Issued by African National congress - Parliament
9 February 2004 On the northern banks of the Vaal River stands a town where, in 1902, British and Afrikaaner leaders concluded peace and signed a treaty. They then named the place Vereeniging - "a place of unity". Eight years later, ignoring the demands of the majority black population, they consolidated it by forging the Union of South Africa.
During the intervening period those excluded persisted and prepared themselves for the day when this mistake of history would be corrected. It required the organised strength of the majority who had been excluded in 1910, to wage an unrelenting struggle to bring democracy that would at last unite the people of South Africa into one nation.
At Codesa, 80 years later, that majority assumed its rightful place in the councils of state. The negotiated settlement at Codesa, was a collective commitment by South Africans to make that possible. Codesa and our Constitution place an historical obligation on all sides of us to forge one nation. The challenge is, that every section of our population be upfront in tackling the huge disparities, created during the intervening period, that undermine the unity of our nation.
When ex President Mandela called for reconciliation at the beginning of our first decade of democracy, he invited all of us to make the journey together towards the eradication of those disparities.
We, as South Africans, continue this journey and debate how best to attain these commonly held objectives. Central to this debate must be how South Africa will push back the frontiers of poverty.
Everyone has an equal right and duty to participate in this national discourse for it is only through open and free dialogue that we can arrive at sound solutions.
Whilst no one sector can claim the monopoly of how this must be done, the voices of those who were previously disadvantaged should be listened to with the closest attention. Those who suffered the humiliation and the pain of the past, should in some part measure the pace and quality of change.
This places an obligation on those who were advantaged, to be equally active in the search for solutions and not to adopt the posture of onlooking critics who have no obligations to build our common future. The general upliftment of those who were historically disadvantaged, through real, palpable and visible steps must be unstintingly pursued, not as an act of altruism, but in the interests of all South Africans.
In the drive towards democracy, the ANC prepared the people of our country, not only to know what was wrong with Apartheid, but also what the ideal model to replace Apartheid should be. We need increasing numbers of South Africans to support the drive towards the attainment of that goal of a "South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, black and white".
It is with a measure of humility that today we may look back over the last 10 years of democracy and appreciate those who went to the TRC, from both sides, to accept responsibility for their mistakes and apply for amnesty. We also acknowledge those who have made contributions through the job summit and growth and development programs, to advance our country towards reconciliation.
Perhaps the most poignant example is the recent gesture of E.T.Terreblanche who acknowledged before God and the country, the mistaken approach he took 10 years ago, and called on his followers and others to return to their homes and join all of us in reconciliation and the reconstruction of our society.
Nevertheless, there are challenges that remain.
Recently, a black colleague who had supper at the Mount Nelson Hotel listened to Shawn Slovo ask the Manager why there were no black staff in the Restaurant. To his amazement the Manager replied that staff were recruited on merit, and many blacks did not speak English well enough to deal with the clientele.
This incident raises a number of issues I would like to highlight in the debate today.
Firstly, the need to transform attitudes remains a big challenge. As long as generalisations of this nature persist in the outlook of South Africans of one colour or race towards the others, our judgements of the opportunity history has placed before us will be flawed and we will fail to take advantage of them.
Secondly, this incident denies the fact that there are plenty of young black people who speak perfect English.
Thirdly, this incident shows that the opportunities denied to black people in the past, must be reversed and that people from disadvantaged educational backgrounds must be given the training and skills needed for them to take their place in society.
This incident illustrates the distance we still have to travel in this country. Few could argue that the position of the Mount Nelson Hotel, is not based on plain and simple bigotry and irrational prejudice. Had the Manager been further challenged he would emphatically have denied the offensiveness of his explanation. Denial is after all, a way of not facing up to irrational prejudice.
But the anecdote also illustrates the damage South Africa has suffered. Whilst the incident is a small example and an isolated one, if we were to multiply such an incident across our country, which we easily could, we are able then to understand the consequences. To talk of people the way the Manager talked about black people is to deny us our humanity.
It highlights the disadvantages black people still are burdened with ten years into democracy.
But most serious of all, the sort of racial prejudice evinced by this Manager physically robs South Africa of the talents of its peoples by denying them the room to contribute. And it is as illogical and as irrational as watching three men try to push a wagon out of a ditch, whilst six other men look on and observe. Were all nine persons to push the wagon, it would soon be on its way!
As we complete the first decade of our freedom, we continue to call on all South Africans, to join hands and "to push the wagon out of the mud". To build and strengthen our democracy and to fight the scourge of poverty and unemployment.
In another vein the nine persons pushing the wagon represent our diversity, symbolised by our new coat of arms. The coat of arms, composed of elephant tusks, the ears of wheat, the shield, the human figures, the spear and knobkierie, the protea, the secretary bird and the rising sun, is flanked by the motto: !KE E:IXARRA IIKE - literally translated means: diverse peoples unite or Unity in Diversity.
