ANC Today 

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Volume 7, No. 28, 20-26 July 2007

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THIS WEEK:

* Letter from the President: Employment equity & the birth of a nation 
* Chief Albert Luthuli: Leaders pay tribute to the Chief 
* Nelson Mandela at 89: Happy Birthday, Madiba! 

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Employment equity & the birth of a nation

On 19 November 2005, a media report under the headline, "White males need not
apply: Internal e-mail reveals hiring ban at Public Works", said: "A major
(government) department has temporarily banned the hiring of able-bodied white
men in an unusual move critics say could spark a backlash against the very
disadvantaged groups it is meant to help...

"The policy, designed to address shortfalls in the department's employment
equity goals, will last at least until the end of next March and be reviewed
then... 'As executives and managers, our role includes ensuring that the public
service is representative,' Mr Marshall said...'This involves providing
direction and leadership by example, and demonstrating a firm commitment to an
inclusive workplace.'...

"A department spokesman said last night the order was prompted in part by a
precipitous drop in the number of employees hired from the designated groups
this year."

Need for public education

An earlier (2004) report, said: "Racial discrimination in employment is a real
concern and strong legislative measures (are) necessary to reverse or inhibit
the degree to which members of (designated previously disadvantaged) groups are
unjustifiably excluded from the opportunity to compete as equals...

"The overall evidence...indicates that racial discrimination is responsible for
at least part of the disparity in achievements between various (black groups)
and whites in the...labour market. The more important and compelling issue now
is not whether racial discrimination exists, but rather how can the situation be
rectified.

"Employment equity laws and regulations, such as the Employment Equity Act
(EEA), are intended to provide an institutional tool to lessen the adverse
impact of discrimination on designated groups. Given that the EEA has been on
the (statute) books (for some time), sufficient data are now available to assess
its effectiveness in enhancing employment opportunities for visible minorities."

Yet another (2002) report made the following important observations: "We have
discovered not only that the gap between employment equity policy and
implementation is great, but that there is extensive and multi-layered variation
among the provinces in this regard. Such variation occurs both in the
formulation of employment equity policy, or in its absence, and in the
governmental orientation concerning the policy options available and how they
should be implemented. There is also a notable expression of what we refer to as
systemic frustration among the supporters of employment equity. Though specific
concerns vary widely, in no province could we identify a sense of confidence
that employment equity policy was appropriately and securely implemented...

"Employment equity programmes may challenge employment patterns without
significantly changing attitudes. The recent backlash against affirmative action
demonstrates that such incentives are understood by many (minority) group
members as the special and undeserved privileging of (the) racial (majority).
This should suggest to policy-makers that these programmes need to be
accompanied by education that provides some historical context and analysis of
their necessity."

CEE Report

In his Foreword to the recently published "Commission for Employment Equity
(CEE) Annual Report 2006-2007", the Chairperson of the Commission, Jimmy Manyi,
says: "This report covers the 2006/07 reporting period, which reflect(s) that
the employment equity outcomes are no different to those outlined in previous
reports of the CEE. Progress in implementing the Act by employers is still too
slow. This snail paced movement only perpetuates and entrenches the racial and
gender disparities that exist in the South African economy. This illustrates
that access to opportunities still has a racial and gender bias. Another
marginalised segment of the population is people with disabilities who are
quietly left by the wayside."

Among its concluding remarks, the CEE says: "The Commission will be recommending
that a review of the Employment Equity Act has to receive serious and urgent
consideration. This review should, amongst other issues, focus in strengthening
the enforcement and compliance mechanisms in the Act. The Commission is pleased
that provisions of the Act have had the desired effect for some within the
designated group. White females are now over-represented at all management
levels and this raises the question whether this group should remain
designated."

Quite naturally, and correctly, our media and members of the public have made
extensive comments about this latest CEE report. Articles in the media reporting
these comments have appeared under such headlines as:

* "Union questions Employment Equity Report"; 
* "Manyi slated over AA (affirmative action) claims"; 
* "Affirmative action discriminates"; 
* "Shrills, skills and racist ills"; 
* "Government policy 'aggravates skills crisis' "; 
* "Parallel worlds"; and 
* "Don't question employment equity". 

As far as I could determine, there was no headline similar to the 2005 headline
I mentioned at the beginning of this Letter, which said: "White males need not
apply", and there was no mention of any public or private institution that had
acted to implement such a policy.

