Date: 27/09/2006
Source: The Presidency
Title: Chikane: National Orders award ceremony
Opening remarks by the Chancellor of National Orders, Reverend Frank Chikane, at the National Orders awards ceremony, Union Buildings
The President of the Republic of South Africa,
The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Advocate Bulelani Ngcuka,
Distinguished nominees of the orders of Mendi for bravery, Ikhamanga and Mapungubwe,
Representatives of nominees, who are not with us,
Families and friends of the nominees of the orders,
Honourable Ministers and Premiers,
Your Excellencies, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ambassadors and high commissioners,
The honourable Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and Deputy Ministers,
The Chief Whip of the ruling party in the National Assembly,
Honourable leaders of political parties represented in our parliament and members of parliament,
Chairpersons of our Chapter Nine Commissions, The Chairperson of the Public Service Commission,
Chairperson of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Khosi Kutama,
Heads of national departments,
The executive mayors of the Johannesburg and Tshwane Metropolitan councils,
Members of the Advisory Council for National Orders,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a very great privilege for me to welcome you to this award ceremony for National Orders. We appreciate the time you have taken to honour us with your presence.
Special reference has to be made of Dr Albertinah Luthuli who is here to grace this occasion with her presence. As you would know, their family has granted us the right to use the Luthuli name for one of our National Orders: The order of Luthuli. We are pleased that the nation was allowed to honour the family in this special way.
We must also mention the members of the Advisory Council on National Orders, not only for their presence here today, but for the sterling work they are doing in advising and assisting the chancellor and the patron of National Orders in carrying out their responsibilities. We would like to thank them for the extra-ordinary service they are offering freely to the people of South Africa.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we gather in this auspicious place, Mr President, profoundly thankful to those who have distinguished themselves in the highest causes of our freed nation in so many sterling ways. As you would know Mr President they include the brave, the literate, the artistic, the musical, they include the profound thinkers, the great healers, the superbly athletic, the unforgettable entertainers, they include the great men and women of historic struggle and they include others of note all of whom have made their indelible mark on our land.
Those who shall receive the orders of Mendi, of Ikhamanga and Mapungubwe, will stand as exemplars in the bright light of the very portals of the 'age of hope' that is inexorably unfolding before us. Their toil, their dedication and their commitment, past and present will help to light up our way as this remarkable 'age of hope' marches towards the 13th year of our freedom.
We can now say that we have long since thrown off the yoke of enforced apartheid, yet, even more than this now we need to strive harder to live up to the ideals wrought in the fire of principled negotiation of the early 1990s. We need progressively to end apartheid of the mind to end its informal spillover to our present times. We need to fill in the gaps in our national mosaic and we need most particularly to feed, house, care and provide safety and employment and good health, indeed hope itself for the hungry, the dejected, the threatened, the sick and the afflicted.
As we do this, we gain inspiration from the splendid human material that is so boldly reflected here today. We know that delivery remains the watchword of the nation and we know that those who stand before us, those who shall be honoured today will help us to achieve a truly noble and essential success.
So we remain steadfastly "united in our destiny", as our Constitution requires. We know that without one another we have no South African nation as we have come to know it. Without fulfilling the great material and spiritual ideals unleashed in 1994, we shall risk stumbling and falling. We need to humble ourselves before one another offering and accepting atonement for past wrongdoing in the time of apartheid and committing ourselves to never letting injustice run amok in our land again.
We are mindful of these things and more as we move towards the end of a year commemorating remarkable watershed events in our history that inspire us to move ever forward in a spirit of humility, reflection and dedication.
The President, government and people of South Africa will offer the warmest of good wishes to those to be honoured here today and to the families, friends and guests who form such an important part of this procession of hope in these portals.
The honoured themselves help us to be what we so earnestly need to be: 'a nation united in diversity; a nation that truly cares; a nation that is well on track to an honest, respected and successful future'.
We should be acutely conscious of the fact that this procession of hope which we shall see unfolding before us today encapsulates the very finest values of our nation. We draw strength as an ever-uniting people from the nation-building efforts of those to be honoured that were active in totally different disciplines and pursuits. Some of them bravely opposed past injustice and rapacious colonialism and paid a heavy price. We draw strength from the singular patriotism inherent in the prowess of those who showed such immense courage and persistence to reach the highest peaks of achievement physically for their country. We draw strength from the melodies, choral excellence, orchestration, art, acting and words of inspired, creative people so different yet so united in their national impact. We draw strength from the medical and scientific skills and insights which gave us hope of good health and a better life. In these and other ways, we are not only inspired to greater heights of achievement ourselves, we are also inspired in a spirit of genuine introspection to examine ourselves, to measure our efforts against these impeccable norms and to keep up the pace of perfecting and deepening our beloved democracy.
In this spirit, as Chancellor of these orders, I bid you all the warmest of welcomes! We are thrilled that you are here and we appreciate the long distances that you have traversed and the obstacles and personal considerations that you have overcome to be in our midst today.
I am now honoured, Mr President, to present to you the nominees for the National Orders who were duly nominated and approved to receive the orders as prescribed. I hereby invite you, Mr President, to commence with the honours ceremony in this, our Heritage Month.
