Date: 24/09/2003
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Mabona on behalf of Mahlangu: Erholweni Soil-Turning Ceremony
ADDRESS BY MEC JS MABONA AT THE ERHOLWENI SOIL-TURNING CEREMONY ON BEHALF OF PREMIER NJ MAHLANGU, Erholweni, Roossenekal, 24 September 2003
His Royal Highness Ingwenyama Mayisha II
Your Excellencies, Magoshi nama Khosi Amakhosana nezinduna
Honourable members of the Provincial Government
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ngijame langaphambi kwenu ngijamela uNdunakulu uNdaweni Mahlangu.
Thank you most humbly for inviting us to speak to you on this very important occasion of the launch of the annual Erholweni Ceremony, which we will hold on 19 December. A function that is aimed at commemorating and restoring the Ndebele cultural heritage and putting the history of the Ndebele in perspective.
It is fitting that the Soil-Turning Ceremony is held here at this hallow terrain - on the very plains where our forefathers fought pitched battles in defence of encroaching colonialism and land theft. It was on this plains and valleys that they said "no!" to colonialism. Despite been outgunned they laid down their lives so you and me could be free. They laid down their lives in defence of their dignity, their land and their freedom.
Also of significance is the fact that we hold this ceremony twelve days before the 115th anniversary of the declaration of war by the Boers against King Nyabela and his amaNdebele of Ndzundza who were then living I these caves. It was on 7 October 1882 that the Boer forces of the Transvaal declared war against Ingonyama under the pretext that they were trying to arrest Prince Mampuru wesizwe samaPedi.
In an attempt to flush out our people from the caves the enemy even used dynamite. But this did not work. It was during this war that lasted several months that we saw lightning strike one of the Boer's fortresses, Fort Nuwie Jaar, killing one of the defenders. It was also during this war Boer Forces' Field Cornet Stephanus Roos was shot in the head while trying to flush out our people from these caves.
Today we meet again in these caves as proud descendants of those valiant fighters Unyabela, Umabhoko, Usilamba, Umagodongo - in a different setting, in a different era, to plan for peace and not war; to promote unity and not division; to forge a common nationhood and not exclusive privilege.
We also meet to assert the humanity of persons one to the other; to seek unity and reconciliation; to set shoulders to the wheel in building a better life for all. We are mindful of the fact that the journey to where we are today has not been easy. But all of us persevered because we knew that what we had set out on was the right road.
As we enter the final months before the 10th anniversary of our democracy, we do so under the full knowledge that we are a proud and different nation. No more the chains of slavery - no more the pain and hardships of apartheid rule.
As a people we have begun to emerge into a nation confident of itself, aware of its immense possibilities. We are a people prepared to do extra-ordinary things to attain the goal that comes from creating a better quality of life for all.
Our freedom has made it possible for us to reclaim our history. A history we are proud of. The victory that we have scored against apartheid has laid the firm basis for all the people of South Africa to unite across colour, language, ethnic and religious barriers.
It has launched us on the course of realising our true potential. We are a nation of diverse people and like beads we have realised that unless we are strung together, our beauty and resilience will not stand out. As Ndebele-speaking people we have those things that make us uniquely Ndebele. Ukuthomba, iQude, Ukuwela, ukusoma, ukuphothela, ukugayela - all these are things that make us proud to be Ndebele and proudly South African.
As South Africans we live side-by-side with people who speak Afrikaans, isiSwati, isiZulu and many other different languages. They also have different cultures, traditions and norms from ours. But this does not make us enemies. Our diversity unites us. It is a melting of all these different qualities without losing or shedding one's identity that makes us uniquely South African.
Before 1994 we were a country divided as those who thought they would rule over us forever sought to exploit our differences and using these to keep us apart and at war with each other.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we gather here today to celebrate and prepare for our annual celebrations on 19 December, the challenges facing all of us is to contribute to a complete and rounded picture of this celebration and others we will hold. Certainly that complete and rounded perspective cannot be contained only in political speeches, song, dance, poetry and in the construction of monuments.
An integral element of the celebration is that we should feel the greater need, now more than before, to educate ourselves and the world about who we really are. Our first democratic government had the foresight of making Heritage Day one of our national days.
Government had foresight because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation. Indeed Government did so knowing that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture.
We knew that, if indeed our nation has to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy.
That is why each September all of us pause to renew our commitment to and rededicate ourselves to the values that we hold dear and which bind us together as enshrined in our Constitution. It is also a time to acknowledge and appreciate our national symbols like the flag, the national anthem and the coat of arms.
These symbols represent our national identity, and each one of us should be proud to be part of such a great nation. Babethu, the nation, with your help, also needs to come to a proper understanding of those whose history has been most grievously affected by the ravages and distortions of apartheid and colonialism.
