SPEECH BY THE PREMIER
His Excellency Chief Sicelo Nkosi
Members of the Royal family
Chairman of the House of Traditional Leaders, lnkosi MM Khumalo
People of Mpakeni and surrounding areas Honourable Members of the provincial government Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Many years ago, a British army commander reported to his superior: "The camp is in the hands of the enemy, sir!"
The Battle of Isandlwana had just been fought and the amabutho had defeated columns of an army feared and revered throughout the world. Almost one-hundred-and-twenty years later, we gather at Mpakeni to present Chief Sicelo Nkosi to his people.
We do that in the full and fulfilling knowledge that we can now declare: "The country is in the hands of the people, dear friends!"
And so we meet, as descendants of valiant fighters, in a different setting in a different era, to plan for peace and not war; to promote unity and not division; to forge a common nationhood and not exclusive privileges
That we gather at the dawn of the new millennium, is a reminder of the fact that, valiant though their resistance was, the African people were conquered; a dark interregnum of defeat and humiliation set in; and yet the, resistance continued, taking many forms under-many different conditions-in the end, right triumphed over might.
We meet not as victors to dance to the cries of war; we meet not to celebrate over any vanquished people. Our trophies are neither skulls nor precious booty.
We meet to assert the humanity of persons one to the other; to seek unity and reconciliation- to set shoulders to the wheel in building-a better life for all.
The presence amongst us of Chief Khumalo and other traditional leaders, once again attest to the oneness of the national government, the provincial government and traditional leaders. As in the past, and as it will be in the future, we are one people with one destiny.
Chairperson, I feel truly humbled to officially install Chief Nkosi; to stand before my leaders, at last to acknowledge their status and role as full participants in national affairs; as part of the corps of leaders in the reconstruction and development of our province and our country.
We are mindful that the journey to where we are today has not been easy. But all of us persevered because we knew, that what we had set out on was the right road.
In our province we have already set pointers to the kind of co-operation we want between traditional leaders, the province and local government. We have started to address unity across ethnic lines.
The Office of Traditional Affairs in the Mpumalanga Government has started to examine many vexed questions about representation; they have started to work out programs to bring traditional leaders fully into the socio- political life of the nation, and to ensure, complementarity rather than competition between elected and traditional authorities.
When the new constitution was drafted, there were concerns that it did not define in sufficient detail the status and role of traditional leaders.
Some saw this as backtracking on the part of political
parties; others interpreted it as a refusal on the part of these parties to
acknowledge the unique African setting within which the universal ideals of
democracy and justice should find expressions.
But we argued as the majority party and the government that we would be true
to our word, true to our South Africanness, true to the traditions that form
part of our rainbow.
The respect and recognition of the institution of traditional leaders require more than fine-sounding declarations constitution. They should reside in our hearts. The fact that we are here as government is one clear example of our commitment to that ideal.
Amongst the questions that constitutional experts, politicians and traditional leaders themselves are debating is whether thoroughgoing democracy is inherently inimical to traditional institutions. This is not the place to debate these issues in detail.
But we dare say that consultation; transparency and equity were the cornerstones of early societies from which we come. We dare issue the challenge that on matters such as gender equality, tradition good and bad, then and now cannot be seen as static.
Our views on all these and other issues is that old and new mores were accepted by communities as such, because they regulated relations of their times. And so it should be now; so that tradition is seen not as a sentimental attachment to the past, but as a dynamic force relevant to present-day realities.
What then, dear leaders, are concrete challenges we face?
Indeed, because we are meant to be leaders of the people, our challenges cannot be different from those, that the, people face.
Foremost amongst our tasks as a nation is to mobilise the people for reconstruction and development. As the people were, their own liberators, so should they become active, agents in changing their lives for the better.
For this, our communities need information about what resources and funds are available to them; skills to turn their needs into plans and project proposals; and an effective partnership with government. Traditional leaders can promote these requirements.
Oppression was overcome in South Africa, and democracy is being built, by an ever widening unity across the lines of race and ethnicity, But it would be a mistake to regard that unity as something that will preserve itself. We need constantly to encourage and promote it.
As leaders, we need to be vigilant in ensuring that the diversity, which is our strength, is never again used to divide us.
