ADDRESS BY MPUMALANGA PREMIER THABANG MAKWETLA AT THE AFRICA DAY
CELEBRATIONS
Ermelo, 25 May 2006
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature and MPs
Leaders of Political Parties
Executive Mayors and Councillors
Chairperson of the SA Chapter of the AR Mr T Mazwai
Community Leaders from all sectors
Traditional Leaders, Spiritual and Religious Leaders
Government Officials from both Provincial and Local Government
Fraternal VIPs from Mozambique and Swaziland
Members of the media,
Comrades and friends
Compatriots
WE are gathered here today to mark an important day in the calendar of our continent, a day on which the entire Africa is afforded an opportunity to join together in a united affirmation of the cause of African people in the continent and across the hemisphere. To us Africa Day is both a celebration of our continent and its people and their right to self determination, as well as a time to give thanks to that worthy predecessor of the African Union, the Organisation of African Unity, where formation in 1963 gave birth to Africa Day that we celebrate today.
On this day, 43 years ago, a group of visionary African leaders came together in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to form a vehicle that was to work for the total liberation of our continent. This gathering was prompted by the independence of Ghana in March 1957 under one of Africa's visionary leaders Kwame Nkrumah, followed by the liberation of Guinea Conakry in 1958. By 1960 more than two-thirds of African countries had attained their independence prompting British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to remark about the winds of change that were sweeping across the entire continent.
However Nkrumah and other African leaders were concerned that countries under Portuguese and apartheid South African rule were occupied by intransigent white minority regimes. The late President Nkrumah remarked that: “Ghana's independence is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of Africa”. In 1958, Nkrumah invited all liberation movements and independent African countries to discuss a strategy to fight colonialism and imperialism in Africa.
That is why on the 25 th of May 1963, inspired by a common determination to promote understanding among African peoples and co-operation among its States, and in response to the aspirations of Africans for brotherhood and solidarity, the Organisation of African Unity, or the OAU, was formed.
Indeed we are proud of the sterling role played by the OAU in the emancipation of Africa from colonial rule. It was through that august organisation that our leaders and peoples came to the correct conclusion that the liberation of the continent can only come about when all of us work towards the noble goal of African unity. Our leaders and peoples had finally realised that despite the boundaries imposed on them by imperialist powers from Europe, they shared a common destiny. It was this act of a common determination to shake off the yoke of colonialism that shook those who thought they would rule Africa forever. It is therefore not surprising that they tried to turn brother against brother.
In all the colonised countries, people, one after the other, got together to form national liberation movements, reinforcing the fact that they were united by the common oppression and exploitation at the hands of the colonialists. It was this common struggle for national liberation that shaped our common identity as Africans.
Writing in the “African Abroad” of the 5 th April 1906, Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, one of the luminaries of the time, who went on to become the first Secretary-General of the ANC said, and I quote: “I would ask you not to compare Africa to Europe or to any other continent. I make this request not from any fear that such comparison might bring humiliation upon Africa. The reason I have stated is that a common standard is impossible! Come with me to the ancient capital of Egypt, Thebes, the city of one hundred gates. The grandeur of its venerable ruins and the gigantic proportions of its architecture, reduced to insignificance monuments of other nations. The pyramids of Egypt are structures to which the world presents nothing comparable. The mighty monuments seem to look with disdain on any other work of human art and to vie with nature herself.
“All the glory of Egypt belongs to Africa and her people. These monuments are the indestructible memorials of their great and original genius. It is not through Egypt alone that Africa claims such unrivalled historic achievements. I could have spoken of the Pyramids of Ethiopia which, though inferior is size to those of Egypt, far surpass them in architectural beauty; their sepulchers which evince the highest purity of taste, and of many prehistoric ruins in other parts of Africa. In such ruins Africa is like the golden sun, that, having sunk beneath the western horizon, still plays upon the world which he sustained and enlightened in his career.
Justly the world now demands “wither is fed the visionary gleam, where is it now, the glory and the dream?”
“Oh, for that historian who, with the open the open pen of truth, will bring to Africa's claim the strength of written proof. He will talk of a race whose forward tide was often swelled with tears, but in whose heart bondage has not quenched the fire of former years. He will write that in these later days when earth's noble ones are named, she has a roll of honour too, of whom she is not ashamed. The giant is awakening! From the four corners of the earth Africa's sons, who have been proxed through fire and sword, are marching to the future's golden door bearing the records of deeds of valor done”.
Ladies and gentlemen, and indeed the giant awoke when those great visionaroies gathered in Ethiopia. independent countries on the continent adopted the adage that an injury to one is an injury to all. They knew that no African country could be genuinely free until all African countries are free. This is the noble position adopted by such great luminaries like Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Sekou Toure of Guinea, King Mohamed V of Morocco, Abdel Nasser of Egypt, and Ahmed Ben Bella of Algeria.
This position was of critical importance to the advancement of South Africa's own struggle. When the apartheid regime resorted to naked repression and brutality by banning our organisations, by imprisoning and killing our leaders and people, independent countries in Africa provided us with a rear base. It was this sanctuary that enabled us to bring the apartheid regime to its knees.
