Date: 28/08/2003
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molefe: Interfaith prayer service
OPENING ADDRESS BY NORTH WEST PREMIER, DR POPO SIMON MOLEFE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE, Mmabatho Civic Centre, 28 August 2003
Programme Directors,
Mayor of the Mafikeng Local Council, Ms Nomvula Hlongwane,
Ms Themba Kagsi, Commissioner for Gender Equality,
Director General of the North West Province, Dr Bakane-Tuoane,
Leaders from various religious formations,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is an honour for me to have the opportunity to address this important gathering of the interfaith community in our province of the North West.
This gathering brings together members of the religious community to celebrate the many achievements of women in our country. Today, the religious community in our province joins the rest of the country in paying tribute and honouring women as part of the Women's Month celebrations.
As we celebrate the achievements of the women of our country, we must recommit ourselves to continue with the struggle for gender equality and women empowerment.
In our churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship we must spread the message that, though massive progress has been made to improve the quality of life of women, the struggle for gender equality and women empowerment is far from over.
Collectively, we must continue to act in a manner that ensures that the society we are building is free of all forms of discrimination against women.
At all times, we must remember the pledge we made during our liberation struggle that we will not consider our task complete, our liberation achieved, until the women of our country are free from the yoke of gender discrimination.
In other words, we must remain true to the overall objectives of our liberation struggle, a struggle to which the religious community made an indelible contribution.
Now that we have achieved our liberation, the religious community has an important role to play in the national effort to broaden access to a better life for all, including women.
We are indeed inspired by the good work done by religious organisations in providing relief to those in need. We draw great courage from the work done by the religious community to give food to those who cannot afford to feed themselves, to give care to those weakened by disease and poverty and to be the custodian of our moral values.
These interventions by the religious community have gone a long way towards assisting the national effort to build a better country for our people, most of whom are grappling daily with the social ills of hunger, disease and underdevelopment.
On this important occasion of the provincial interfaith prayer service, we must urge the religious community to continue with the good work it is doing in our communities.
We must urge the religious community to be a partner with government in an endeavour to find appropriate responses to the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.
Programme Director, Ladies and Gentlemen, today's event draws significance also from the fact that it has brought together the religious community in our province to pray for moral regeneration.
This gathering is a public demonstration of our support, as the people of the North West, to the moral regeneration campaign taking place in our country. Because of this gathering, the moral regeneration movement in our country is stronger.
We are here today to take a bold stand against moral decay in our society.
Indeed, we are here today to plant, nurture and sustain the seeds of morality in our country.
The common thread that runs across all of us gathered here today is the need to build, for ourselves, a society rooted in strong and positive values. These are the values of honesty, integrity, respect for human life, selflessness and compassion, reconciliation, justice and ubuntu-botho.
This gathering is a demonstration of our support and willingness to put our collective shoulder to the wheel in the ongoing effort to build a society where there is a clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong.
By converging here today in such large numbers, we are making a pledge that we will not rest until a culture of good and ethical conduct is entrenched in our communities and in our places of work.
Programme Director, the moral regeneration campaign cannot be separated from our effort as government to broaden access to a better life for all.
It is our belief that no society can flourish in conditions of uncontrolled greed, disrespect for human life, dishonesty and lack of compassion.
If we as a country and a people give in to moral decay, we run the risk of aborting the sacred mission history has bestowed on us, a mission to undo the legacy of many years of apartheid and colonialism.
Indeed, we will be doing a great disservice to all those who sacrificed for us to be the free nation that we call ourselves today, if we allow acts of immorality such as corruption, disregard for human life, abuse of women, children and the elderly to dominate our daily lives.
We must applaud steps by our government to establish institutions and put in place legislation that upholds the kind of moral values we seek to entrench in our society.
Through the creation of institutions such as the Public Protector, the Office of the Auditor-General, the courts of law, the King Commission on Corporate Governance and the Public Service Commission, our government has demonstrated its commitment to fostering a culture of good and ethical behaviour as well as respect for the law.
We must also applaud those men and women of our country who continue to act in a manner that promotes moral renewal in our society. We salute the many caregivers who are showing compassion by voluntarily giving care to those overcome by disease and poverty.
We also pay tribute to the many men and women of our country and province who continue to assist police in their crime prevention activities by being part of Community Policing Forums and by volunteering their services in various police stations.
We are humbled by the overwhelming response from our people to the Letsema and Vukuzenele calls made by our President.
Collectively, these acts of patriotism by South Africans from all walks of life are making a massive contribution to the moral renewal effort in our country. They have gone a long way in entrenching, in our society, the culture of selflessness, and the culture of 'I am, because you are'.
It is these acts of compassion that convince us that acting together we can indeed build, for ourselves, a future that is qualitatively better that the past and present.