Issued by: The Presidency
27 September 2006
Source: The Presidency
Title: Chikane: National Orders award ceremony
Opening remarks by the Chancellor of National Orders, Reverend Frank Chikane, at the National Orders awards ceremony, Union Buildings
The President of the Republic of South Africa,
The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Advocate Bulelani Ngcuka,
Distinguished nominees of the orders of Mendi for bravery, Ikhamanga and Mapungubwe,
Representatives of nominees, who are not with us,
Families and friends of the nominees of the orders,
Honourable Ministers and Premiers,
Your Excellencies, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ambassadors and high commissioners,
The honourable Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and Deputy Ministers,
The Chief Whip of the ruling party in the National Assembly,
Honourable leaders of political parties represented in our parliament and members of parliament,
Chairpersons of our Chapter Nine Commissions, The Chairperson of the Public Service Commission,
Chairperson of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Khosi Kutama,
Heads of national departments,
The executive mayors of the Johannesburg and Tshwane Metropolitan councils,
Members of the Advisory Council for National Orders,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a very great privilege for me to welcome you to this award ceremony for National Orders. We appreciate the time you have taken to honour us with your presence.
Special reference has to be made of Dr Albertinah Luthuli who is here to grace this occasion with her presence. As you would know, their family has granted us the right to use the Luthuli name for one of our National Orders: The order of Luthuli. We are pleased that the nation was allowed to honour the family in this special way.
We must also mention the members of the Advisory Council on National Orders, not only for their presence here today, but for the sterling work they are doing in advising and assisting the chancellor and the patron of National Orders in carrying out their responsibilities. We would like to thank them for the extra-ordinary service they are offering freely to the people of South Africa.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we gather in this auspicious place, Mr President, profoundly thankful to those who have distinguished themselves in the highest causes of our freed nation in so many sterling ways. As you would know Mr President they include the brave, the literate, the artistic, the musical, they include the profound thinkers, the great healers, the superbly athletic, the unforgettable entertainers, they include the great men and women of historic struggle and they include others of note all of whom have made their indelible mark on our land.
Those who shall receive the orders of Mendi, of Ikhamanga and Mapungubwe, will stand as exemplars in the bright light of the very portals of the 'age of hope' that is inexorably unfolding before us. Their toil, their dedication and their commitment, past and present will help to light up our way as this remarkable 'age of hope' marches towards the 13th year of our freedom.
We can now say that we have long since thrown off the yoke of enforced apartheid, yet, even more than this now we need to strive harder to live up to the ideals wrought in the fire of principled negotiation of the early 1990s. We need progressively to end apartheid of the mind to end its informal spillover to our present times. We need to fill in the gaps in our national mosaic and we need most particularly to feed, house, care and provide safety and employment and good health, indeed hope itself for the hungry, the dejected, the threatened, the sick and the afflicted.
As we do this, we gain inspiration from the splendid human material that is so boldly reflected here today. We know that delivery remains the watchword of the nation and we know that those who stand before us, those who shall be honoured today will help us to achieve a truly noble and essential success.
So we remain steadfastly "united in our destiny", as our Constitution requires. We know that without one another we have no South African nation as we have come to know it. Without fulfilling the great material and spiritual ideals unleashed in 1994, we shall risk stumbling and falling. We need to humble ourselves before one another offering and accepting atonement for past wrongdoing in the time of apartheid and committing ourselves to never letting injustice run amok in our land again.
We are mindful of these things and more as we move towards the end of a year commemorating remarkable watershed events in our history that inspire us to move ever forward in a spirit of humility, reflection and dedication.
The President, government and people of South Africa will offer the warmest of good wishes to those to be honoured here today and to the families, friends and guests who form such an important part of this procession of hope in these portals.
The honoured themselves help us to be what we so earnestly need to be: 'a nation united in diversity; a nation that truly cares; a nation that is well on track to an honest, respected and successful future'.
We should be acutely conscious of the fact that this procession of hope which we shall see unfolding before us today encapsulates the very finest values of our nation. We draw strength as an ever-uniting people from the nation-building efforts of those to be honoured that were active in totally different disciplines and pursuits. Some of them bravely opposed past injustice and rapacious colonialism and paid a heavy price. We draw strength from the singular patriotism inherent in the prowess of those who showed such immense courage and persistence to reach the highest peaks of achievement physically for their country. We draw strength from the melodies, choral excellence, orchestration, art, acting and words of inspired, creative people so different yet so united in their national impact. We draw strength from the medical and scientific skills and insights which gave us hope of good health and a better life. In these and other ways, we are not only inspired to greater heights of achievement ourselves, we are also inspired in a spirit of genuine introspection to examine ourselves, to measure our efforts against these impeccable norms and to keep up the pace of perfecting and deepening our beloved democracy.
In this spirit, as Chancellor of these orders, I bid you all the warmest of welcomes! We are thrilled that you are here and we appreciate the long distances that you have traversed and the obstacles and personal considerations that you have overcome to be in our midst today.
I am now honoured, Mr President, to present to you the nominees for the National Orders who were duly nominated and approved to receive the orders as prescribed. I hereby invite you, Mr President, to commence with the honours ceremony in this, our Heritage Month.
Issued by: The Presidency
27 September 2006
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
