PREMIER'S REMARKS
Thank You.
Master of Ceremonies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am greatly honoured to be here today as we unveil this memorial in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in that horror accident.
On behalf of the people and government of Mpumalanga allow me to express a sincere word of thanks to the High Commissioner, the mayor and the representative of the travel agents for their comforting words.
A few months ago we gathered in this very town to mourn the death of our loved ones. At the time we were filled with untold grief and sorrow. But time has partly healed those wounds. Thanks to the merciful hand of God.
We gather today to erect a lasting memory of those who have departed. There are memorials which stand as mute pointers to a fixed and ever-receding past. Devoid of life, they have little meaning outside the history books and the minds of learned people.
This memorial stone is not that kind of monument. Still there are monuments which open the past to scrutiny; recalling it in order to illuminate it and transform it into part of our living and changing society. Such monuments, if they are successful, are a beacon for the future of all our people as much as a memory of the past. Because this monument has set itself the goal of constantly reminding us of the horrors on our roads.
While teaching us valuable lessons on accident prevention, it is a great honour for me to share in its dedication today. It is as much a monument to those who lost their lives as it is to those of us who still bear the scars of that tragedy. Physical as well as emotional.
It is a monument to all those who as one stood up and opened
their hearts and their dwellings when tragedy struck.
It is a monument to the people of Lydenburg, Nelspruit, yes to the people of the
province and our country.
It is a monument of the people of the United Kingdom who selflessly gave
everything in an attempt to alleviate the pain and suffering and our
self-persecution.
To the doctors, paramedics and nurses at the hospitals that treated all the
injured with such tender care.
Master of ceremonies it is a monument to the funeral undertakers who went about their work of transporting the dead back to their homes with such loving care.
To the many people whose messages, flowers and offers of assistance meant so much to all of us. Yes, we are here to remember and pay tribute.
One of the tributes we can pay to all of us is to make sure that our roads are safe. We must pay tribute to those men and women who lost their lives by identifying isolating those things that contribute to road fatalities. And while we do so we can pause and ask whether we can really say that we are here to mourn the deaths of our loved ones?
Those who lost their lives in that accident lived not because blood flowed in their veins. They lived not because we shared many happy moments of laughter and sadness with them. They lived because they loved life. They lived because they were so passionate about travelling and meeting the peoples of other parts of the globe. Learning from and about the cultures of other people.
Therefore if you see tears welling in our eyes, it is because we cannot bear saying: Farewell to our dear friends!
It is now my privilege to unveil the memorial stone of the Lydenburg Bus disaster victims.
Thank You.