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Date : 29/01/2005
Source: The Presidency
Title: Zuma: Commemoration of King Mampuru and King Nyabela
Address by Deputy President Jacob Zuma on the occasion of the commemoration of King Mampuru and King Nyabela, Jane Furse, Limpopo Province
29 January 2005

The Honourable Premier of the Limpopo Province Kgoshi Sekwati Mampuru III and all traditional leaders Members of the various royal families MECs and MPLs Mayors and Councillors Distinguished Guests,


We are truly delighted to be part of this important occasion today, as guests of the Bopedi Kingdom, Legae La Batho, to remember our ancestors, their Majesties, Kgoshi Mampuru and Kgoshi Nyabela.

It is appropriate that we remember the two heroes, given their contribution to our history, and to the fight against colonialism. I always look forward to visiting this beautiful province, which has a rich and vibrant history. While Limpopo is host to eighty percent of the world-renowned Kruger National Park, you also have Mapungubwe, which has been declared a World Heritage Site.

It was there that our ancestors created the arts of rock painting, pottery and gold jewellery making. The national acknowledgment of this national treasure is most correctly captured by the naming of one of our country's prestigious national orders, the Order of Mapungubwe.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are today meeting to commemorate the life and times of heroes who also symbolize the uniqueness of this province, as encapsulated in the astounding legacy of Mapungubwe.

They did not fear death, in their determination to fight colonialism. Kgoshi Mampuru was hanged by the colonial government in November 1883, while Kgoshi Nyabela was sentenced to life imprisonment, as they refused to abide by the authority of the colonial government.

The spirit of solidarity and brotherhood that Kgoshi Nyabela displayed when he refused to hand over Kgoshi Mampuru to the British-imposed government of the day is an example of the bravery and resilience of our forebears.

Our history of struggle is enriched by tales of heroic traditional leaders who refused to be cowed by colonial regimes. They fought with everything in their possession to protect their land and people from systematic repression spanning centuries, which stripped the indigenous people of our country of all human dignity, decency, and human rights.

This commemoration appropriately takes place as we begin the second decade of our freedom and democracy. In this second decade, we continue to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, of justice over injustice and of hope over despair. These are the values that many lost their lives fighting for.

In being true to the memory of those who fell in the struggle for our liberation over many centuries, we must continue to implement policies that seek to restore the dignity of our people, including that of our traditional leaders.

We have indeed learned a lot from traditional societies and traditional leadership in our history, particularly the importance of the values of equality and justice, respect, dignity, solidarity and ubuntu.

As we grapple with issues of nation building and social cohesion, we can borrow from the wisdom of our traditional societies. We need to study and revive some of the values and societal structures that existed in the past, such as extended families. Every relative regarded it as their responsibility to look after every child in the extended household, and after the aged.

The notion of extended families prevented social problems such as that of homeless and unwanted children, and also ensured a loving and caring environment for the aged, with no need for old age homes.

If we revive such values, we would resolve the challenges brought by the advent of nuclear families, where people focus on their immediate families only, and turn a blind eye to the suffering of children whose parents are unable to look after them, due to unemployment, ill health or even death.

We also need to address the prevailing idea that it is the sole responsibility of the State to take care of orphans or homeless children, as well as elder members of our families. We believe this task should be a partnership between families, communities and government.

I believe there is a need to promote the revival of the extended family concept, because of the security net and social stability it provides, and the manner in which it promotes love and caring.

I know that Kgoshi Mampuru III is a firm believer in the promotion of traditional values and practices that hold our communities together.

I have had the pleasure of the company of Kgoshi Mampuru at events celebrating our nation's diverse cultural heritage in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are many other examples that we can make of the contribution of traditional societies in laying the foundations of our democracy.

One of these is consultative governance by traditional leaders, through processes such as the lekgotla or imbizo, the consultative gathering at the King's court to discuss matters of importance.

As you know, government has adopted this process, and the imbizo has become a valuable tool of two-way communication, and of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of our programmes. It also gives meaning to the clause in the Freedom Charter, that the "people shall govern".

In this, the 50th anniversary of the Charter, we recommit ourselves to the vision that our people articulated in the Charter, to build a society that was free of racism, sexism and discrimination of any kind.

Given the role of traditional leaders in our history, it is not surprising that government has, since 1994, worked to restore the dignity of the institution, to reverse the dehumanisation they have suffered in the past. You would be aware of the National Government's soon-to-be concluded legislation that will spell out the role of our traditional leaders.

In addition, the Limpopo Province is itself on the verge of passing its own legislation on traditional leadership.

We also reaffirm that all matters arising out of disputes around traditional leadership will from now onwards be handled by the newly established Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims.

I must at this point extend our gratitude to all traditional leaders who work in partnership with government, to improve the lives of their people. We value such co-operation as it can only take us forward.

Ladies and gentlemen, in remembering the two gallant fighters, Kgoshi Mampuru and Kgoshi Nyabela, we feel encouraged to continue to build a future filled with hope, justice and prosperity for our children and future generations.

This occasion also reminds us of many outstanding cadres of the liberation movement who come from this community. We can mention Cde John Nkadimeng, Cde Mampuru who died in Lusaka, Ntate Diale who is a Member of Parliament and many others, all coming from this rich lineage of heroes.

Your Majesty, Kgoshi Mampuru, it has been brought to my attention that the Bopedi Kingdom requests government assistance in finding the graves of Kgoshi Mampuru and Kgoshi Nyabela.

The National Heritage Resources Act of 1999 sets out the guidelines for the management of graves and burial sites as heritage resources.

The South African Heritage Resources Agency will be able to work with the Bopedi Kingdom in this regard, with the assistance of the relevant authorities in the province. My office has already been in contact with the Agency in this regard. We wish you all the best in this project.

Let me once again congratulate the Bopedi Kingdom for organising this ceremony.

You have reminded us that now that we are free, we must retrace our history as a people and celebrate the heroism of our ancestors.

In that way we will learn to appreciate our liberation even more and respect ourselves and our rich heritage.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
29 January 2005

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