SPEECH BY PREMIER
Programme Director,
Mong-mobu Kgosi Makwe Stephen Chaane,
Makgosi
Matona
Bakgomana
The Mayor and Councillors,
Veterans of the struggle
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.
Sechaba sa ga Seabe, ke a le dumedisa!
Let me take this opportunity to thank the Royal House and the people of the Bakgatla ba Seabe most humbly for having invited us to this occasion
It is an honour and a privilege for me to officiate at the inauguration of the Kgosi of the BaKgatla ba Seabe. This day marks a very important milestone in the history of this noble community and the Mpumalanga Province as a whole.
When I took office in 1999 some of the first matters that crossed my table were dealing with the issue of lineage of several Royal Houses in the province.
It had to be so. You see, the arrival of colonialists in 1652 brought with it land dispossession, social exploitation and political marginalisation of the indigenous people.
Our wealth was stolen from us, our people were subjugated and their land plundered and shared amongst strangers. Not satisfied with that those who proclaimed themselves to be our masters, went about distorting our history and our culture so badly that those amongst our noble kings who refused to toe their line were summarily dismissed and new toy chiefs installed.
But today we meet to install and not to dethrone; to promote unity and not division; to forge a common nationhood and not exclusive privilege. To unite the Bakgatla ba Seabe behind their one and only leader.
Programme Director, the efforts of uniting the Bakgatla ba Seabe did not start today. When I was approached to assist in the process of building unity amongst the people here, the first thing was to look at the Bakgatla ba Seabe Customary Law. I am sure you know that there were four houses contesting the chieftaincy.
The house of Alexandra, Sebadi, Ntepane and Adolphina. After carefully going through the Customary Law, and after numerous consultations with you and your leaders, I approached the House of Traditional Leaders in the Legislature. Like my office they agreed that the rightful heir to bana baPhopolo ‘a banna ba Ramoshitwane, Batho ba bo Mmakhukhune ‘a boMatlaisane ‘a bo lesoba letswamotho Diragamello ya batho, Dikopye tse dithatha tsa bo Malatse le Moemise Batho ba bo lentswe'-mpidibidi, letsamya le kataka mapolomane, Ba bo Ntokolane'a Tlhabiso' .
Must indeed come from the house of Adolphina. As we install Kgosi Stephen Makwe Chaane as your leader, let me remind you about the wise words of King Moshoeshoe. At a great Pitso in 1841, King Moshoshoe declared to his people: "my body belongs to you”. He knew that a Kgosi is a servant of the people.
And he meant it because he was always aware that he was a King by the grace of the people and that his actions and decisions were limited by the general will of his followers. He won a reputation for justice and generosity, and never maintained his authority by force. He treated his people with consideration and respect.
Programme Director, we must all facilitate and steer the economic development of our community.
Councillors must ensure that people have clean water, health facilities, schools, well-serviced roads and other amenities. But they can only do that when traditional leadership, local government and the community, including the business community, collaborate in concerted efforts to change the lives of our people.
The Kgosi and the local municipality must roll their sleeves and work together towards the improvement of the lives of the Seabe community.
We therefore trust and hope that the installation of Kgosi Chaane would anchor peace and tranquility among this wonderful community.
Kgosi Chaane, your leadership must be founded on values of transparency and popular involvement of the resident of this wonderful piece of land. You must re-ignite a sense of belonging to the Bakgatla ba Seabe.
To the nation, You fought life and death struggles for the birth of a democratic society. But then you have a moral and political obligation to defend the gains we have made this far. This is a fundamental task facing all progressive forces in the country.
As government, in partnership with the traditional leaders and the people, we have gone a long way in improving the lives of the people.
Let me say to you, we area ware of your problems. We know that the road from Seabe to Bingley and Seabe to Kalkfontein is not in a good condition and that the streets are not tarred but graveled. I am aware of your complaint about crime, sports amenities, pension payout points, lack of housing and a library. But then we have done something and will continue to do something.
Look at the vegetable production nectars project worth R80 000. There is the Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centre which was built at a cost of more than R2m.
You have the Primary School Nutrition Intervention programme and a number of schools have been renovated or are in the process of upgrading. The Kgobe school will benefit to the tune of more than R2-m; Madiboane for over R58 000.
Mmadimo at a cost of more than R27 000 and Ramanchane at a cost of over R27 000. The Seabe clinic will be extended. Now that is progress. We may not have touched everybody, but a start has been made. The country is in the hands of the people. Let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work.
Finally, let me appeal to all of us here today 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. It is an epidemic which we ignore at our peril.
In conclusion, let me once again express my heartfelt gratitude to the organisers of these celebrations for the invitation extended to us to share with you. Allow me therefore to pronounce for the nation to know that His Majesty Makwe Stephen Chaane is a Kgosi of the community of Ga Seabe.
He must lead this community with vision and wisdom that will bring prosperity to all.
I wish Kgosi Chaane the best.
I thank you.