FREE DAILY EMAIL

Date : 04/08/2004
Source: Limpopo Provincial Government
Title: S Moloto: Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Week


SPEECH BY MR SELLO MOLOTO, PREMIER OF LIMPOPO PROVINCE, DURING CHIEF ALBERT LUTHULI MEMORIAL WEEK, Wits University Great Hall, Johannesburg, 4 August 2004

Master of ceremonies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

THEME: "PROSPECTS, CHALLENGES AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR LIMPOPO PROVINCE AS A GATEWAY AND LINK TO AFRICA"

On our part we count an honour and a rare privilege to have been invited here to share in our experiences, knowledge and developmental plans of the province. We feel humbled to participate in an event honouring such a great leader as comrade Chief Albert Luthuli, a man whose life personified the struggle for the liberation of Blacks in general and the Africans in particular.

In him we learnt selflessness, sacrifice, patriotism, never to compromise in principle and be deterred from a commitment to the struggle for a just cause.

His legacy continues to serve as a source of inspiration as we advance, deepen and consolidate the achievements of the past ten years of freedom and democracy our land. Chief Albert Luthuli viewed all Africans, in spite of their diversity and different nationalities, as one people with a common destiny. It is the same vision, which guides us in our social, economic and political relations with our fellow Africans across the borders.

For the past ten years the economy of Limpopo grew at the rate double the national average. We have always said the worrying factor is the concomitant increase in the levels of unemployment. The challenge we are faced with is how do we turn around this paradoxical situation of inverse proportion of economic growth and unemployment.

The province is involved in the preparatory work for the sectoral summits whose aim is to interrogate, in a more detail, the value chain of the economic activities of the province. This will amongst others include analysis of the production patterns, storage and warehousing up to marketing. This analysis will give us a better sense of what needs to be done in order to improve the economic activities in the province.

Social and Cultural

We share the borders with three SADC countries, that is Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. There is a cross border flow of people day-in-day-out. This therefore signifies the fact that there is a cultural cross-pollination across the borders.

The province has always been a home for all. In Giyani there is a settlement for former refugees from Mozambique, the same at Lulekani in Phalaborwa. Many of these people chose not to return to Mozambique after the halting of hostilities in their country, which implies that they are fully integrated with communities in the province.

It is a fact that we are common people with same cultural and traditional ties separated only by these artificial borders. It is common practice that these communities would always pay homage and respect to their traditional leaders across the borders.

Our province is accustomed to the fact that people from these neighbouring states will always cross the border in order to receive various services. For example, we were once ordered by the Supreme Court to pay Child Support Grant for kids whose parents are non-South African nationals.

We have got a great number of Mozambiqueans and Zimbabweans who time and again cross the border for medical attention, particularly pregnant women. They will come in to collect their monthly supply of antenatal treatment, as there seems to be inadequate provision of these services in their countries.

Every year during Easter and in September, pilgrimages of more than 3 million people converge in Moria City for prayers. These people are drawn from all over SADC countries like Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Malawi. All of them therefore have a spiritual attachment to our province and in one way or another contribute towards her well-being as their spiritual domicile, like Mecca of Saudi Arabia is to the Muslim community.

Economic

History has it that the first civilisation occurred in Mapungubwe, which straddled over the confluence of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The great Mapungubwe Empire is recorded in history as one of the flourishing Iron Age metropolis, which traded in gold, ivory and animal skin in the whole of Africa and the far-flung nations of the east including the Chinese, Indians and the Arabs in the Middle East. This happened long before Africa was colonised.

The forthcoming launch of the Mapungubwe National Park on the 24th of September 2004 in the province will contribute immensely to the formation of yet another major transfrontier conservation area, the Limpopo-Shashe Park, which will include Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, in the North West linking with the Greater Limpopo Park, which includes Mozambique in the east.

The challenge we face as the province is how then do we reclaim and restore the pride of our province -- being the cradle of ancient mining and trade. In the context of being a link and gateway to Africa, we should and must ensure that our development is geared towards realising this objective.

We have got all the reasons to pursue this type of development because we are following the tracks of our forbearers. In this regard, we have already rekindled some relationship through twinning agreements with Matebeleland provinces in Zimbabwe and the Gaza province of Mozambique. As it has been indicated earlier, we share a rich cultural heritage with the peoples in these parts of our subcontinent.

We must make sure that there is a consolidation of this work in order to derive a benefit for our people through increased trade and closer interaction.

We take pride in having the two national orders derived from Limpopo, that is the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of Baobab, which indeed affirms our people as being resilient, steadfast like the Baobab and always striving for excellence as was found in the ancient Mapungubwe.

Tourism

Our unspoiled habitat remains the pride of Limpopo. We are renowned to be endowed with natural resources, unique heritage and scenic beauty. The Modjadji dynasty, the only royal house in Africa where a woman reigns supreme as a Queen, and with some supernatural power to make rain, stands out as distinguishing feature of Limpopo.

Programme director

For quite a long time, the general perception has been that tourism is only about Europe and Europeans, and therefore most of tourism strategies have been focused on Europe. Very little has been done to tap on domestic and continental tourism market.

So, in line with what we have been saying about improving linkages with these African countries, our tourism and trade strategies should focus on these areas in the context of Africa's renewal and NEPAD.

Programme director

Mozambique is the main destination for South Africa's exports to Africa, on its own accounting for 18% of South Africa's exports to Africa. Zimbabwe accounts for 16% of South Africa's exports to the continent.

We must as Limpopo take full advantage of our gateway status through building on people-to-people contact, which must include cross-border trade. Already towns like Musina in the far north of Limpopo are being maintained through this trade with people in the southern part of Zimbabwe, though the same cannot be said of Polokwane because the majority of people from Zimbabwe will prefer Johannesburg to Polokwane. We haven't as yet taken advantage of the fact that Polokwane is the fastest growing town in the country, and that in fact the goods which people are looking for in Johannesburg can readily be available in Polokwane.

Every weekend, on Friday you will have a convoy of vehicles driving on the N1 from Gauteng province to Zimbabwe, and the same occurs every Sunday on their return journey, a phenomena which will be common in all the other routes from Botswana and Mozambique.

The potential of our towns, particularly those along N1 road, will have to be developed and marketed in order to respond to these new opportunities which have not been fully explored.

Challenges

Limpopo produces 60% of South Africa's tomatoes. 80% of the R2 billion annual turnover of the Johannesburg fresh produce market is from Limpopo, Free State and Northern Cape provinces. On the other hand, Limpopo produces 33% and 70% of South Africa's oranges and mangoes respectively.

Nevertheless, once produced these tomatoes and citrus are driven to Johannesburg and come back from Johannesburg through N1 to Zimbabwe and other countries to the North of our border.

The forthcoming agricultural summit will, amongst others, look into viable ways of responding to this scenario. We are also looking at possibilities of establishing fresh produce market, particularly for the areas north of the border.

Democracy has brought with itself opportunities and we need to seize these opportunities for our own development and the development of generations to come.

Ladies and gentlemen

We have entered the second decade of freedom and democracy. In fact the demands and expectations of our people on this freedom and democracy are very high. Our people deserved better lives yesterday, and therefore we have got no moment to spare.

The befitting tribute we could pay to comrade Chief Albert Luthuli and many other heroes and heroines of our struggle who distinguished themselves in their service to the people, is to make their dream of African renaissance to come true.

I thank you

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
4 August 2004

SPONSORED BY

Advanced