Date: 03/06/2004
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: S Ndebele: Old Mutual Staff Community Builder Awards ceremony
SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE PREMIER OF KWAZULU-NATAL, MR JS NDEBELE, AT THE OLD MUTUAL STAFF COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARDS CEREMONY, ICC, Durban, 3 June 2004
Programme Director
The Managing Director of Old Mutual, Mr Roddy Sparks
The Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Obed Mlaba
The CEO of Old Mutual in Gauteng, Mr Khehla Mthembu
The Chairperson of Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal, Mr S'dumo Dlamini
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is indeed an honour for me as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal to join the family of Old Mutual in recognising the efforts of this organisation's employees to develop communities where they live through the Staff Community Builder Awards.
When we delivered our State of the Province address, we committed ourselves to releasing the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, which will be used as a framework for growth and development throughout the province. These were not just empty words. We are serious about ensuring sustainable development and growing the economy of this province but we also understand that we, as government, cannot do it alone.
There needs to be real partnership between ourselves and the private sector.
I feel that this gesture made by Old Mutual in recognising the work of its employees in building our communities fits in well with the role that we see the private sector playing in growing the economy of this province and ensuring sustainable development. What is even more heartening about today's gesture is that it is Old Mutual itself, through its social investment programme, that has funded these projects.
In other words, we would not be gathered here today if Old Mutual had not funded the projects for which we are awarding these staff members.
I have been informed that Old Mutual has set aside R20 million for social investment projects countrywide. I was also told that the staff community builder sub-project is one of four sub-projects that make up Old Mutual social investment project. Of the R20 million set aside by Old Mutual, our province has received R3,4 million for various community upliftment projects. Our government wants to extend its sincere gratitude to Old Mutual and its employees for the role that they continue to play in rebuilding our country.
But, before we even go any further about this evening's proceedings, we need to cast our eyes back and think about ten years before we attained democracy. A visitor from Mars would have been forgiven for thinking that there was a civil war in this country, especially in our province. We buried our loved ones weekend in, weekend out. Townships were not safe as messengers of death and sowers of destruction roamed our streets. The life of a human being had lost its value.
As businesspeople here I am sure you appreciate that fruitful business can only be conducted under conducive conditions - conditions of peace and stability. It goes without saying therefore that conducting business, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, was a pretty perilous endeavour. As a result of violence, business suffered.
Today we meet under very different conditions. South Africa and indeed KwaZulu-Natal are free. In fact this year we are celebrating our ten years of democracy. We no longer have faceless killers who go around torching people's businesses with impunity and in the name of this or that political organisation.
The ill and the indigent are catered for by our health facilities and various social grants. Indeed, the sun is shining in our country as well as KwaZulu-Natal.
However, it goes without saying that a province like ours, a province that saw the most heinous of apartheid crimes perpetrated against our people needs more than the changes of 1994 and a committed government to get back on its feet and reclaim its place in the sun.
In reconstructing this province we need to act as if we are coming from a brutal civil war. It is for this reason that today I urge the private sector to join hands with us in our quest to rebuild this province and the rest of our country.
Stable conditions are a prerequisite for conducting good business. These conditions have been created in our country.
Tonight's awards clearly show that Old Mutual understands this. This ceremony also shows that Old Mutual understands the history of our country and the need for Old Mutual to invest in the country that makes it tick.
I want to congratulate all those who will be receiving awards this evening. Even with the Old Mutual Staff Community Builder Scheme, you could have decided to look only after your own interests and forgotten about communities that you come from. This is the kind of commitment we need if we are to rebuild our country.
As Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, I want to particularly commend the ten recipients of staff community builder awards from our province. It is not often said publicly, but I know that sometimes a handful of thugs, some claiming to represent political parties, in our communities can make it difficult for you to do your noble work. I want to assure you and any other company that wants to invest in this province that we are not going to tolerate criminals. If people try to block development projects then they have to face the full wrath of the law.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have an enormous task on our hands. While we were lucky enough to see democracy in our country, this has left us with a huge responsibility - to place a foundation on which the future generations will build. Today's ceremony is about setting that foundation. Old Mutual has already put its brick on the foundation. Let all of us, especially the business sector, do all we can to make sure that we leave behind a foundation that those who come after us will be proud of.