I must balance this comment with the view communicated publicly by the "Union"
referred to in the media headline mentioned above, which reads, "Union questions
Employment Equity Report". The Trade Union in question is Solidarity.

Solidarity & employment equity

On its website it carries a short review of its book, "the naked emperor: Why
Affirmative Action Failed". The review says: "The book tackles affirmative
action head-on and takes a frank, non-politically correct, look at the widely
discussed affirmative action legislation...

"Affirmative action is couched in fine words - diversity, talent, merit,
opportunity, tolerance, development. But when carried out, it is always
punitive. In fact, affirmative action must be punitive. It requires the
government to target one group for help because of its race or ethnicity. This
means it must target all other groups for punishment. This is the logical
flipside of affirmative action, but it is widely ignored. And so affirmative
action leads to unintended, (but easy predictable) consequences. It increases
group conflict, as resentment by the punished groups grows and the demands of
the beneficiaries increase. It emphasizes group differences, rather than
eliminating them. It discourages effort by the beneficiaries, who come to expect
special privileges. And it destroys equality before the law".

In a 16 July 2007 press statement confirming this view, headed "Solidarity asks
for affirmative action Codesa", the Solidarity Union Deputy General Secretary,
Dirk Hermann, said; "We must resuscitate affirmative action. National consensus
on affirmative action has been destroyed by the fact the process has degenerated
into a race circus. The true objective - to correct imbalances - has been lost.
Decisions are made on the basis of a race ideology that is more likely to harm
the masses than to benefit them."

The statement goes on to say: "A new Codesa, (an inclusive multi-party
conference), on affirmative action will have to investigate ways in which the
unmet expectations of the masses may be satisfied without alienating the
minority. The world is littered with affirmative action corpses, caused by the
fact that one group was alienated and the expectations of another were not met."

The same hymn sheet

Reflecting the diametrically opposed point of view in this regard, the 5 July
article which appeared under the headline "Don't question employment equity",
listed above, reports on comments made by Minister of Labour Membathisi
Mdladlana. The article says: "A major constraint in achieving economic and
social transformation in South Africa is the resistance of beneficiaries of
unjust policies and practices, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said on
Wednesday...

"'Should this resistance prove too much to handle, then transformation is doomed
from the outset...The (labour market) legislative and regulatory reforms we
introduced since 1995 have been hailed by some as important victories that would
contribute a great deal towards the transformation of the socio-economic
conditions of poor people...It is unbelievable that even today, as a nation we
are still debating the relevance of our employment equity legislation.'"

Among other things, the 17 July newspaper (Business Day) comment which appeared
under the headline "Parallel worlds", mentioned above, said: "We cannot get
everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet on the skills issue, let alone get to
the bottom of the problem. The private sector has been complaining of a lack of
skills in critical areas for several years, and the latest Grant Thornton
international business report survey confirms that this is considered the main
impediment to expansion for 58% of medium to large businesses. Yet the chairman
of the state's Employment Equity Commission, Jimmy Manyi, remains adamant that
there is no shortage of skills, just a lot of racist employers who won't give
blacks the break they deserve...

"And most companies are still trying hard to comply with the employment equity
and affirmative procurement legislation, partly because of the big stick Manyi
and others wield. But they find it increasingly difficult to do so without
seriously compromising their ability to deliver on the contracts they manage to
secure. That is not because they are racist, but because there seems to be a
disjuncture between Manyi's world and the parallel universe inhabited by
business.

"(Minister) Erwin clearly recognises this, even if he prefers not to risk
scaring off potential foreign investors by telling the full story, and so do
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, President Thabo Mbeki and anyone else with a
vested interest in ensuring things happen on a practical rather than merely
theoretical level."

The newspaper made the critically important point that - "We cannot get everyone
to sing from the same hymn sheet on the skills issue, let alone get to the
bottom of the problem."

Reconciliation & transformation

The bigger problem, going beyond the critical skills issue - the bottom of the
problem - is that, as illustrated, for instance, by the Solidarity comments, is
that we cannot get everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet on the important
question of how to build a non-racial South Africa, and the role of affirmative
action in this regard.

There is no doubt that these are challenging questions that our country as a
whole must subject to continuous examination and critical review. This is
particularly important because, apart from anything else, the very medium and
long-term stability of our democracy depends, critically, on our collective
ability visibly and meaningfully to sustain the advance towards the creation of
a non-racial South Africa.

