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Date
: 01/07/2004
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: M Gigaba: KwaDukuza Mayoral Awards Launch
SPEECH BY DEPUTY MINISTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR
MALUSI GIGABA, AT THE KWADUKUZA MAYORAL AWARDS LAUNCH, HOTEL IZULU,
Ballito, 1 July 2004
Master of Ceremonies
His Worship, the Mayor of KwaDukuza Municipality
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am honoured to have been invited to this grand evening of the
prestigious launch of the Mayoral Awards. There is no doubt that
this function fits in perfectly within the vision of the
fundamental transformation of our society. Through it, this
municipality is embracing the developmental agenda of our
government, giving concrete effect to the concept of a
people-centred and people-driven processes of change, a People's
Contract at work for a better life! The central question for every
municipal government system is the creation of caring and humane
cities that belong to all of us who live in them, black and
white.
In this regard, we are guided by the perspective that we are a
government founded upon the popular will of the majority, that,
therefore, we selflessly work for the upliftment of these masses of
the people and, towards this end, we work alongside them precisely
because these masses are in actual fact their own liberators, the
masters of their own destinies. The recognition of this fact means
that our government both recognises the genius of the ordinary
masses of the people and always strives to forge joint action with
them in pursuit of the goals of transformation and development, the
goals that these masses themselves have identified as their own
priorities.
We work with the people and listen to them for we know this for
sure that they possess answers to most of the problems that they
confront. Our actions as a local government must make the
inevitable statement that ours is a government of the people, by
the people, and for the people. They must make real the vision that
- The People Shall Govern!
Acting together with the masses of the people, our Councillors and
municipal servants must forge a People's Contract for the creation
of a better life, to allow these people to provide solutions to the
challenges that they themselves face. Accordingly, vital to this
broad front for transformation is the veritable empowerment of the
masses of the people to be able to provide this leadership
themselves, so that they are able to take informed and independent
decisions in order to enhance democracy. The type of government
systems we are creating plays a direct role in the act of the
upliftment of quality of life of the people, and recognises that to
fulfil its social, economic and political roles it must harness the
genius of the people, in the true spirit of Vuk' uzenzele.
This type of democratic system of governance is thus predicated on
the principle of inclusion, especially of the majority that were
hitherto removed from the act of the exercise of power. In the
past, not even white people themselves were exempted from
separation from the exercise of power, precisely because the
apartheid architects and lunatics did not trust them too that they
would always take the right decisions in defence of white
supremacy. The historic duty of the new system of local government
is to facilitate the empowerment and liberation of the people, at
the level of government closest to them, where they can, jointly
with their democratically elected representatives, exercise power
in pursuit of all-round development.
This People's Contract for a better life is widely recognised as
vital to the notion of the developmental state, including at local
government level, and is more effective in the pursuit of all the
political, social and economic roles of local government. For that
reason, the initiative of the community and municipal staff of
KwaDukuza to improve service delivery and the betterment of the
lives of the people of this municipality needs to be commended and
correctly to be honoured by the first citizen of the Municipality
and by our government as a whole.
Their actions adhere to the notion of the People's Contract, the
spirit, culture and practice of Vuk' uzenzele! I wish to urge this
municipality to continue to find innovative ways both to fulfil its
political, social and economic mandate, as well as to engage masses
of people in that effort. You must also pay urgent attention to the
matter of continuing to improve our system of governance, and to
raise its capacity to implement its programmes, and to monitor and
evaluate that implementation.
In your conduct, always raise high the banner of Batho Pele, Abantu
Phambili, always emphasising the practice of efficiency,
effectiveness, transparency and accountability, including waging a
principled, rabid and sustained campaign against corruption.
Further to achieve this goal of a people-centred and people-driven
transformation, we must strengthen our systems of Ward Committees
so that they are able to assist the government to deliver
effectively and efficiently through creating the platform for the
people to exercise their power, in line with the vision - The
People Shall Govern!
Accordingly, we must make sure that the Ward Committees meet
regularly and perform all their intended functions by closing the
gap between the aspirations of the masses and the decision-making
and implementation of government. The government must be part of
the people as they take decisions, and the people must be part of
government as it implements, monitors and values these
programmes.
None can dare contradict us in our assertion that the success of
the new system of governance depends exactly on this matter of
collective action between the masses of the people and their
government in the common pursuit of the goals of a better life for
all. I wish to congratulate His Worship, as well as the municipal
staff and the community both for these bold initiatives as well as
for the Mayoral Awards being launched tonight.
I Thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Home Affairs
1 July 2004
Source: Department of Home Affairs
(http://www.home-affairs.gov.za)
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