I thank you
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
3 June 2004
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: S Ndebele: Old Mutual Staff Community Builder Awards ceremony
SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE PREMIER OF KWAZULU-NATAL, MR JS NDEBELE, AT THE OLD MUTUAL STAFF COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARDS CEREMONY, ICC, Durban, 3 June 2004
Programme Director
The Managing Director of Old Mutual, Mr Roddy Sparks
The Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Obed Mlaba
The CEO of Old Mutual in Gauteng, Mr Khehla Mthembu
The Chairperson of Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal, Mr S'dumo Dlamini
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is indeed an honour for me as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal to join the family of Old Mutual in recognising the efforts of this organisation's employees to develop communities where they live through the Staff Community Builder Awards.
When we delivered our State of the Province address, we committed ourselves to releasing the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, which will be used as a framework for growth and development throughout the province. These were not just empty words. We are serious about ensuring sustainable development and growing the economy of this province but we also understand that we, as government, cannot do it alone.
There needs to be real partnership between ourselves and the private sector.
I feel that this gesture made by Old Mutual in recognising the work of its employees in building our communities fits in well with the role that we see the private sector playing in growing the economy of this province and ensuring sustainable development. What is even more heartening about today's gesture is that it is Old Mutual itself, through its social investment programme, that has funded these projects.
In other words, we would not be gathered here today if Old Mutual had not funded the projects for which we are awarding these staff members.
I have been informed that Old Mutual has set aside R20 million for social investment projects countrywide. I was also told that the staff community builder sub-project is one of four sub-projects that make up Old Mutual social investment project. Of the R20 million set aside by Old Mutual, our province has received R3,4 million for various community upliftment projects. Our government wants to extend its sincere gratitude to Old Mutual and its employees for the role that they continue to play in rebuilding our country.
But, before we even go any further about this evening's proceedings, we need to cast our eyes back and think about ten years before we attained democracy. A visitor from Mars would have been forgiven for thinking that there was a civil war in this country, especially in our province. We buried our loved ones weekend in, weekend out. Townships were not safe as messengers of death and sowers of destruction roamed our streets. The life of a human being had lost its value.
As businesspeople here I am sure you appreciate that fruitful business can only be conducted under conducive conditions - conditions of peace and stability. It goes without saying therefore that conducting business, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, was a pretty perilous endeavour. As a result of violence, business suffered.
Today we meet under very different conditions. South Africa and indeed KwaZulu-Natal are free. In fact this year we are celebrating our ten years of democracy. We no longer have faceless killers who go around torching people's businesses with impunity and in the name of this or that political organisation.
The ill and the indigent are catered for by our health facilities and various social grants. Indeed, the sun is shining in our country as well as KwaZulu-Natal.
However, it goes without saying that a province like ours, a province that saw the most heinous of apartheid crimes perpetrated against our people needs more than the changes of 1994 and a committed government to get back on its feet and reclaim its place in the sun.
In reconstructing this province we need to act as if we are coming from a brutal civil war. It is for this reason that today I urge the private sector to join hands with us in our quest to rebuild this province and the rest of our country.
Stable conditions are a prerequisite for conducting good business. These conditions have been created in our country.
Tonight's awards clearly show that Old Mutual understands this. This ceremony also shows that Old Mutual understands the history of our country and the need for Old Mutual to invest in the country that makes it tick.
I want to congratulate all those who will be receiving awards this evening. Even with the Old Mutual Staff Community Builder Scheme, you could have decided to look only after your own interests and forgotten about communities that you come from. This is the kind of commitment we need if we are to rebuild our country.
As Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, I want to particularly commend the ten recipients of staff community builder awards from our province. It is not often said publicly, but I know that sometimes a handful of thugs, some claiming to represent political parties, in our communities can make it difficult for you to do your noble work. I want to assure you and any other company that wants to invest in this province that we are not going to tolerate criminals. If people try to block development projects then they have to face the full wrath of the law.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have an enormous task on our hands. While we were lucky enough to see democracy in our country, this has left us with a huge responsibility - to place a foundation on which the future generations will build. Today's ceremony is about setting that foundation. Old Mutual has already put its brick on the foundation. Let all of us, especially the business sector, do all we can to make sure that we leave behind a foundation that those who come after us will be proud of.
I thank you
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
3 June 2004
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