For at least a decade now, consistent with the views of the ANC, I have argued
that we must achieve a balanced and integrated approach towards the related and
interdependent national objectives of genuine national reconciliation and
fundamental social transformation. Objectively, this is a difficult task.

An important part of this difficulty arises from the fact, which we have
consistently sought to emphasise, that this balanced and integrated approach can
only be realised if we get our historically and still divided society to "sing
from the same hymn sheet" about the mere, but critically important, reality of
the ineluctable organic interdependence between genuine national reconciliation
and fundamental social transformation.

The demon lies in the fact that, naturally and understandably, the historical
beneficiaries of colonialism and apartheid, who constitute a national minority,
aspire both for genuine national reconciliation and minimal change with regard
to their inherited and especially privileged socio-political-economic position.

It also lies in the corollary fact that, naturally and understandably, the
historical victims of colonialism and apartheid, the national majority, aspire
both for genuine national reconciliation and the fundamental alteration of their
inherited and especially underprivileged socio-political-economic position.

The foreign experience

I began this Letter by quoting a 2005 media report and two (2004 and 2002) other
reports. I am certain that most readers of this Letter would be keen to
establish who, in South Africa, published or originated all three reports. To
save our readers from engaging in a fruitless exercise, I must now confess that
the three reports are not SOUTH AFRICAN, but CANADIAN.

(I slightly altered the parts I have quoted, without changing both the major
verbatim portions of the quotations and their substance. The alterations sought
only to disguise the Canadian origin of the reports. The media organisation I
quoted is the 19 November 2005 edition of the "National Post", which reported on
an e-mail circulated in the Canadian Department of Public Works, written by then
Deputy Minister, David Marshall. The 2004 and 2002 reports were issued by
"Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations", and the "National Anti-Racism
Council of Canada", respectively.)

If this serves to give us as a nation any sense of comfort, the Canadian
quotations convey the unequivocal message that we are not alone in the
challenging struggle to contend with the difficult issue of employment equity,
placed within the context of the effort to build a non-racial society.
Immediately, to substantiate this conclusion, I can also quote New Zealand and
Trinidad & Tobago reports which focus on public policy (legislative)
interventions in these two countries to address the issues of gender and racial
equality, respectively. (Canada adopted its own Employment Equity Act (EEA),
thus entitled, in 1986, and "significantly amended (and strengthened it)", in
1995.)

Above I cited remarks made by Solidarity claiming that, "The world is littered
with affirmative action corpses, caused by the fact that one group was alienated
and the expectations of another were not met". The majority of the population of
Canada is white. Canada's EEA was drawn up by this majority to uplift what the
Canadians describe as the "Visible Minorities".

Even if the EEA has not met the expectations of these minorities, as the 2002
and 2004 reports indicate, it is hard to believe that the majority became
"alienated" by the implementation of its own policies. I have no information
that this majority became "alienated" even by the dramatic short-term measure
implemented by the Canadian Department of Public Works in 2005, reported by the
"National Post" under the headline - "White males need not apply".

Neither do I believe that the New Zealand public will be "alienated" by further
steps to accelerate gender equity as announced on 17 July 2007 by Minister
Lianne Dalziel, to ensure that New Zealand fully complies with the UN Convention
on the Eradication of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Solidarity will have
to produce the "affirmative action corpses" it claims "litter" the world!

However, I must also emphasise the point that this Letter is not about point-
scoring. It seeks to draw attention to the critical challenge our nation faces
to "sing from the same hymn sheet" as it responds to the fundamental challenge
to create a non-racial and otherwise equitable society.

Facts & figures

Among other things, the 2006/07 CEE Report says: "Blacks (i.e. Africans,
Coloureds and Indians) represented 22.2% of all employees at the Top Management
level. Black females represented 6.6% (i.e. African female 2.9%, Coloured female
2% and Indian female 1.7%). Black males represented 15.6% (i.e. African male
8.4%, Coloured male 2.7% and Indian male 4.5%).

"Whites represented 74.9% of all employees at this level. White females
accounted for 14.7% and White males accounted for 60.2%. Foreign nationals
represented 2.9% of all employees at this level. Foreign females accounted for
0.3% and foreign males accounted for 2.6%

"At the Top Management level, Black representation is approximately a quarter of
the Economically Active Population (EAP) which stands at 88.2%. White
representation at this level on the other hand is about eight-and-a-half times
their EAP which is 12.8%. The representation of women is less than half of their
EAP which is 45.8%.