The Ndebele people were ruthlessly persecuted and scattered on farms as cheap labour, precisely because we put up such a brave fight against those who declared themselves our master. They told us our customs and traditions were barbaric and those of heathens. They made us turn our backs on our rich heritage, culture and tradition. But today, under the able leadership of Ubabethu Ingonyama uMayithja, we are able to gather here and pay homage to our forefathers in a way we know is right.
As we celebrate today in preparation of that great day, let us remember that there are challenges ahead. What are these challenges, you may ask. Indeed, because we are meant to be leaders of the people, our challenges cannot be different from those that the people are facing.
Foremost amongst our tasks as a nation is to mobilise the people for reconstruction and development and thus push back the frontiers of poverty. As the people were their own liberators, so should they become active agents in changing their lives for the better.
As leaders, we need to be vigilant in ensuring that the diversity, which is our strength, is never again used to divide us. No more should brother be set against brother in pursuance of the devious tactics of divide and rule. No more should one people rise against another.
We have to stand together in defence of our country like our forefathers did. We all have to unite as one nation. Fundamental to our unity is the mutual respect for the rich variety of our languages and cultures.
While the constitution recognises rights in this regard and proposes institutions to promote them, this will have little effect without we, the people and our leaders playing an active part in their promotion. We must do so as true patriots whose commitment to the defence and advancement of democracy was born out of the crucible of struggle.
We have emerged from a past signified by disunity. We are now prepared to stand together to work for a better life for all. We must be driven by the same spirit that made Bambata ka Makhwatha say enough is enough. The same sense of patriotic duty that drove Mabhoko, Nyabela, Shaka, Moshoeshoe, Hintsa, Makana, Nghunghunyana and Mswati - all our great heroes - to take up arms in defence of their dignity as humans.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of those brave heroes. Let everyone know that the torch has been passed to a new generation of South Africans. Born into the struggle for human dignity and the eradication of poverty. Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
My special pledge today - yes the pledge of the government I lead and that of the organisation that groomed me - we shall not fail our people. We will indeed convert our good words into good deeds to ensure that our people cast off the chains of poverty.
Now the trumpet summons us again to join the struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. Let us practise and celebrate; advance and develop; protect and preserve our rich heritage. If not for our sake, let us do it for the sake of our children and their children after them.
I thank you.
Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
24 September 2003
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Mabona on behalf of Mahlangu: Erholweni Soil-Turning Ceremony
ADDRESS BY MEC JS MABONA AT THE ERHOLWENI SOIL-TURNING CEREMONY ON BEHALF OF PREMIER NJ MAHLANGU, Erholweni, Roossenekal, 24 September 2003
His Royal Highness Ingwenyama Mayisha II
Your Excellencies, Magoshi nama Khosi Amakhosana nezinduna
Honourable members of the Provincial Government
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ngijame langaphambi kwenu ngijamela uNdunakulu uNdaweni Mahlangu.
Thank you most humbly for inviting us to speak to you on this very important occasion of the launch of the annual Erholweni Ceremony, which we will hold on 19 December. A function that is aimed at commemorating and restoring the Ndebele cultural heritage and putting the history of the Ndebele in perspective.
It is fitting that the Soil-Turning Ceremony is held here at this hallow terrain - on the very plains where our forefathers fought pitched battles in defence of encroaching colonialism and land theft. It was on this plains and valleys that they said "no!" to colonialism. Despite been outgunned they laid down their lives so you and me could be free. They laid down their lives in defence of their dignity, their land and their freedom.
Also of significance is the fact that we hold this ceremony twelve days before the 115th anniversary of the declaration of war by the Boers against King Nyabela and his amaNdebele of Ndzundza who were then living I these caves. It was on 7 October 1882 that the Boer forces of the Transvaal declared war against Ingonyama under the pretext that they were trying to arrest Prince Mampuru wesizwe samaPedi.
In an attempt to flush out our people from the caves the enemy even used dynamite. But this did not work. It was during this war that lasted several months that we saw lightning strike one of the Boer's fortresses, Fort Nuwie Jaar, killing one of the defenders. It was also during this war Boer Forces' Field Cornet Stephanus Roos was shot in the head while trying to flush out our people from these caves.
Today we meet again in these caves as proud descendants of those valiant fighters Unyabela, Umabhoko, Usilamba, Umagodongo - in a different setting, in a different era, to plan for peace and not war; to promote unity and not division; to forge a common nationhood and not exclusive privilege.
We also meet to assert the humanity of persons one to the other; to seek unity and reconciliation; to set shoulders to the wheel in building a better life for all. We are mindful of the fact that the journey to where we are today has not been easy. But all of us persevered because we knew that what we had set out on was the right road.
