ADDRESS BY PREMIER
Master of Ceremonies
MEC Busi Coleman
Ehlanzeni Executive Mayor Mr Jerry Ngomane
Community Builders
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.
I am both honoured and flattered to have been asked to speak at this wonderful occasion.
Allow me to congratulate all the finalists and their families and friends for supporting them in their service to the community. Working hard and expecting nothing in return.
It is almost like yesterday when the Sowetan piloted the Nation Building Project. At the helm of the project was a young and promising journalist by the name of Sam Mabe. A bullet snuffed out his life a few years ago. But his dream lives on.
Allow me to thank the Sowetan and all private sector companies that contributed to the growth and development of an idea and a vision Sam Mabe held dearly.
As finalists, and as nominees you have put the interest and plight of other people first. In your work you have displayed leadership, community service, and character. These are not idle attributes. They are the core of a fulfilled and fulfilling life.
The most important thing to remember is that each of these characteristics are the sum of many individual decisions. They embody a positive attitude backed by purpose. The only way to achieve your purpose is to take small actions everyday. In the end, they all add up.
My hope for you is that you will cultivate this attitude backed by purpose in your own life. Leadership is not about being elected or appointed to an office. The office does not teach someone how to be a leader. Leadership is an attitude cultivated over time.
Are you one to stand up for what you believe in and 'face the music' even when that music happens to be unpleasant?
Do you have a purpose and follow that purpose to get the ends you desire? Do you have a vision? These are all questions that true leaders answer in the affirmative. But how do you become a leader?
Each small decision you make takes you one step closer. Remember the goal is not to get power, but to get your vision and your purpose across.
Leaders without visions can be likened to driving in a strange town without a road map: you are going to wind up somewhere; it just might not be in the best part of town. Community service is not a means to an end. Some might see it as a way to get service points while socializing
Others may view it as an unfortunate (and often inconvenient) necessity. But is that true community service?
Once again true community service is an attitude. Are you doing it for the right reasons?
There may be days when some of you felt you would rather sleep your heart on a Saturday than help your neighbour. But then there was always that driving force that said to you GO! GO!
In the end, when it is all done, and you are once again well rested, you looked back and said: “I did something worthwhile. I helped my neighbour in some way”.
Let's talk about character. If there is any one thing that is evidenced by your daily choices it is your character.
I truly believe what Thomas Macaulay said, "The measure of one's real character is what one would do if one knew one would never be found out." Let us look at a situation which some of you may have been in at one stage or the other – writing exams.
What do you do when no one's around? The teacher steps out of the room for a moment while you are taking a test. You know exactly where in your notes the answer to question 23 is. Do you look? Minimal chance of being caught! The answer to this question is the key to your true character.
For while being honest and honourable when others are watching is important, being true to yourself is more important. And in the end, these private day-to-day decisions will eventually reveal your true character to the world.
While it would be easier to slide through life without a purpose, without a code, it would not be fulfilling. Only by setting difficult goals and achieving them can we find true self-worth.
I know that you are all proud to be here today .But that what should make you the most proud is not the actual honour itself, but what you had to do to get it.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." Any recognition is just the icing on the cake, not to be expected but definitely to be enjoyed.
However, I challenge you not to rest on your laurels but to continue to strive towards even loftier goals. Horace Mann challenges us to: "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
I would encourage all of you to let Horace Mann's challenge work on your conscience. And I can promise you that if you accept this challenge, you will find a deeper sense of fulfillment and you will meet lots of interesting people who will enrich your life beyond what you thought was possible.
History is calling your generation to put right the injustices that afflict our nation and world.
So I call you to come forward, and lead us to a better society where the basic needs of a decent home, nourishment, a quality education and health care are secured for every citizen of this province.
Come forward with a vibrant spirit of inclusiveness, and say no to racism, sexism, no to homophobia and all forms of bigotry and discrimination and say yes to sisterhood and brotherhood of all humankind.
Come forward not with anger and bitterness, but with a healing and hopeful heart, with unity and determination to make a more loving world. In meeting this commitment, you will not only make a better community, nation and world but a stronger and more fulfilled person of yourself.
To the young men and women nominated for these awards let me say, 21 st century South Africa belongs to you. Take care of it.It is very important, however, that you take the time and become informed about the critical issues that will shape the 21st century.
Take the time to read up on the issues, consult with people who are well informed and tap the power of the Internet in researching all aspects of the issues. In the spirit the late Sam Mabe let us embrace anew an energetic recommitment to serve.
Let us go forward with the faith that Sam Mabe's dream lives on. The dream lives on in our hearts when we struggle for a better life for all. The dream lives on whenever we reach out to feed the hungry and house the homeless, whenever people of different races and religions work and pray and break bread together at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood.
We CAN fulfill the dream of Sam Mabe if we mobilise our collective human, economic and organisational resources for a new era of healing and hope for all.
No it won't be easy, and yes it will be expensive. But I have to believe that God put us here in this province to create an irresistible example of a loving and just society where all people can live together in peace and harmony.
With this commitment, let us now join together, united and determined to build a beloved community rooted in a radiant spirit of justice, compassion and love.
And, finally, let me once again offer my congratulations and, as your Premier, my gratitude to all of you for your commitment, for challenges conquered, for projects completed, for goals reached and even surpassed.
You, your spouses, your families, your parents and your friends should be very proud today, and very hopeful, for all the possibilities of this new age are open to you.
I am glad that you have realised that to make the very most of your life and the opportunities you have been given, you, too, rose to your responsibility to give something back.
To the young men and women: You have a lifetime of chances in your grasp right now. Don't lose any of them. Don't give up the chance to take a risk, follow a vision, hug a child, touch a life. Each of you has visions of success for your future.
Let me close. I am an optimist about the future. I honestly and truly believe that our best days are yet to come.
So I would say to you, be bold in your dreaming, be bold in your living, be bold in your caring, your compassion and your humanity.
Thank you and God bless you all.