"White women representation at this level is nearly two-and-a-half times their
EAP and White men are five times above their EAP. At approximately seven times
away from their EAP, proportionally Africans are the least represented at this
level. Foreign national representation at this level stands at 2.9%"

These figures represent the actuality of our national situation, namely, the
persistence of the racial imbalances in terms of the management of the
critically important sector of the economy. Other figures in the CEE Report
would, in the main, reflect the same reality.

This confirms what every honest South African knows, that whatever the reason,
and despite the fact of our own Employment Equity Act and other interventions,
understandably, we have not succeeded in our 13 years of democratic rule to
eradicate the 350-year-long legacy of colonialism and apartheid, as we could
not.

The question that arises, as addressed in the CEE Report, is - what else should
we do to accelerate our progress in this regard, relative to what we have
achieved in the last 13 years! But more problematic is the challenge posed by
Business Day - what should we do to ensure that "we sing from the same hymn
sheet"!

The immediate relevance of the question posed by this newspaper is confirmed by
the announcements made by Solidarity in response to the CEE Report. This trade
union has announced that it questions the very authenticity of the statistics
contained in the CEE Report.

The media report that appears under the headline we have cited, "Union questions
Employment Equity Report", says: "Trade union Solidarity would commission an
audit of the department of labour's employment equity Report because it
questions its validity...'Manyi and his commission...draw conclusions from
unscientific figures that are not representative of the total South African
labour market,' (Jaco) Kleynhans, (Solidarity spokesman), said."

What this means is that we cannot even "sing from one hymn sheet" about the raw
facts that seek to answer the question - what, objectively and factually,
constitutes present-day South Africa! To present this challenge in the most
basic terms, because of our historical experiences, it is not beyond us to
differ "robustly" - to use a hackneyed expression in this context - about
whether the zebras in the Kruger National Park are black-and-white or white-and-
black, and ascribe this difference to "playing the race card"!

But as we have said, the matters highlighted by the CEE Report, and the
subsequent public debate, are about more than point-scoring. They are about
whether our young democracy will continue to grow without major social
upheavals. (Incidentally, with regard to the demand that is sometimes made, that
we must announce an end-date with regard to our affirmative action policies, the
CEE Report suggests an objective criterion we might use in this regard. It
reports that the EEA has over-fulfilled its objectives with regard to the
employment of white women, certainly in the context of the management echelon.
It therefore argues that this justifies the removal of white females as a
targeted group in terms of the EEA, which would reduce the regulatory burden on
both the public and the private sectors.)

Challenge of poverty

Relevant to the central point about building an equitable, non-racial and non-
sexist society, earlier this month the British Joseph Rowntree Foundation
published a report which said that wealth inequality in the UK is now at a 40-
year high. ("Poverty and Wealth Across Britain 1969 to 2005".)

According to a 17 July 2007 report published by the media organisation that
focuses on business and economic matters, "Bloomberg", "The gap between rich and
poor is at a 40-year high and is leading to an increasing segregation in British
society that is pulling the middle class apart, a report published today
shows...

"Wealthy households are becoming richer and increasingly detached from the rest
of society. A middle group that is considered neither rich nor poor makes up
about half of the population today, compared with two thirds in 1980...

"Today's report shows that policies introduced by (then Finance Minister Gordon)
Brown, (and now Prime Minister), while helping the poorest in society, have done
little for the middle class. The richest 1 percent of the population owned 24
percent of household wealth in 2002 compared with 17 percent in 1991, the report
said...

"(Ben) Wheeler, (a research fellow at the University of Sheffield), said today's
report shows that more people are becoming part of a group that can't afford to
keep up with socially-accepted measures of wellbeing, such as being able to
replace worn out shoes, a broken television or go on holiday once a year.
Conversely, more people are able to opt out of using state health and education
as they become richer and 'distance themselves' from the rest of society.

"Richard Lambert, director general of the Confederation of British Industry, the
country's biggest employers' group, urged Brown to take steps and that issues
such as inequality shouldn't be 'left to fester'...

"The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said in
its June 20 Employment Report that the greater movement of global capital has
pushed up inequality and made it harder for poorer workers to demand higher
wages."

