Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
21ST SOUTH AFRICAN INFANTRY BATTALION MEDAL PARADE ADDRESS BY PREMIER TOKYO SEXWALE - 18 JANUARY 1996
Honoured guest, ladies and gentlemen, officers and soldiers. The first line of defence in any society is the freedom enjoyed by its citizens to pursue their day to day chores and ambitions within the rule of law. After a long, troubled and painful past, the people of our country can today proclaim this fundamental truth.
Such freedom can itself only be secure by a system of democratic rule, which recognises all the democratic freedoms enjoyed by the populace, to think freely, to speak freely, to publish without hinderance; to protect their own cultures, languages, religions, properties and the privacy of their own homes. Once again, where such freedoms were not enjoyed by all South Africans until recently due to the evil system of apartheid, we can all without any equivocation, today say: Change has reversed all that. It has ensured equality before the law, human rights and social justice for all our citizens.
It is crucial to note that all these important achievements can only be secured if underpinned by the fundamental law of any country - its Constitution. Our country now has more than a constitution. Although still an interim one, it is nevertheless a democratic constitution that recognises the separation of powers between the judiciary, the legislature and the executive. It is a constitution that recognised the holding of periodic democratic elections in a multi-party system where each citizen enjoys the right to elect a part of one's choice, and to stand for office at any level of government.
It is within this democratic culture that we situate our law enforecment agencies, our security services and our armed forces, all of which are accountable, not to any private individual - no matter how high - but are accountable, in the final analysis, to Parliament on behalf of the entire nation.
One of the most significant interventions that has been made in the process of transformation in South Africa is the splitting for the purpose of uniting - the bringing together of all military formations, some of whom were arch enemies on the battlefield in the days gone by.
The admiration enjoyed by South Africa in the eyes of the world for the peaceful transitional successes achieved in this country is also due to our relatively crisis-free unification of all the military structures - statutory and non-statutory - that were united into one single national South African National Defence Force. Although this process was not a trouble-free one, it nevertheless was not a crisis-filled one.
Before us today is a national force representative of the rainbow mosaic of our people. In the past, the role of the SADF was to patrol borders in order to define who should stay in and who had to be kept out. The new South African National Defence Force transcends all artificial internal borders; transcends all racial divisions in the true sense of the word; recognises the leadership role of women without quotas, and extends a hand of friendship to all South Africans as our last line in its role as defender of democracy.
Today's medal parade here at the home base of the 21 South African Infantry Battalion, based here in Gauteng, and attended by all the distinguished guests from various sectors of our society, is symbolic of the goodwill which is so evident among South Africans today.
It is therefore a great honour for us to present these medals to such fine soldiers of the new South Africa, and to whom we say: While we may still have to carry guns, our true weapons of defence are a just society, underpinned by democracy. As we continue to fight for a better life for all South Africans, we welcome with open arms the defence force to occupy its rightful place in the tackling of this all important battle.
The 21 Battalion has a critical role to play in Gauteng, as it is the main source of person-power for military operations. It is of great importance to the Gauteng Government and people to continue to build strong relationships with the soldiers here today, to ensure the working together by the people in the name of good governance in the province and in the country.
Soldering is an instrument of the State. The objectives of our government must be reflected in those of the defence force. The principles outlined in the reconstruction and development programme should inform strategic decisions and military choices. With the Government and the Defence Force working hand in hand, we can all ensure that the building of a new society indeed becomes a reality.
A key example of how this co-operation can be meaningfully applied is seen through our anti-crime and anti-violence campaign. While political violence is something belonging to the past in this province, thanks to the efforts of the Government and all political parties involved, criminal violence is nevertheless the reality we still face. It is the scourge we must still put out in order to secure our streets, our homes, our workplaces, our schools, our places of entertainment and so on.
The co-operation that has prevailed between the South African Police Services and the South African National Defence Force in the crime combatting campaigns has been a remarkable one. Such co-operation, in which the communities have also been involved, has begun to send a clear message to all those who break the law. "The criminal war of theft, hijackings, rape and murder, which you are waging against society is one which you will undoubtedly lost."
Together as Government, law enforcement agencies, the defence force and the community at large, we need to consider additional creative ways to enforce law and order and to put such criminals on the defensive. Their weapon has thus far been instilling fear and desperation. Ours should be a country, a province united against crime.
Having said that, we must nevertheless forget that the mission of a defence force, is chiefly to protect our national sovereignty and territorial integrity against foreign adversaries. In that respect, our army ought to be at all times, combat ready, battle hardened, well trained, adequately equipped and above all, must be militarily well disciplined. The state of military discipline that we see displayed here today informs us that you are mindful of these military responsibilities.
To conclude, we congratulate all the recipients of the Unitas medals for their achievement and hope that they will wear these decorations with pride in the name of our country and its people
We salute you all.
Thank You.