity and the strengthening of human solidarity.

In our entire history as a country, there is no one who did more than Oliver Tambo to build an international movement of friendship and solidarity with our country and people. As a result of his efforts, billions across the globe joined in an unprecedented international struggle to secure the emancipation and happiness for all our people for which Steve Tshwete was prepared to give his life.

Even as he travelled to mobilise the peoples of the world to help us end apartheid, Oliver Tambo stood out in the eyes of this world as the kind of patriot that Steve Tshwete was, always very kind, humane and considerate, never driven by malice or personal ambition and gain, big hearted and very humble, a genuine friend of all humanity, regardless of race, colour, gender or belief.

Even as the world witnessed the brutalities of the apartheid system and the impact it had on the souls of many of our people, including producing the criminals against whom Steve Tshwete fought, it also saw in Oliver Tambo that we are a noble people capable of the best in human behaviour and endeavour.

The nations of the world concluded that such a people, as was exemplified by Oliver Tambo, deserves their friendship and support. It is fitting that to honour such friends, they will be awarded the high title of Companions of O.R. Tambo.

Before he departed from this world, Steve Tshwete approved the institution of the new National Orders, conscious of what they meant in building the new identity for ourselves that would help us realise his dream of the creation of a new non-racial and non-sexist society. Tragically, he could not be with us as they were unveiled to our country and the world, to reaffirm our commitment to pursue the goals for which he was prepared to sacrifice his life.

Even as we realised that the moment would soon be upon us to lay to eternal rest the mortal remains of Steve Tshwete, we looked into space to see whether we could catch a glimpse of Mark Shuttleworth as he circled the earth in his space station.

As we did so, we understood well that this exciting travel in space, the access to the possibilities made available by modern science and technology, was itself part of the dividend of the freedom for which Steve Tshwete struggled.

Mark's journey into space told the story plainly and dramatically, that, as a people, we are as capable of reaching the stars as Steve Tshwete was convinced that we are capable of achieving our liberation and recovering our human dignity, whatever the obstacles.

Social Security

Proposals to protect the poorest and most vulnerable

Recommendations on a comprehensive, affordable social security system for South Africa were published by government this week for public comment. The recommendations, arising from the work of a Committee of Inquiry, cover a broad spectrum of social security issues, relating to poverty, health, unemployment, retirement and measures to support people with special needs.

Cabinet has tasked a Ministerial Committee from Social Development, Health, Finance, Labour, Transport and the Presidency to assess the implications of the recommendations. The Ministers are expected to consider, among other things, the implications for government finances, the tax system and the capacity of government. Relevant government departments will assess the details of the various recommendations which fall within their portfolios and advise the Committee of Ministers.

Cabinet also decided to release the report for public comment before making a final decision. The public has been invited to make written submissions to the Department of Social Development by 15 June 2002.

Releasing the report for comment, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said that while this process is underway, government will intensify its efforts to improve access to social assistance. "The National Campaign to register eligible beneficiaries, especially for the Child Support Grant will be launched in June. The business sector, the religious sector as well as student volunteers have already made a commitment to support the campaign," he said.

The committee's report argues that the current social safety net is not able to deal with the immediate crisis of poverty, and requires a more comprehensive approach to the structural problems in the country, particularly of unemployment. While government has made progress in reducing inequalities in providing basic services to poor households, many challenges remain.

"There is no income support programme for children between 7-18 years, adults between 18-59 years and no general assistance for households where no one is employed. Over 13 million people live below the poverty line and have no access to social security," the committee said.

While the government pursues job creation policies, it is unlikely that these will be able on their own to address the immediate social crisis. The committee therefore proposes a system which extends social insurance measures, like the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), while widening the coverage of social grants to relieve the income poverty of those people who do not benefit from social insurance or job creation initiatives. These should be supported by, and closely linked to, indirect social protection measures, such as policies to boost the labour market.

Among the recommendations of the committee is for a "phased and measured" introduction of a basic income grant for all South Africans. All South Africans would be entitled to a basic monthly grant aimed at eliminating destitution and promoting development among the country's poorest. The committee recognised that the implementation of such a grant would be hampered in the short term by financial and administrative obstacles. It therefore proposed a two-phase implementation which, it said, would enable South Africa to eradicate absolute poverty by 2015, while targeting the most vulnerable in the short term.

"An expansion of the social assistance grant system to adults living in destitution and poverty can have positive social and economic implications, and is fiscally feasible if seen as a long term intervention," the committee said.

The committee recommends a number of measures to support orphans, particularly those in child-headed households. In the short term this could include extending the Child Support Grant to all children under 18 years, simplifying access to the grant, and developing skills and vocational training for these children. Longer term measures could include projects aimed at better integrating these children into society, encouraging home-or community-based care, simplifying foster and adoption processes, and involving NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in the identification, assessment and care of vulnerable children.

The committee also makes a number of recommendations on the development and phased implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) system. This would mean that over time South Africa would move towards integrating the public sector and private medical schemes. Recommendations also cover proposed changes to the existing framework for pensions and retirement funds.

The committee recognises that many of its recommendations are complex and detailed, and will require careful consideration by government departments and input from other stakeholders before Cabinet can take a final decision on the form of comprehensive social security system for the country.

More Information:

• 'Transforming the Present: Protecting the Future', Report of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive Social Security System, May 2002

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