MEC Reginah Mhaule at the Provincial African Union(AU) Day of the African Child Commemoration
Held at Sabie, York Timber Sports Grounds
4 July 2009
Programme Director,
Members of the Executive Council
Representatives of Local Government
Members of the Mpumalanga Legislature
Representatives of the business sector and community organizations
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Our Very Very Important persons, the VVIP’s, the children
of Mpumalanga who have come from all the corners of the province to be with us
today.
It gives me great honour to be part of this wonderful
occasion of the provincial commemoration of the African Union (AU) ‘Day of the
African Child’.
May I take this opportunity to salute and commend the
organizers and sponsors for a job well done.
Every year the AU has enjoined member states to
commemorate the Day of the African Child, a day which has its origins in a
decision by the AU member states to honour the memory of innocent children who
suffered violence at the hands of the brutal apartheid regime in 1976.
As we all know June 16 1976 was a watershed moment in the
struggle for the liberation of our country.
It is a fitting tribute to those valiant and courageous
youth and children who gave their lives that today our province is commemorating
the Day of the African Child.
The provincial theme for this commemoration is “Africa Fit
for Children: MLILO CAMPAIGN: Call for Accelerated Action towards their
Survival”.
This MLILO Campaign reaffirms our commitment to ensuring a
better life for children in the province and honours those who suffered and
sacrificed their lives for a South Africa that cares for her people and her
children.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Children are an integral part of our lives. They are a projection of our dreams, aspirations and hope. They are a source of joy and happiness for families and society at large.
Analysts tell us that children under 15 constitute some 44
percent of Africa’s population. In Mpumalanga, children under 15 also make up
more than a third of the population.
This picture of a young continent and a young province has
both a positive and negative side.
On the positive side we know that youth and children
represent a potentially dynamic and vigorous future.
That is why the late Oliver Tambo, former President of the
African National Congress, is reported to have said: "The children of any nation
are its future. A country, a movement, a person that does not value its youth
and children does not deserve its future."
However, on the negative side we must also acknowledge
that, as analysts tell us, Africa’s children are the most disadvantaged in the
world in terms of infant mortality rates, school enrolment, nutritional status
and other social and economic indicators.
As the Mpumalanga Provincial government, we are committed
to bringing about change in the situation of our children.
The ANC-led government has since the onset of democracy in
our country laid a foundation where today’s children
are growing and thriving within a framework that gives them access to socio
economic rights.
The South African Constitution, the United Nations
Convention on Children’s Rights and the African Union Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of Children are key instruments that give a strong foundation “to
advance the best interests of the child in all matters affecting them”.
Section 28 of our Constitution clearly states that:
”Every child has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services”.
Over the past fifteen years we have sought to give effect
to this mandate from the Constitution but readily admit that many of our
children still face many threats to their survival, including not knowing where
their next meal will come from or having to travel very far to access schooling
or health care.
An important feature of the commemoration of the AU Day of
the African Child is its emphasis on child participation.
We have always been convinced that for us to achieve our
vision of a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic society, we need
to treat our children as active, talented human beings who can contribute
meaningfully according to their intellectual and chronological level and
capacity.
We never agreed with those for whom ‘children are to be
seen and not heard’.
It is our understanding that in order to redress the
imbalances of the past we also need to safeguard rights of our children whilst
teaching them the responsibilities that go hand in glove with these rights.
Programme Director,
Over the next five years, the provincial government has
set itself priorities that will contribute to the achievement of the goals of
the MLILO Campaign and the call for “Accelerated Action” towards our children’s
survival.
We have said we will focus on the creation of decent work
and sustainable livelihoods. This is an important priority that will provide
opportunities for advancing delivery on the children’s rights Constitutional
mandate.
As we all know, parents who are employed, who enjoy
sustainable livelihood and self reliance, are better able to deliver on the
rights of the child, and are better placed to contribute to their protection and
survival.
We have also said we will focus on education. President
Zuma has said that ‘we want our teachers, learners, and parents to work with
government to turn our schools into thriving centres of excellence’.
I wish to add that we as parents and guardians must pay
more attention to the education of our children as a way of offering them a
brighter future and also breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and
deprivation.
Health is another priority that the ANC-led government has
also identified for the next five years. With an improved comprehensive health
system we will be in a better position to ensure the survival of all our
children and effectively address the challenges of child mortality.
Rural development, food security and land reform is
another priority that is particularly relevant to our ‘mostly’ rural province
and which if we are able to deliver will present many opportunities for
advancing our agenda of ensuring the survival of the African child.
By investing in agriculture we will also go far in
protecting our children against poverty, hunger and destitution.
Finally, the fifth priority we have identified is the
fight against crime and corruption. This will ensure that we have in place
efficient and effective child protection and criminal
justice programmes to deal with threats of violence
and abuse brought onto our children by heartless individuals.
Every year in December we observe the 16 Days of Activism
Campaign against the abuse of women and children. However as we commemorate the
AU Day of the African Child I wish to add my voice to the call that as part of
building a united South African nation we have to mark every day as a day of
struggle against the abuse of women and children.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The organizers of today’s commemoration have asked us to
pay particular attention to the objectives of the MLILO Campaign which
emphasises sustainable resources management and use.
We were told that among the objectives of the MLILO
campaign are the following:
- To increase the understanding and appreciation,
particularly among young people, of the need to protect their environment
- To raise knowledge about the environment individuals
live in and inculcate an attitude of caring and sharing of natural resources
in the minds of young people who are the future citizens of our nation while
motivating behavioural change amongst them.
In pursuit of the aspirations to accelerate action towards
the protection, development and survival of children environmental
sustainability is fundamental so that our children do not inherit a hotter
world, dirtier air, more severe floods, droughts and more wildfires.
The environment problems that our country faces and which
pose a threat towards the survival of children, are serious but not
insurmountable, and include:
- Loss of biodiversity
- Air pollution, storm water, sewage, and waste disposal which
continue to have substantial adverse impacts on the environment and human
health.
- Climate change
- Current levels of use of inland water resources
- Our per capita carbon dioxide emissions which are estimated as
being almost twice the global average
It gives me great pleasure to note that the MLILO Campaign is not only
about informing children of what environmental challenges exist but also calls
upon them to play a role, from an early age.
In particular, the MLILO Campaign is focused on what young people and
children can do to prevent wildfires, such as those that ravaged certain areas
within the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality in 2007.
As the Mpumalanga Provincial Government we are happy to support this
campaign that brings young people into activities aimed at fostering the
sustainable use of our natural resources to ensure that we do not rob future
generations of their inheritance.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our Constitution enables us to meet national children’s
rights priorities as well as regional and international children’s rights
obligations.
I wish to commend the Office for the Rights of Children
(ORC) in the Premier’s Office for their continued leadership and efforts towards
ensuring that we in Mpumalanga also prioritize the needs of the African child.
The well being and survival of children in our province
will remain uppermost in our minds as we undertake to deliver on the five
priority areas that the ANC-led provincial government has identified for its
term of office.
In our endeavours we sincerely hope that we can count on
the support of every household and community in the province. Everyone must pull
up their sleeves be they be part of the trade union movement, the churches,
organized and unorganized business, or the youth.
Let us all respond positively to the call for accelerated
action towards the survival of our children.
Long live the African Child.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Education, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
