PREMIER'S WELCOMING ADDRESS
Master of Ceremonies
Minister Ronnie Kasrils
Ambassador of Portugal Dr Manuel Fernandes Pereira and his delegation
MEC Fish Mahlalela
The delegation from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Mine is an easy task. Welcoming you to Mpumalanga, the province of the rising sun.
A few years ago television screens in almost every household in this country beamed images of a clean-shaven man described as a master of disguise. In a somewhat hysterical manner the public was warned not to try and apprehend this man, as he was "armed and dangerous".
Needless to say the man, being the master of disguise he is, evaded arrest until he surfaced a few months later, with a broad smile standing next to former President Nelson Mandela at the victory celebrations in Johannesburg in 1994.
Today that man is in our midst and he is still armed ... armed with a mission to bring water within reach of every South African, particularly the poorest of the poor.
Ladies and gentlemen, when President Thabo Mbeki accepted, with humility and a determination to do better, the challenges of the overwhelming mandate in the last elections, he called on all of us to immediately roll up our sleeves and get to work.
He called on us to ensure that we change the conditions of life of all our people, particularly the poorest of the poor. The President urged South Africa to become a beehive of activity- a nation at work to build a better life.
Today is proof such activity. And at the helm of that attack is one who is armed and dangerous. Comrade Kasrils, welcome to Mpumalanga.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me hasten to point out that all our efforts at improving the lives of our people will come to nought of we do not involve them in every decision we take. That is why our government has become a government that is in daily and respectful contact with the people; a government that listens and learns from the people.
As government we believe that communities must take full responsibility for their upliftment in partnership with government. This requires responsibility at work and at leisure.
Our newly won rights and freedoms will remain empty and fragile unless they bring material improvement in the lives of our people. But without peace within and between countries the sustained economic growth and development that will lift our peoples out of poverty, will not occur. Nor can anyone of us enjoy lasting peace and security while the majority of our fellow-citizens are mired in poverty.
Our own liberation bears witness to the interdependence of the modern world. Without the support of the international community our freedom, which have cost so much more, will be meaningless. That is why the government and people of Mpumalanga extend a warm welcome to Dr Pereira and the Portuguese delegation.
Our approach to foreign relations is guided by the firm conviction that in this interdependent world, none of us can achieve our goals on our own.
In welcoming you here today, I may have left out some very important people. This is not done out of malice or lack of respect and appreciation. It is purely because of time constraints that I will not be able to mention each one of you by name. That is why I will resort to the all-encompassing greetings and welcome you all to this wonderful province and this wonderful occasion.
May your stay here be wonderful and enjoyable.
I thank you.