We are one nation made up of diverse peoples. We are a multi racial, multi lingual, multi religious nation. And this is our greatest strength. Other countries, like Brazil, have used their diversity to make them strong. Whilst in the past our diversity was a source of tension, we have turned this on its head, and correctly made our diversity our strength, building on our wealth of diverse cultures and experiences, to enrich our nation.
Because of the past, South Africa will never be at peace with itself until its people have reconciled themselves through that process.
Social stability necessitates reconciliation and requires commitment to our diversity. It means breaking out of our racial, tribal, ethnic cocoons and recognising that there is a place for everyone in this diverse national environment. But our diversity has to be lived and experienced as equality.
Our partnership with the people means that the Government is working with the people to further intensify the transformation process necessary to rebuild our society. At each turn, we should be able to ask what role different institutions can play in that partnership? What role can political parties play in the way forward? What role can the churches and other religious bodies play in the way forward? What role can sports bodies play? What role can the media play? What role can financial institutions and business in general play? What role can our Manager in the Mount Nelson hotel play?
For democracy is not JUST about going to the polls every 5years. Democracy is a comprehensive political and social culture based on certain values. The preamble and the opening chapter of our Constitution list these values. But they were not dreamt up on 1994. They are to be found in the founding documents of the African National Congress of 1912, in the African Claims of 1943, in the Freedom Charter of 1955, in the Harare Declaration of 1989. The signing of the Constitution in 1996 was a crowning moment in our history consolidating our democracy. These values permeate the democratic movement and the ideals for which it strives.
Central to these values is their adoption, ownership and defence by the people of South Africa. The Nation building process entails encouraging ALL South Africans to buy into that comprehensive value system known as democracy.
But we are not going to be able to build democracy and stability in a nation that contains huge disparities. A nation wherein some persons have so much food all they can think of is dieting, whilst others do not know where the next meal is coming from. The definition of national interest and self interest consistent with democracy is based on Motho ke motho ka batho ba bang. This is the peoples centered society the President referred to in his address. It is the orientation our forebears articulated when they said "Motho ke motho ka batho ba bang". The humanity of one flows from their recognition and respect of the humanity of others. You are only human to the extent that you treat others as human. If you treat others as less then human, so much you yourself is less than human.
In the history of the ANC and in its operations, the ANC has always sought to cultivate men and women towards a democratic orientation. Indeed as it has struggled for democracy, the ANC already prepared her membership and followers for the advent of democracy. It taught its members and followers that Apartheid was wrong, But it did not stop there. It proceeded to educate them on what an acceptable alternative to apartheid should be. A South Africa that belongs to all who live in it and proclaimed that no government can justly rule unless it is based on the will of the people.
At the Codesa negotiations, we accepted the participation of every representative and leader of the people of South Africa and adopted every decision democratically. In order to come to Government, we fought a free and fair election alongside other parties in the true spirit of multi party democracy.
When we jointed the SADC Community of Nations, we moved that SADC must never entertain in her fora, any leader who was not voted to power democratically. Later at the 35th Summit of the OAU, under the aegis of SADC, we moved a similar position.
We have consistently inside the ANC, in the country and abroad advocated and supported democratic practice. We, past victims of an undemocratic order, will not veer away from democratic ways and practices for which so many of our members and supporters struggled, suffered and sacrificed their lives.
Madam Speaker. I wish to place on record, that as the National Chairperson of the African National Congress, I have missed no meetings of its senior councils, Officials, National Working Committee, National Executive Committee and National Conference since we came to power in this country. I am privy to reports of branches of the ANC, regional , provincial and those of the allied structures of the Tripartite Alliance.
I wish to assure our nation that there is no individual member or structure that has even raised the issue of the amendment of the Constitution in order to enable the ANC or any member of the ANC to occupy the country's Presidency for longer than is stipulated in the Constitution of our country.
Two weeks ago, I was passing through Johannesburg International Airport and saw a black and white young Airline ground staff, in uniform, sitting together , earnestly chatting presumably about matters close to the hearts of the youth. They were totally engrossed as if there was no outside world. For a moment I slowed my step. It occurred to me that in the South Africa of my youth, such a scene would have been unthinkable and even obscene for some people.
At that moment I realised how far we have traveled in the new South Africa towards our goal of a non-racial South Africa. What struck me so intensely about these two, was that in any other country in the world no one would take a second glance. It shows us how far we have come from prohibition. It shows the new generation is already behaving in a natural way. And it filled me with deep satisfaction. I felt that the years of hard struggle for the ideal of a non racial South Africa was spontaneously bursting forth, even in the airports. That we are overcoming our terrible legacy of mutual distrust and building a new South Africa for our children, our grandchildren and great grandchildren. At that moment I felt that the many years of fear of arrest, of detention without trial, of long and cruel prison terms were not in vain.
The present is changing. The future will be different.
I thank you.