Date: 31/01/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Launch of Moral Charter Campaign
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE MORAL CHARTER CAMPAIGN, Holiday Inn, Kempton Park, 31 January 2003
Honourable Premiers of our Provinces present,
The Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council,
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane and Chairperson of the Moral Regeneration Movement,
The National Co-Coordinator of the Moral Regeneration Movement,
Members of the International Community present,
Representatives of various sectors,
Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honoured for the opportunity to share this moment with you, as we come together yet again to continue building the foundation for a better society.
A lot of work has been done during last year to promote and establish the Moral Regeneration Movement. Structures have been launched in various provinces, and there has been a lot of activity at a community level as well. One year after the launch, the commitment remains strong and unwavering among all of us.
Based on the successful work done so far, we are now moving a step further, and are extending an invitation to all South Africans to participate in the drafting of a Moral Charter. After a lot of deliberations at the launch and by sectors within the movement, it has been felt that we need a Charter which will contain commonly agreed core values and principles, which would serve as broad guidelines for ethical behaviour and ubuntu.
This process is important because while there are various ethical codes within institutions in the private and public sectors, we do not yet have one common Moral Charter which serves as a common guide to all regarding ethical behaviour. The Charter will therefore assist us in shaping and promoting the standards that will build a stronger nation.
We invite all South Africans, as individuals and also collectively as members of different organisations, to make submissions. There are a number of issues that can be looked at. People can, for example, voice their opinions on how they view the role of government, parliament, civil society structures, churches, schools, the media, entertainers, trade unions and others in the building of strong values in our communities.
The proposals and ideas will be captured at forums at local and provincial levels. All contributions from the provinces will be collated at national level and tabled at the First National Conference of the Moral Regeneration Movement to be held in May this year.
We have already seen the immense potential and impact that such a popular campaign can have. You will recall that during 1996, over one million contributions were received on the new constitution of the country. This indicated the readiness of South Africans to be part of the building of a new and better country.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me emphasise that when making our submissions, we need to remember that moral renewal is a positive campaign, which seeks to promote positive values. We need to use the campaign to promote this positive outlook by underlining values such as goodness, honesty, honour, respect, justice, integrity, tolerance, responsibility, diligence, compassion, reconciliation, and ubuntu in our communities.
Other factors, which are not values but which help to encourage good ethical behaviour, are the senses of fear and shame. I believe that as a person, you need to have that fear of something above you, which prevents you from doing something that is wrong.
It could be a fear of God or ancestors, fear of authority or the law and fear of other people and how they would react to news of your misconduct.
Ladies and gentlemen, I must say we all received inspiration from the mood of the past year, and many of us in this gathering would have seen or heard of many communities engaging in activities, which served to enhance ubuntu and renewal throughout our country.
For example, thousands of South Africans actively participated in programmes such as Community Policing Forums, Local Anti-Crime Forums and the Vukuzenzele and Letsema campaigns. We have seen communities rising to the challenge of providing care and support to those who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, through initiatives like the Khomanani Circles of Support. The campaign to fight the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS through encouraging empathy and respect for the dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS also received a lot of support in many communities.
We also noticed the manner in which in many communities, people took up the cause of protecting children against abuse and bringing perpetrators to book, promoting the philosophy of "every child is my child". We have indeed made a good start and need to build on this enthusiasm.
When drawing up our national Moral Charter, we will of course also be guided by our Constitution, in particular the Bill of Rights, which spells out the values such as human dignity, equality, life, freedom and security. Our Constitution, therefore, is a cornerstone which lays out the kinds of values we uphold and which we want all the peoples of the world to identify us with.
The Constitution is also the bedrock of our national unity and nation building, especially insofar as they reflect accountability, openness, equity and multiculturalism. When drawing up our Moral Charter, we should build on these values.
There are a number of other important processes and initiatives that place even further emphasis on our collective commitment to uphold these ideals and values, as part of our national psychology. We also have a number of institutions in place, which seek to prevent and root out corruption, such as the Public Protector, Auditor-General, Public Service Commission as well as various pieces of legislation in this regard.
We also welcome the adoption of the Ubuntu Pledge by the religious fraternity of South Africa. This is a significant development since our religious leaders are entrusted with planting the seeds of our morality and nurturing and sustaining them.
Given the recent negative developments with regard to corporate governance, globally as well as nationally, we welcome the King Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa. It is an affirmation that we are, as Government, civil society and the business community, committed to fight unethical corporate behaviour.
Distinguished guests, it is our national duty, in service to our communities and society, to ensure that within the next three months we produce a living document. We have an exceptional opportunity, through this Moral Charter Campaign, to showcase our passion for the values of our society.
The campaign must come alive in every township, suburb, and village. Moral renewal and moral decay affects us in different ways, which is why a diversity of viewpoints will add a lot of value.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me thank the Moral Regeneration Movement for affording me the honour of performing the official launch of the Campaign for a Moral Charter for South Africa.