Fundamental to our unity is the mutual respect for the rich variety of our languages and cultures. While the constitution recognises rights in this regard and proposes institutions to promote them, this will have little effect without the involvement of traditional leaders.
Our freedom is also giving impetus to the recovery of our history. Recent excavations, together with earlier work, are freeing our understanding of the past from the colonial account of our country and region.
They point with increasing detail to our country's place in Africa's civilisation. Traditional leaders can promote and assist continuing research so that we know who we truly are.
Chief Nkosi and other traditional leaders here, the nation, with your help, also needs to come to a proper understanding of those whose history has been most grievously affected by the ravages and distortions of apartheid and colonialism: the Khoi and the San.
Bound up with the knowledge of our history is the resolution of the disputes on lineage bequeathed to us by apartheid's ruthless attempts to bend the institutions of traditional authority to its own end. Again, we have a central role to play in helping to resolve these, problems.
Perhaps more difficult than most, is to find the best ways in which our elected structures of local government and traditional leaders can work together for the good of their communities.
This is a crucial area for.
reconstruction and development, and a resolution of outstanding differences and conflictual matters are of the greatest importance. Our experience has shown that with goodwill and a commitment to the interests of the community as a whole, even the most difficult problems can be overcome and mutually beneficial solutions found.
All these tasks will demand infrastructure and resources, and government commits itself to providing these, within available resources.
The victory that we have scored against apartheid has laid the firm basis for all the people of South Africa to unite across colour, language, ethnic and religious barriers. It has launched us on the course of realising our true potential.
Before the darkness of the interregnum of defeat and humiliation, great visionaries such as Mswati, Gonnerna, Moshweshwe, Cetshwayo, Nghunghunyane, Hintsa, Montsiwa, Sekhukhuni, Rwnabulana, Mzilikazi and Kok had come to the realisation that the disunity of the African people was at the centre of their woes.
Having together resolved that South Africa belong to all who live in it, we know that the unity of our nation is our strength as we strive to build a prosperous nation.
Our tryst with these forbears is to build South Africa into a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic country, a nation of Africans across colour, an African democracy in the modem world.
The country is in the hands of the people. Let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work.
May we, on behalf of all the people of the province of Mpumalanga extend congratulations to His Royal Majesty and the Royal Family of Mpakeni on the investiture Of Chief Sicelo Nkosi.
This is a momentous occasion for the people of Mpakeni and indeed for the entire province; and we are greatly honoured to share this moment in the beautiful hills and valleys of this beautiful land.
The Royal House of Dlamini has contributed greatly to the spirit of freedom and justice that now reigns in this country. Many heroic battles were fought in this region when your forefathers resisted encroaching colonialism and forces.
During the apartheid years your ancestors in neighbouring Swaziland bore the wrath of its powerful neighbour angered by the successes of the approaching democratic order.
Now that the countries in the region are finally rid of the cruel and crippling destabilisation of the previous South African regime, we can turn our full attention to the task of developing the region and placing it firmly in its rightful place amongst the nations of the world.
We are encouraged by this while realising that much more still needs to be done.
The challenges facing us are different from those facing our forefathers. Hunger, starvation, illiteracy and unemployment may not seem as powerful as the enemies of the, past but we know that they are equally destructive and just as painful to our people.
In order to better the lives of the people of Southern Africa we are committed to redoubling out efforts at economic integration and co-operation for development.
As a region we shall vigorously defend the peace and stability that we have all worked so hard to achieve, we shall strive to find creative ways to invite investment, boost trade and advance manufacturing.
While we preserve and revere our traditions we shall use our centuries' old experience to benefit our peoples so that our peoples have access to the resources, education and technology that we need for success in the new age.
Let us join hands to ensure that as we enter the new
millennium, the political rights that the twentieth century has recognised, and
the
independence that nations have gained shall be translated into peace,
prosperity and equity for all.
The investiture here today of Chief Nkosi reaffirms for us the continuity between heroic tradition and renewal for the sake of the betterment of our people.
We are confident that Chief Nkosi, like his forefathers will rise to meet these challenges with wisdom. We wish him good health and strength to carry out his duties with courage and conviction.
It is now my pleasure and privilege to announce the investiture of Chief Sicelo Nkosi.
Thank You