The UK is a highly developed capitalist country that is much richer than our
own. As of today, the UK has been led continuously by a Labour Party government
for at least the last 10 years, which sought to build on the achievements of
pro-poor policies introduced at least immediately after the end of the Second
World War, 60 years ago. And yet this month, the Rowntree Foundation reported
that the British rich are getting richer, and the British poor, poorer.

This brings into sharp focus the challenge we face vigorously to address the
racial and gender imbalances in the distribution of wealth, income and
opportunity all of us inherited from centuries of colonialism and apartheid. The
issue of employment equity is critical in this regard.

This includes the challenge of skills development, to enable our country to meet
its human capital requirements with properly qualified people on an equitable
racial and gender basis. This challenge faces both the public and the private
sectors. It also confronts both black and white South Africans.

A shared imperative

It constitutes a shared imperative without whose accomplishment the former
beneficiaries of colonialism and apartheid cannot achieve their hopes for
national reconciliation, and without whose realisation the historical victims of
colonialism and apartheid cannot attain their dream of national reconciliation,
which would give meaning to the vision that South Africa belongs to all who live
in it, black and white.

This is the fundamental message conveyed by the "Commission for Employment
Equity (CEE) Annual Report 2006-2007". This is what Minister Mdladlana meant
when he said: "Should this resistance (to employment equity) prove too much to
handle, then transformation is doomed from the outset."

Thabo Mbeki

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CHIEF ALBERT LUTHULI

Leaders pay tribute to the Chief

A special edition of the ANC political discussion journal, Umrabulo, is being
released to commemorate the 40th anniversary, on 21 July, of the death of former
ANC President Chief Albert Luthuli. The special edition contains tributes from
ANC leaders like Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Winnie Madikizela-
Mandela, and includes contributions from Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Nadine Gordimer,
Pathekile Holomisa and others.

Writing in the foreword, President Thabo Mbeki recalls the day that the movement
learnt of Luthuli's death, on 21 July 1967: "But like a bolt from the blue came
the dreadful news that the very head of our movement, the first among equals,
President Albert Luthuli, had been struck by a train at a lonely railway
crossing not far from his home, and was no more. The masses of our people were
not there, and could not have been present, to serve as his protective shield."

The contributions, many of which reflect on Chief Luthuli's unique and profound
contribution to the struggle for freedom, also include recollections of the
person and character of this great South African.

Recalling "a few moments" of his relationship with Chief Luthuli, former ANC
President Nelson Mandela says: "Despite the regime's efforts to silence him, the
Luthuli name became a colossal symbol of peace and unity, far beyond the
horizons of Groutville and even the borders of South Africa. We stand today on
the shoulders of such giants."

He says Luthuli chose a life of hardship and persecution when he demanded 'Let
my people go!': "In doing so he taught us a very important lesson -that real
leaders must be prepared to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people."

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela tells of the occasions that Chief Luthuli visited her
home in Orlando West in the late-1950s, arriving for supper with other ANC
leaders and remaining locked in discussion until late in the evening.

"It dawned on me that I had been in the presence of a great man," she says. "His
stature alone exemplified the best characteristics of a born leader, who
commanded so much weight and dignity without uttering a word."

"Such was Chief Luthuli's presence and persona, that you felt so inspired and
fuelled with energy that indeed we would face the enemy head on. I knew then
that we would liberate ourselves from apartheid and colonialism, mentally and
physically."

Inkatha Freedom Party President Mangosuthu Buthelezi describes the first time he
met Chief Luthuli: "I was immediately impressed by how his demeanour, intellect
and sheer presence set him apart as a man of destiny and vision."

"I learned from Inkosi Luthuli that morality and politics are not a
contradiction in terms. He was a deeply ethical and moral man, while, at the
same time, being a consummate strategist. He infused our liberation movement
with a sense of morality, not only as a tactic, but as the means for liberation.
At times I fear that this is a lesson not fully appreciated or remembered," he
says.

Nadine Gordimer, in an essay written in 1959, and submitted as a contribution to
this special edition of Umrabulo, describes the role of Chief Luthuli in the
1952 Defiance Campaign and the effect that this campaign had on his profile:
"Luthuli was everywhere in Natal, addressing meetings, encouraging individuals,
carrying with him in the most delicate situations, under the nose of government
ire and police hostility, an extraordinary core of confidence and warmth. All
his natural abilities of leadership came up simply and strongly. Luthuli had
gone into the Campaign a country chief; he came out a public figure."

A number of contributions speak about Chief Luthuli's faith.