As we enter the final months before the 10th anniversary of our democracy, we do so under the full knowledge that we are a proud and different nation. No more the chains of slavery - no more the pain and hardships of apartheid rule.
As a people we have begun to emerge into a nation confident of itself, aware of its immense possibilities. We are a people prepared to do extra-ordinary things to attain the goal that comes from creating a better quality of life for all.
Our freedom has made it possible for us to reclaim our history. A history we are proud of. The victory that we have scored against apartheid has laid the firm basis for all the people of South Africa to unite across colour, language, ethnic and religious barriers.
It has launched us on the course of realising our true potential. We are a nation of diverse people and like beads we have realised that unless we are strung together, our beauty and resilience will not stand out. As Ndebele-speaking people we have those things that make us uniquely Ndebele. Ukuthomba, iQude, Ukuwela, ukusoma, ukuphothela, ukugayela - all these are things that make us proud to be Ndebele and proudly South African.
As South Africans we live side-by-side with people who speak Afrikaans, isiSwati, isiZulu and many other different languages. They also have different cultures, traditions and norms from ours. But this does not make us enemies. Our diversity unites us. It is a melting of all these different qualities without losing or shedding one's identity that makes us uniquely South African.
Before 1994 we were a country divided as those who thought they would rule over us forever sought to exploit our differences and using these to keep us apart and at war with each other.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we gather here today to celebrate and prepare for our annual celebrations on 19 December, the challenges facing all of us is to contribute to a complete and rounded picture of this celebration and others we will hold. Certainly that complete and rounded perspective cannot be contained only in political speeches, song, dance, poetry and in the construction of monuments.
An integral element of the celebration is that we should feel the greater need, now more than before, to educate ourselves and the world about who we really are. Our first democratic government had the foresight of making Heritage Day one of our national days.
Government had foresight because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation. Indeed Government did so knowing that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture.
We knew that, if indeed our nation has to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy.
That is why each September all of us pause to renew our commitment to and rededicate ourselves to the values that we hold dear and which bind us together as enshrined in our Constitution. It is also a time to acknowledge and appreciate our national symbols like the flag, the national anthem and the coat of arms.
These symbols represent our national identity, and each one of us should be proud to be part of such a great nation. Babethu, the nation, with your help, also needs to come to a proper understanding of those whose history has been most grievously affected by the ravages and distortions of apartheid and colonialism.
The Ndebele people were ruthlessly persecuted and scattered on farms as cheap labour, precisely because we put up such a brave fight against those who declared themselves our master. They told us our customs and traditions were barbaric and those of heathens. They made us turn our backs on our rich heritage, culture and tradition. But today, under the able leadership of Ubabethu Ingonyama uMayithja, we are able to gather here and pay homage to our forefathers in a way we know is right.
As we celebrate today in preparation of that great day, let us remember that there are challenges ahead. What are these challenges, you may ask. Indeed, because we are meant to be leaders of the people, our challenges cannot be different from those that the people are facing.
Foremost amongst our tasks as a nation is to mobilise the people for reconstruction and development and thus push back the frontiers of poverty. As the people were their own liberators, so should they become active agents in changing their lives for the better.
As leaders, we need to be vigilant in ensuring that the diversity, which is our strength, is never again used to divide us. No more should brother be set against brother in pursuance of the devious tactics of divide and rule. No more should one people rise against another.
We have to stand together in defence of our country like our forefathers did. We all have to unite as one nation. Fundamental to our unity is the mutual respect for the rich variety of our languages and cultures.
While the constitution recognises rights in this regard and proposes institutions to promote them, this will have little effect without we, the people and our leaders playing an active part in their promotion. We must do so as true patriots whose commitment to the defence and advancement of democracy was born out of the crucible of struggle.
We have emerged from a past signified by disunity. We are now prepared to stand together to work for a better life for all. We must be driven by the same spirit that made Bambata ka Makhwatha say enough is enough. The same sense of patriotic duty that drove Mabhoko, Nyabela, Shaka, Moshoeshoe, Hintsa, Makana, Nghunghunyana and Mswati - all our great heroes - to take up arms in defence of their dignity as humans.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of those brave heroes. Let everyone know that the torch has been passed to a new generation of South Africans. Born into the struggle for human dignity and the eradication of poverty. Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
My special pledge today - yes the pledge of the government I lead and that of the organisation that groomed me - we shall not fail our people. We will indeed convert our good words into good deeds to ensure that our people cast off the chains of poverty.
Now the trumpet summons us again to join the struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. Let us practise and celebrate; advance and develop; protect and preserve our rich heritage. If not for our sake, let us do it for the sake of our children and their children after them.
I thank you.
Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
24 September 2003
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