Let us all join hands in supporting the campaign. In doing so, we will be building a more humane and caring society, and one in which the distinction between right and wrong will be known by all, and in which respect for human life, human dignity and other values will be entrenched.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
31 January
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Launch of Moral Charter Campaign
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE MORAL CHARTER CAMPAIGN, Holiday Inn, Kempton Park, 31 January 2003
Honourable Premiers of our Provinces present,
The Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council,
The Executive Mayor of Tshwane and Chairperson of the Moral Regeneration Movement,
The National Co-Coordinator of the Moral Regeneration Movement,
Members of the International Community present,
Representatives of various sectors,
Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honoured for the opportunity to share this moment with you, as we come together yet again to continue building the foundation for a better society.
A lot of work has been done during last year to promote and establish the Moral Regeneration Movement. Structures have been launched in various provinces, and there has been a lot of activity at a community level as well. One year after the launch, the commitment remains strong and unwavering among all of us.
Based on the successful work done so far, we are now moving a step further, and are extending an invitation to all South Africans to participate in the drafting of a Moral Charter. After a lot of deliberations at the launch and by sectors within the movement, it has been felt that we need a Charter which will contain commonly agreed core values and principles, which would serve as broad guidelines for ethical behaviour and ubuntu.
This process is important because while there are various ethical codes within institutions in the private and public sectors, we do not yet have one common Moral Charter which serves as a common guide to all regarding ethical behaviour. The Charter will therefore assist us in shaping and promoting the standards that will build a stronger nation.
We invite all South Africans, as individuals and also collectively as members of different organisations, to make submissions. There are a number of issues that can be looked at. People can, for example, voice their opinions on how they view the role of government, parliament, civil society structures, churches, schools, the media, entertainers, trade unions and others in the building of strong values in our communities.
The proposals and ideas will be captured at forums at local and provincial levels. All contributions from the provinces will be collated at national level and tabled at the First National Conference of the Moral Regeneration Movement to be held in May this year.
We have already seen the immense potential and impact that such a popular campaign can have. You will recall that during 1996, over one million contributions were received on the new constitution of the country. This indicated the readiness of South Africans to be part of the building of a new and better country.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me emphasise that when making our submissions, we need to remember that moral renewal is a positive campaign, which seeks to promote positive values. We need to use the campaign to promote this positive outlook by underlining values such as goodness, honesty, honour, respect, justice, integrity, tolerance, responsibility, diligence, compassion, reconciliation, and ubuntu in our communities.
Other factors, which are not values but which help to encourage good ethical behaviour, are the senses of fear and shame. I believe that as a person, you need to have that fear of something above you, which prevents you from doing something that is wrong.
It could be a fear of God or ancestors, fear of authority or the law and fear of other people and how they would react to news of your misconduct.
Ladies and gentlemen, I must say we all received inspiration from the mood of the past year, and many of us in this gathering would have seen or heard of many communities engaging in activities, which served to enhance ubuntu and renewal throughout our country.
For example, thousands of South Africans actively participated in programmes such as Community Policing Forums, Local Anti-Crime Forums and the Vukuzenzele and Letsema campaigns. We have seen communities rising to the challenge of providing care and support to those who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, through initiatives like the Khomanani Circles of Support. The campaign to fight the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS through encouraging empathy and respect for the dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS also received a lot of support in many communities.
We also noticed the manner in which in many communities, people took up the cause of protecting children against abuse and bringing perpetrators to book, promoting the philosophy of "every child is my child". We have indeed made a good start and need to build on this enthusiasm.
When drawing up our national Moral Charter, we will of course also be guided by our Constitution, in particular the Bill of Rights, which spells out the values such as human dignity, equality, life, freedom and security. Our Constitution, therefore, is a cornerstone which lays out the kinds of values we uphold and which we want all the peoples of the world to identify us with.
The Constitution is also the bedrock of our national unity and nation building, especially insofar as they reflect accountability, openness, equity and multiculturalism. When drawing up our Moral Charter, we should build on these values.
There are a number of other important processes and initiatives that place even further emphasis on our collective commitment to uphold these ideals and values, as part of our national psychology. We also have a number of institutions in place, which seek to prevent and root out corruption, such as the Public Protector, Auditor-General, Public Service Commission as well as various pieces of legislation in this regard.
We also welcome the adoption of the Ubuntu Pledge by the religious fraternity of South Africa. This is a significant development since our religious leaders are entrusted with planting the seeds of our morality and nurturing and sustaining them.
Given the recent negative developments with regard to corporate governance, globally as well as nationally, we welcome the King Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa. It is an affirmation that we are, as Government, civil society and the business community, committed to fight unethical corporate behaviour.
Distinguished guests, it is our national duty, in service to our communities and society, to ensure that within the next three months we produce a living document. We have an exceptional opportunity, through this Moral Charter Campaign, to showcase our passion for the values of our society.
The campaign must come alive in every township, suburb, and village. Moral renewal and moral decay affects us in different ways, which is why a diversity of viewpoints will add a lot of value.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me thank the Moral Regeneration Movement for affording me the honour of performing the official launch of the Campaign for a Moral Charter for South Africa.
Let us all join hands in supporting the campaign. In doing so, we will be building a more humane and caring society, and one in which the distinction between right and wrong will be known by all, and in which respect for human life, human dignity and other values will be entrenched.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
31 January
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