ANC Deputy President Jacob Zuma says that his Christian beliefs were clearly
reflected in his outlook on life, justice and his attitude towards his fellow
beings, and largely guided his commitment to the liberation struggle: "They
greatly influenced his ideals of peace and freedom as well as his political
activities. He was a man of God who believed in human rights, freedom, peace,
political stability and the economic prosperity of our country."

Buthelezi writes: "One cannot speak of the essence of Inkosi Luthuli's life
without reference to the importance of his Christian faith which provided the
ballast through which every aspect of his life interconnected. For Inkosi
Luthuli, Christianity was not an abstract theological idea, it was immensely
practical. He lived the life of faith. The most precious truth he shared with me
was that all our deeds are in vain if Christ is not the Rock upon which we
stand."

Madikizela-Mandela notes how his strong Christian conviction helped swell the
ranks of the organisation, "thus strengthening and building the foundations of
the ANC as a people's revolutionary movement."

Struggle veteran and author Phyllis Naidoo argues that Chief Luthuli was not a
person to court honours or adulation. She says the awarding of the Nobel Peace
Prize and the ANC's highest award, Isithwalandwe, would not nearly as important
to him as the birth of the Freedom Charter. "I cannot see him hanging up his
awards for all to view," she says.

Pathekile Holomisa, President of the Congress of Traditional Leaders
(CONTRALESA) and an ANC Member of Parliament, notes that Luthuli did not see a
contradiction between his role as a traditional leader and his involvement in
the ANC. Instead, he saw the two roles as complementary.

He quotes Luthuli's statement when he was stripped of his chieftaincy by the
apartheid government. Luthuli said: "I saw no real conflict in my dual
leadership of my people: as chief and political leader in Congress... My view
has been, and still is, that a chief is primarily a servant of his people. He is
the voice of his people... Unlike a Native Commissioner, he is part and parcel
of his tribe, and not a local agent of government... It is inconceivable how
chiefs could effectively serve the wider and common interest of their own tribe
without cooperating with other leaders of the people, both the natural leaders
(chiefs) and leaders elected democratically by the people themselves..."

Like other contributors, President Mbeki highlights Luthuli's enduring legacy:
"Luthuli was a man of immense dignity and noble bearing. His love of humanity
was matched by his intolerance of racial bigotry and oppression.

"During an adult life taken up with political activism, and on the basis of his
strong Christian convictions, he forged a democratic political outlook that
embraced people of all colours, races and creeds as members of the human family.

"The indestructible legacy that Chief Luthuli has left for all of us is the
unwavering dedication to the total liberation of his people and the indomitable
will to undertake seemingly impossible tasks to achieve this objective."

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NELSON MANDELA AT 89

Happy Birthday, Madiba!

The ANC pays tribute to a gigantic icon of our liberation, Tata Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela on the occasion of his 89th birthday. This is a cause for
celebration of nine decades of a dedicated life to the struggle for freedom,
justice and equality.

As we wish Madiba many more healthy years to come, we take this opportunity to
reflect on the sterling contribution that he and other heroes and heroines of
the liberation struggle made to ensure that oppressed people are freed from the
shackles of apartheid.

These martyrs' commitment to the struggle against apartheid rule meant that they
had to make great sacrifices, as did those around them, particularly their
families.

During a time when political activism was a punishable crime in South Africa,
committed activists like Madiba stood their ground and demanded that everyone,
regardless of their skin colour, be treated equally.

These heroes and heroines of our struggle were prepared to stand in the line of
fire to wage an ambitious battle against the monstrous system that was
apartheid.

Like Madiba, they gave up time with their families to ensure that all those who
were discriminated against are recognised as human, and for that they paid a
heavy price. Some were incarcerated for lengthy periods while others were forced
into exile.

The sweat of their brows ensured that today, we speak with pride when we reflect
on 13 years of democratic rule. Apart from their desire to do away with the
inequality and injustice of race-rule, they fought hard to ensure that
previously disadvantaged individuals get access to areas that were a preserve of
a minority, including active participation in the mainstream economy.

We continue to draw from their fountain of wisdom, the strength and inspiration
we need as we march towards the realisation of a better life for all.

Our movement, the African National Congress, remains heavily indebted to Madiba
and other icons of his generation for their outstanding contributions that gave
birth to the freedom we enjoy today. Happy Birthday Madiba! May you grow to see
many more years!

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