Date: 08/07/2009

Source: African National Congress

Title: ANC: Motshekga: Speech by the ANC chief whip on Nelson Mandela Day, Parliament

Upon his release on 11 February 1990, Mandela devoted himself whole heartedly into his life and work, to strive to attain democratic values and principles which founding fathers and mothers of the ANC set out almost four decades earlier.

Mandela has never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality
and learning. Despite terrible provocation, he has never answered
racism with racism. His life has been an inspiration in South
Africa and throughout the world to all who are oppressed and
deprived and to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation.

In a life that symbolises the triumph of the human spirit over
man's inhumanity to man, Nelson Mandela accepted the 1993 Noble
Peace Award on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and
sacrificed much to bring peace to our land. The progressive values
and principles that Mandela embodied became abundantly evident in
his 1993 Nobel Peace Lecture.
First and foremost he acknowledged other recipients of this award
including Chief Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Martin
Luther King Jnr and Frederick Willem De Klerk. He pointed out in
particular that Martin Luther King Jnr grappled and died in an
effort to make a contribution to the just solution of the same
great issues of the day which we have had to face as Africans.

Madiba summed up this issues in more definite and empathic way:
We speak here of the challenge of the dichotomies of war and peace,
violence and non-violence, racism and human dignity, oppression and
repression, liberty and human rights, poverty and freedom from
want.

We stand here today as nothing more than as representatives of
more the millions of our people who had to rise up against a social
system whose very essence is war, violence, racism, oppression,
repression and impoverishment of an entire people. I am also here
today as a representative of the millions of people across the
globe, the anti-apartheid movement, the government and
organisations that joined with us not to fight against apartheid
South Africa as a country or any of its people, but to oppose an
inhuman system and seek for a speedy end to the apartheid crime
against humanity.

The countless human beings, both inside and outside the country
had the nobility of spirit to stand in the path of tyranny and
injustice without seeking selfish gain. They recognised that an
injury to one is an injury to all and therefore acted together in
defence of justice and a common human decency.

Mandela believed that the triumph over the inhuman system of
Apartheid would finally bring to a close a history of five hundred
years of African colonisation and mark a great step forward in
history and also serve as a common pledge of the peoples of the
world to fight racism wherever it occurs and whatever guise it
assumes. He honoured those who scarified everything for liberty,
peace, human dignity and human upliftment.

Madiba made a call that we devote what remains of our life to
the use of our country's unique and painful experience to
demonstrate, in practice, that the normal condition for human
existence is democracy, justice, peace, non-sexism, prosperity for
everybody, healthy environment, equality and solidarity among the
peoples. He ensured that the 1993 Interim Constitution enshrined
the spiritual philosophy of Ubuntu and its inherent principles of
equality, freedom and justice for all which found further
expression in our 1996 Constitution.

Nelson Mandela cherishes the hope that this 21st century, this
African century would at last be the century of the triumph of
world peace and global caring. To that end, he calls on all of us
to carry the flag of the belief in our common humanity and to live
out that belief in action even in conditions and circumstances
where the opposite sentiment dominates.

In his State of the Nation Address, President Zuma reiterated
Madiba's Ubuntu values and principles and made them an integral
part of the agenda for this Parliament and his administration. He
linked the legacy of his predecessors, in particular, Nelson
Mandela, in the following terms: “Since 1994 we have sought to
create a united cohesive society out of our fragmented past. We are
called upon to continue this mission of promoting unity in
diversity and to develop a shared value system, based on the spirit
of community solidarity and a caring society. Our shared value
system should encourage us to become active citizens in the renewal
of our country. We must build a common national identity and
patriotism.

In his response to the debate on the State of the Nation
Address, President Zuma referred to the recovery of humanity of all
people as a “guiding tenet of the ANC for the many decades of its
existence. It will be a central feature of our shared efforts over
the term of this government, because we know that working together
we can do more to build a great South Africa. Decent work and a
steadily improving quality of life are essential for the recovery
of the humanity of all people.

So too is the empowerment through access to quality education
and skills development, safe water, affordable energy, decent
shelter, and cohesive and vibrant communities are similarly all
important for the recovery of this humanity. To be treated with
respect and dignity by one's fellow citizen and by those who have
the responsibility of providing public service is important for the
recovery of our humanity.

Central to this recovery of our humanity is also the need for
access to economic opportunities and to earn a living. That is why
we are determined to lessen the impact of the economic downturn on
the most vulnerable.

In this context, President Zuma not only made the legacy of the
founders of democracy and Nelson Mandela in particular, the
foundation of our value-centred society but also ably linked the
priorities of his administration to Ubuntu values and principles.
In this way, President Zuma succeeded in putting the legacy of
Madiba on the agenda of both Parliament and his administration.

We trust that the Nelson Mandela month in July will serve as a
common national platform to serve humanity and to deepen and
entrench the spiritual philosophy of Ubuntu and its inherent values
of equality, freedom and justice for all.