That is why on this Africa day we take the opportunity to salute the OAU for its contribution in ensuring that we attain our freedom in 1994. Today we acknowledge the early support we received from a number of African countries soon after the banning of our movement and the decision to resort to armed struggle. Tanganyika, later Tanzania, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Ethiopia did not hesitate to extend support to us as we began the process of building the people's army, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Africa Day gives us an opportunity to pay a special tribute to all these countries, including Nigeria, Uganda and Madagascar. We must not forget that the Southern Africa countries of Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe made huge sacrifices in their quest to ensure that we attain our freedom. The apartheid regime's criminal policy of destabilisation and the cross-border raids left many people dead or maimed. Our oppressors had thought that terror by a powerful neighbour would force the countries of our region to abandon their support for us.
They did not abandon us despite the terrible pain they had to bear. Today South Africans pay tribute to peoples across of Africa that risked life and liberty to ensure their freedom. Having fought their own wars of national liberation, these fellow Africans did not rest in the comfort of their own independence. The very existence of white minority rule in South Africa was a real and direct threat to national independence, peace and security throughout the continent. Although still struggling to overcome the burdens of poverty and underdevelopment, these peoples and governments of Africa undertook to secure the total emancipation of the African continent.
In achieving the political emancipation of our continent, we have laid a firm foundation for the advancement of an African renaissance. We have gone a long way in deepening of bonds of culture, economy and policy between the peoples and governments of the African continent.
As historical evidence shows, few years after independence, a number of African countries had levels of economic development that were comparable to if not ahead of some East Asian countries such as South Korea. Today these so-called East Asian Tigers have grown immeasurably and are miles ahead of their African counterparts in terms of economic development. Somewhere in our way of doing things lies the primary source of our continued socio-economic underdevelopment. Clearly, after forty years of achieving independence from colonialism, it is untenable for us as Africans to continue pointing fingers at the past for our current economic challenges.
We have to remind ourselves on Africa day that in most of Africa, both unemployment and poverty are still at unacceptably high levels. South Africa, despite relatively high growth levels, now at about five percent, also has to grapple with these challenges. We have chosen to focus on accelerated but also shared growth.
The challenges of the UN millenium development goals for a better world for all, remains a challenge countries of the African continent. The resolution to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV and AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and Develop a global partnership for development by 2015, will require sustained action if we are to meet the needs of the world's poorest
Ladies and gentlemen, to grow into an economic powerhouse Africans themselves must build Africa. The inclination to view natural resource based sectors such as agriculture and mining as the beginning and end of economic development has played havoc with the development path of Africa. The resulting diversion financial and human resources from creativity and innovation has led to the underdevelopment of manufacturing activities, the very engine of a modern economy.
It is with the above in mind that I wish to reiterate the observation we have made before that people are the most critical economic resource because they are not only the beneficiaries but also the drivers of development. Efforts by the South African government to build scarce and critical skills without which we cannot deliver on our commitments and targets for accelerated and shared growth must be seen in this light. Failure in human resource and skill development will undermine this effort. Historically, skills focused transformations have played a central role in the economic turnaround of nations.
We take seriously our economic linkages with neighbouring countries, Swaziland and Mozambique. We therefore would like to continue playing an important role in taking Maputo corridor to higher levels and linking it with new developments such as Moloto corridor.
But many challenges remain. Millions of Africans are displaced in their own countries or live as refugees in others. Many people across the continent are forced to escape the horrors of war and injustice. Many others are victims of conflict and war, often the result of protracted struggles for control over Africa's rich mineral resources. As we speak thousands of people have been displaced in Sudan's Darfur region and tensions are mounting in Chad, Mogadishu and Ethiopia.
The HIV and Aids epidemic is causing human, economic and cultural devastation and will worsen unless concerted and united action is taken against it. The continent continues to be ravaged by other preventable diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and cholera.
Yet Africans are confident the continent will be able to unite to tackle these substantial challenges and work to unleash its infinite potential. This confidence in Africa's future is borne out by the initiatives undertaken by African leaders to cement unity and build the foundations for Africa's economic growth and development. Key among these is the Millennium African Recovery Programme (MAP) and the formation of an African Union.
The African Renaissance Institute is yet another important initiative that seeks to mobilise the peoples of Africa behind a common programme for the success of the African Renaissance. It is a matter of pride that the South African chapter of the Institute is one of the strongest on the Continent.
The African Peer Review Mechanism or APRM, which is hailed as one of the most innovative aspect of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), provides people in all the provinces the opportunity to assess the progress we have made in improving their lives. This process, which was conducted in our province recently, was not only confined to government, but included the private sector.
Today the peoples of our country are more confident about Africa. More and more South African companies are investing elsewhere on the continent. There is greater co-operation between our organisations and others across Africa. These include trade unions, religious organisations and sports and cultural formations. As we celebrate Africa Day today, let us recommit ourselves to continue faster on the road that guarantees success as we do things together to achieve harmony and progress and transform the dream of African unity into reality.
A very Happy Africa Day to you all.
Thank you