Address by Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka at the cultural programme in recognition of women's contribution in the Expanded Public Works Programme, Kimberley

Programme Directors
Premier of the Northern Cape and the MECs
Minister and Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture
Representative of the Mayor
Councillors
All participants in the Investing for Culture Activities
Department Public Works
Department of Arts and Culture
Our wonderful performers

Everyone who has been on the stage has given us such enjoyment that we could easily ask them to repeat. God will give talent everywhere and it is up to us to ensure that we turn it into wealth. These children who have just performed are no doubt amongst the best of our artists. They are all young and I am absolutely sure none of them will formally change, for what they are doing, it is just talent in its raw form. Can you imagine if we nurture it, invest in it, polish it and market it, what is going to come out of these children.

One of the most wonderful things about culture is that it makes all of us equal. It is either you have talent or you don't. You can come here with all the advantages in the world in terms of race, gender, status, class, but if you cannot sing, you cannot.

So those who have talent, it does not matter where they come from, talent knows no boundaries, no race, no class, no gender or status. It makes everybody equal. In the same way as an audience. When we sit on the other side and enjoy the performance because we are all the same as human beings, the kind of enjoyment and the fulfilment that it invokes in all of us, it does not matter who you are it has a way of giving us the same kind of pleasure. That is why arts and culture is such an important aspect in every nation.

If we neglect culture we actually are neglecting the soul of the nation that binds us together and makes us the same and that makes us have a common identity.

So, on this National Women's Day eve party, I also want to join the Premier as well as the other speakers who spoke here in thanking the women and in rededicating ourselves to the cause of women which of course is the cause of the people of South Africa.

We remember today all of our women, the women who made it possible for us to celebrate August 9, who fought, who were imprisoned, who did everything and sacrificed for us to enjoy the freedom that we enjoy now. We also remember the women who sang and said that: 'Freedom isn't free, We've got to pay the price, We've got to sacrifice for our liberty because Freedom isn't free'. Let's not play with this freedom, it is very expensive, so easily slip back and compromise the quality of our freedom, if we don't nurture it.

Today we also remember the sacrifices that those women made, we also salute them. Especially we remember the unsung heroes. Those women whose names we may not even know. Who, however, were part of the building blocks that gave us this mosaic of this wonderful nation.

The Premier highlighted some of the initiatives that are part of this Investing in Culture Programme and I have to say I never associated the Expanded Public Works with culture and did not know that Public Works entertains. Only South Africans can do that.

I want to thank the many women and men and young people who made it possible for us to believe in this programme because if they messed up we would not be here tonight. They grabbed the opportunity with both hands and made something out of it.

Today there are 27 women who will receive certificates of recognition for their work. I'm told that there will be women in:

* Cultural Tourism (beads, traditional clothing and mosaic)
* Marimba Ensemble (traditional music)
* Bontle Mosaic and Wood Cutting (Mosaic and Wood Cut prints)
* Disabead (beading and leather works)
* Koopmansfontein Co-operation (traditional beading)
* Kganya stonecutting and jewellery project (African beading jewellery and precious stone jewellery with glass beads)
* Tshwaranang Arts and Craft (fabric painting)

These are small and medium enterprises. My advice to them is that they also have to make sure that they see this not as an end. This is a stepping-stone for them to do bigger things.

I do want to tell you that the issue of markets when it come to South Africa, in actual facts it's a non-issue when you have got the product to sell. South Africa compared to other developing countries on our continent, we are in a very fortunate position. Because we have got a growing economy with capacity to consume, and goods and services are generally in demand.

The challenge which faces this collective those of you who are leaders, policy makers, programme developers, mentors, etc. is investing systematically intensely in productive capacity of our people so that they can supply the goods. That when we present our goods to the advantaged markets that this country can access we can guarantee quality and we can make sure that demand will be satisfied and supply is guaranteed. We have retail chain stores in South Africa. If you have the goods that you can supply them and we can as the leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), business, invest in supplier development and produce in numbers, there is no one who can refuse our goods. Presentation in Quality and in Quantity.

Government is the biggest shopper of the nation. But our shopping patterns focus on what is convenient for us and what is developmental. As a result we do not do enough to invest in the supply chain amongst the poor so that for some of the goods that we buy we can actually dedicate that market to our people.

Just the area of gifts, we give a lot of gifts. If I come to your municipality and you give me a gift which is not made in South Africa you can keep it. Every gift that come from government or state owned enterprise has got to be made in South Africa and within our communities.

It is our creativity, consistency and commitment to this revolution that will ensure that we deliver to our people. Today we are seeing what can be done by all spheres of government working together. What makes this unique also is the fact that it is an integrated programme that is delivered by the three spheres of government united in purpose.

Tonight I do not want to be a party spoiler with a long speech. In fact Deputy Minister Botha is rocking the party. I rock the person who rocks the party.

Issued by: The Presidency
8 August 2007