SPEECH BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ADVOCATE MS SOKO
His Excellency Chief Teyane Dlamini
His Royal Highness Prince Sobandla Dlamini
Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders Kgoshi Mashile
Traditional leaders present here today
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.
Let me on behalf of the Honourable Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu thank the Royal House and the people of Ebutsini most humbly for having invited us to celebrate this day with you
Allow me also to apologise for the Premier's absence today. Circumstances beyond his control prevented him from honouring this appointment.
Believe me when I say he would have loved to be here, celebrating with you what is clearly a great and important day in your history and your culture.
AYIDLE ITISHIYELE. SHWELE BOMNGAMU.
Today is not a day for speeches. It is a day of joy and merrymaking.
After all we are proud and happy as we celebrate our cultural heritage handed down to us by those brave and gallant forebears who sacrificed their lives in defence of their land and dignity.
During our local government elections last December we promised that we would be a government that works with and listens to and learn from the people – all the people.
We promised you that particular attention would be given to the needs of those in the rural areas, the youth, women, and the disabled.
That is why I am here today. To listen and to learn. There is a general consensus across the political party spectrum that the local government is the most strategic state organ to effectively meet community demands, as they are the closest to the people.
Increasingly, communities are demanding better services. They want services delivered quickly, efficiently and effectively.
Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of traditional leaders, Tinkosi and Magoshi and local councillors in contributing towards creating a better life for all our people. As leaders all of us have an enormous task to ensure that every citizen has access to water, electricity, refuse removal, maintaining roads and all public amenities.
We can only know what the people need when we are in daily and respectful contact with the people we serve. As elected leaders we must find the best ways in which our elected structures of local government and traditional leaders can work together for the good of their communities.
Together with Inkosi Teyane, government has an enormous task to ensure that all the people of Ebutsini have access to water, electricity; refuse removal, good roads and all public amenities.
To do that we need utmost co-operation between elected structures of local government and traditional leaders must work together for the good of this communities.
Let us look at what has been done thus far.
The planning, design and documentation of the 8km road between Elukwatini and Diepgezete has been completed. But we could not proceed with construction because of insufficient funds. You will however be glad to know that we have allocated some of the money to build the Mooiplaas Bridge. It is the same bridge where 13 people died.
The site inspection was held on the 04 July 2001. The closing date for the tender was the 25 July 2001 and the tender award (appointment of contractor) will be made by the end of August 2001. The estimated amount for this particular bridge is about R3 million excluding supervision.
We are currently in the process of building four hundred RDP houses.
I know that there may be a problem that consultation between the elected leaders and the traditional leaders did not happen as often as we would have liked to.
Particularly with regard to the building of the RDP houses and the graveling of roads taking place at Ekulindeni. We must work together. I am aware that there are problems with the access roads and bridges damaged by floods.
I know that you have a complain that a number of bridges including the Minnaar, Steynsdorp, Vlakplaas and the offensively-named Kafferkraal bridges were not properly repaired. We will look into that. I know that there is a shortage of clean water and the telephone infrastructure is not good.
You also have difficulty in reaching the clinic because of the damaged Inhlaba Bridge. I am glad to know that you want change to happen faster.
As I sat here watching the different cultural groups performing, I knew that indeed we have shaken of the shackles of bondage. We gather here today as proud descendants of Chief Sigodlo and Ngilandi in the full knowledge that we are a people united in working for change.
Our freedom has made it possible for us to reclaim our history. A history we are proud of. To our father Inkosi Teyane, you and your people can help in continuing research so that we know who we truly are.
As we reconstruct Mpumalanga and reclaim the whole country for all, we break down all the divisions and attitudes of the past. We do so while freeing everyone form the last vestiges of oppression.
Freeing everyone from hunger, disease and want. The challenges facing all of us are to contribute to a complete and rounded picture of the celebration of our heritage.
We must develop a way in which our languages can, through the process, further grow and flourish. So that our experience can be recorded in many different ways, many different voices.
Our success as a nation depends, in no small measures on the conservation of our heritage sites and the preservation of our culture similar to what we are doing today.
As Africans, we are faced with the urgent challenge of re-awakening the continent – the African Renaissance. As all of us know, the word "renaissance" means rebirth, renewal, springing up anew.
Therefore, when we speak of an African Renaissance, we speak of the rebirth and renewal of our continent. In pursuing our goal of an African Awakening we must end poverty and underdevelopment on our Continent.
This is a massive task that will take us some time to accomplish. In partnership with all sectors of society, we must continue to give absolute priority to HIV/AIDS programmes.
We must continue to mobilise popular awareness of the seriousness of the epidemic. All of us must realise that the epidemic is not only a health issue, but also an economic one. We must understand that people living with HIV/AIDS are humans and deserve to be treated with respect?
And that like them, every one of us can become infected?
AIDS is primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. As adults we are not used to talking openly about sex or hearing about sex. We are not used to talking with children about sexual matters. These aspects of our culture, that have made us shy about sex, were developed in different times.
We now have a completely new challenge with HIV. It is a new disease that was not there when our old customs were created.
We MUST use every opportunity openly to discuss the issue of AIDS. As we gather to honour our culture let me once again call upon all the people, councilors and our traditional leaders to work together in order to create a better life for our people.
I am aware that the people of Ebutsini are glad to have taken that first step towards reclaiming their history.
Let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work.
I thank you.