PREMIER'S ADDRESS
Master of Ceremonies
Minister Jeff Radebe
Honourable Chief Mashilane
MECs DD Mabuza and Tsietsi Tolo
Members of the Legislature.
Mr Reuel Khoza
Mayors and councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I stand before you filled with pride. Proud because here is testimony of partnership at work.
When we ushered in a new democracy a little more than five years ago, we inherited a legacy of skewed distribution of resources.
Those who were lighter than I am had all the resources they would ever need. They had the privilege of flicking a switch and immediately having access to stored energy. They could use that energy to light up their houses, cook or even heat their homes.
But many of us who are a pale darker never had those luxuries. We had to make do with a crudely designed paraffin lamp. A hole would be drilled into the lid of a can. We would then insert a piece of cloth in the can and run it through the opening in the lid before filling the can with paraffin.
Believe me when I say the light was very dim and often very smelly. To warm the room we depended on a brassiere many of you know it as IMBHAWULA.
And the dangers associated with an upturned lamp or the mbhawula were many. Whole families were incenerated in the all-consuming flames of that candle or lamp. Many people died from inhaling carbon monoxide.
Today we are gathered here for a victory celebration. A celebration of freedom, symbolising an end as well as a beginning. Signifying renewal as well as change. Change from using an old coffee can as a source of light. Freedom from the constant danger of a blazing inferno or smoke inhalation.
The world is very different now. For today we can, at a flick of a switch, have clean energy. As people we hold in our mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty. We owe it to those peoples in the huts and villages of this province struggling to break the bonds of mass misery.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousands days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility; I welcome it.
I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it, and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth Gods' work must truly be our own.
And, my friends, even more important than winning the election is governing the nation. That is the e test of a political party _ the acid, final test. When the tumult and the shouting die, when the bands are gone and the lights are dimmed, there is the stark reality of responsibility in an hour of history haunted with those gaunt, grim specters of strife, dissension, and ruthless, inscrutable, and hostile power abroad.
I ask of you all you have; I will give to you all I have, even as he who came here tonight and honoured me, as he has honoured you- the Democratic party- by a lifetime of service and bravery that will find him an imperishable page in the history of the Republic and of the Democratic party, Presidnet Harry S Truman.
And finally, my friends, in the staggering task that you have assigned me, I shall always try " to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with my God."
We have too many backlogs. Houses, schools, clinics, crèches. We have to supply electricity, water, and sanitation.
So please help us. It is a cry from us to the private sector.
We cannot meet the challenges of our country with the resources of government alone. We must build partnerships between government and the private sector to create more jobs. Such a partnership must be based on a common commitment to building a better life for all.
We all know beads. When you have a handful of beads, that's all you have a handful of beads. Hundreds of them. Each one very distinctive and unique. But In order to bring out their beauty, you will need to string them together. For that you will need a string.
Without the beads a piece of string is just that a piece of string. Only when you string the beads together do the beads come to their right. Then they speak to you, draw your attention to the importance of each bead. This is how you create something truly magnificent, through a relationship that is beneficial to both parities.
It is now our opportunity to create such togetherness, such a string that holds everything together. Beautifully.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government reiterates its commitment to work in close partnership with all the people, inspired by the clarion call Faranani.
To ensure that we draw on the energy and genius of the people in the Province to give birth to something that will surely 'be new, good and beautiful'.
I Thank You.