Programme Director,
Leaders of faith-based communities,
Leaders of government and other sectors,
Compatriots and friends,

Thank you for inviting me to address this gathering of prayer, reflection, hope and celebration.

Thank you to the religious leaders and communities of faith for supporting this initiative with such enthusiasm.

It calls to mind the Vision Statement of the National Development Plan, which says:

“Our gift of leaders extends far beyond politics.
We have them in abundance in every avenue of life.”

Today is an important milestone in our progress towards the healing of our nation and our continent.

Today, we confront prejudice with tolerance; ignorance with knowledge.

Today, we meet conflict and violence with peace.
It is our duty to create a caring society.

We must create a society where there is no place for xenophobia, intolerance and lawlessness.

As we celebrate Africa Day tomorrow, we must reaffirm our commitment to unity and solidarity; to development, prosperity and equality.

The anthem of African Union calls on the sons and daughters of the continent to make Africa the Tree of Life.

The song calls on us to “dedicate ourselves to fight together for lasting peace and justice on earth”.

It is in our hands to remake our continent and to leave a legacy of hope and prosperity for our people.

The faith community is crucial in the attainment of the African Union vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

Compatriots and friends,

Millions of South Africans are blessed to have been brought up on the firm spiritual foundation that says umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.

This is an acknowledgement that one’s humanity is tied up with the humanity of all others.

Those who are rooted in faith appreciate that the “beginning of wisdom is the reverence for the Lord”.

We are reminded in 1 Corinthians that:

“Love does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Sixty years ago, when our forebears adopted the Freedom Charter, they declared for all the world to know that in the South Africa of their dreams, “There Shall be Peace and Friendship!”

They declared that: “South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation – not war.”

Relations between people of different faiths is particularly important at a time when violence is being perpetrated in the name of religion in various parts of the world, including on our own continent.

We need to speak out against those who will corrupt and misuse religion in pursuit of their own reprehensible ends.

As social movements and forces for good, communities of faith play an important role in mobilising people around moral regeneration.

They make a positive difference in the lives of those among whom they live or with whom they come into contact.

Such communities of faith should advance tolerance and understanding among people from different backgrounds and belief systems.

We pay tribute to communities of faith for working in partnership with government and other stakeholders to improve the lives of our people.

The fight against poverty, unemployment and inequality is being fought daily – and innovatively and courageously – by all communities of faith in this country.

Places of worship are often places of social development; places where the homeless are cared for; places where the sick are comforted; places where unskilled people are tutored in skills and crafts that open new doors for them.

These are places where soup kitchens and food gardens bring nourishment and dignity to vulnerable members of society, and places where campaigns are mounted against drug abuse, domestic violence and other social ills.

We are humbled by the many ways in which communities of faith are taking up the task of transforming our society.

We saw this recently during the tragic instances of violence against foreign nationals in some parts of the country.

Faith-based organisations provided shelter, food and counselling to victims of violence and displacement.

It is therefore particularly poignant that we are together on Africa Day to reflect on how all of us can participate in the realisation of the AU’s Vision 2063.

Much like our own National Development Plan, this vision sets the peoples of Africa on a course for change and development.

It acknowledges that we are inextricably bound together.

It acknowledges that no nation can prosper while others languish in poverty and underdevelopment.

No people can be free while others are oppressed and exploited.

During the struggle against apartheid, the people of South Africa were the beneficiaries of great acts of solidarity, kindness and hospitality.

We, more than most, should appreciate the value of ubuntu and the sacred responsibility on all of us to come to the aid of those in need.

Fellow Africans,

Together with our faith communities, we are on course to remake our country.

We are building a country where all our people have a decent place to live; where all have the skills they need to make a living; and where all live in peace and security.

We are building a country where poverty is eradicated and inequality reduced.

This country is aptly described in the vision statement of the National Development Plan.

It says that in 2030:

South Africa belongs to all its peoples.
We, the people, belong to one another.
We live the rainbow.

We discover the country and the world.
We live peacefully with neighbours.
We have good friends in other societies.
We have welcomed people from distant lands,
who have chosen to live among us.

We value interdependence and reciprocity.
We feel hospitable.
We are a community of multiple, overlapping
identities, cosmopolitan in our nationhood.
Our multiculturalism is a defining element of
our indigeneity.
We are, because we are so many.
Our many-ness is our strength – we carry it in
us throughout our lives.

We love arguing, we debate fiercely, we contest ceaselessly.
We solve our differences through discussion.
We refrain from being cruel, demeaning or hurtful in disagreement.
We feel we belong.
We celebrate all the differences among us.
We are not imprisoned by the roles ascribed to us…

Once, we uttered the dream of a rainbow.
Now we see it, living it. It does not curve over the sky.
It is refracted in each one of us at home, in the community, in the city, and across the land, in an abundance of colour.
When we see it in the faces of our children, we know:
there will always be, for us, a worthy future.

God Bless Africa.

I thank you.