I thank you
Issued by North West Provincial Government
28 August 2003
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: Molefe: Interfaith prayer service
OPENING ADDRESS BY NORTH WEST PREMIER, DR POPO SIMON MOLEFE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE, Mmabatho Civic Centre, 28 August 2003
Programme Directors,
Mayor of the Mafikeng Local Council, Ms Nomvula Hlongwane,
Ms Themba Kagsi, Commissioner for Gender Equality,
Director General of the North West Province, Dr Bakane-Tuoane,
Leaders from various religious formations,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is an honour for me to have the opportunity to address this important gathering of the interfaith community in our province of the North West.
This gathering brings together members of the religious community to celebrate the many achievements of women in our country. Today, the religious community in our province joins the rest of the country in paying tribute and honouring women as part of the Women's Month celebrations.
As we celebrate the achievements of the women of our country, we must recommit ourselves to continue with the struggle for gender equality and women empowerment.
In our churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship we must spread the message that, though massive progress has been made to improve the quality of life of women, the struggle for gender equality and women empowerment is far from over.
Collectively, we must continue to act in a manner that ensures that the society we are building is free of all forms of discrimination against women.
At all times, we must remember the pledge we made during our liberation struggle that we will not consider our task complete, our liberation achieved, until the women of our country are free from the yoke of gender discrimination.
In other words, we must remain true to the overall objectives of our liberation struggle, a struggle to which the religious community made an indelible contribution.
Now that we have achieved our liberation, the religious community has an important role to play in the national effort to broaden access to a better life for all, including women.
We are indeed inspired by the good work done by religious organisations in providing relief to those in need. We draw great courage from the work done by the religious community to give food to those who cannot afford to feed themselves, to give care to those weakened by disease and poverty and to be the custodian of our moral values.
These interventions by the religious community have gone a long way towards assisting the national effort to build a better country for our people, most of whom are grappling daily with the social ills of hunger, disease and underdevelopment.
On this important occasion of the provincial interfaith prayer service, we must urge the religious community to continue with the good work it is doing in our communities.
We must urge the religious community to be a partner with government in an endeavour to find appropriate responses to the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.
Programme Director, Ladies and Gentlemen, today's event draws significance also from the fact that it has brought together the religious community in our province to pray for moral regeneration.
This gathering is a public demonstration of our support, as the people of the North West, to the moral regeneration campaign taking place in our country. Because of this gathering, the moral regeneration movement in our country is stronger.
We are here today to take a bold stand against moral decay in our society.
Indeed, we are here today to plant, nurture and sustain the seeds of morality in our country.
The common thread that runs across all of us gathered here today is the need to build, for ourselves, a society rooted in strong and positive values. These are the values of honesty, integrity, respect for human life, selflessness and compassion, reconciliation, justice and ubuntu-botho.
This gathering is a demonstration of our support and willingness to put our collective shoulder to the wheel in the ongoing effort to build a society where there is a clear distinction between what is right and what is wrong.
By converging here today in such large numbers, we are making a pledge that we will not rest until a culture of good and ethical conduct is entrenched in our communities and in our places of work.
Programme Director, the moral regeneration campaign cannot be separated from our effort as government to broaden access to a better life for all.
It is our belief that no society can flourish in conditions of uncontrolled greed, disrespect for human life, dishonesty and lack of compassion.
If we as a country and a people give in to moral decay, we run the risk of aborting the sacred mission history has bestowed on us, a mission to undo the legacy of many years of apartheid and colonialism.
Indeed, we will be doing a great disservice to all those who sacrificed for us to be the free nation that we call ourselves today, if we allow acts of immorality such as corruption, disregard for human life, abuse of women, children and the elderly to dominate our daily lives.
We must applaud steps by our government to establish institutions and put in place legislation that upholds the kind of moral values we seek to entrench in our society.
Through the creation of institutions such as the Public Protector, the Office of the Auditor-General, the courts of law, the King Commission on Corporate Governance and the Public Service Commission, our government has demonstrated its commitment to fostering a culture of good and ethical behaviour as well as respect for the law.
We must also applaud those men and women of our country who continue to act in a manner that promotes moral renewal in our society. We salute the many caregivers who are showing compassion by voluntarily giving care to those overcome by disease and poverty.
We also pay tribute to the many men and women of our country and province who continue to assist police in their crime prevention activities by being part of Community Policing Forums and by volunteering their services in various police stations.
We are humbled by the overwhelming response from our people to the Letsema and Vukuzenele calls made by our President.
Collectively, these acts of patriotism by South Africans from all walks of life are making a massive contribution to the moral renewal effort in our country. They have gone a long way in entrenching, in our society, the culture of selflessness, and the culture of 'I am, because you are'.
It is these acts of compassion that convince us that acting together we can indeed build, for ourselves, a future that is qualitatively better that the past and present.
I thank you
Issued by North West Provincial Government
28 August 2003
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