15 October 1999
Issued by: GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
Chairman of the Pretoria Afrikaanse Sakekamer , Mr. Tertius
Zitzke
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Goeienaand.
I thank you for inviting me to be with you this evening. It is indeed an honour for me to be given this platform to say a few words on this august occasion.
Perhaps I should begin by asking the question: what is a nation? This question is relevant because from time to time we hear politicians and ordinary people talk of building a united South African nation. Do we all have the same conception of this united South African nation? Are we all agreed about the character of this nation?
To the extent that we are a people that share a common territory and are governed by one government, there is no doubt that South Africa is a nation.
There are, however, many in this community who feel that because we are a people with such diverse cultures, speaking different languages and honouring different traditions and religions, we should therefore be separated and build a nation divided into many ethnic groups. This notion is particularly repeated by some in the Afrikaner community, at least by those who advocate a crude idea for an Afrikaner Volkstaat.
During the time of the negotiations and for years thereafter it became quite evident that the notion of a separated nation of different ethnic groups is not a popular option. The constitution of the Republic of South Africa recognises the rights of all South Africans, protecting their religion, culture and language. It is this constitution, which has been embraced by all South Africans, which invalidates the arguments for a divided nation.
We are therefore a nation of a diverse people. We are bound by our jealous love for this beautiful country, rich with natural resources and flowered with an attractive landscape. We are a people driven by the desire to unite one another so that together we can build a successful nation. We share the common determination to reconcile from our brutal past in order to combine our energies and experiences towards creating a better life for all.
Having arrived at this point, about what sort of nation we are, I think it is proper to then tackle the issue of what the Afrikaanse Sakekamer is about. I have no shame to define you as a group of people who share the noble idea of building a united nation. I am convinced that all of you feel equally obliged to creating better living conditions for the people of our country. I am sure there is no one within your midst who regrets being African. You are, like the rest of us, true sons of our continent, Africa.
There are major challenges which your organisation ought to acknowledge and respond to. The social, economic and political developments in our country today dictate that your organisation should begin to play a broader role, further from that of catering for the Afrikaner community. As part of this nation, we expect of you to be worried by the increasing number of people who are unemployed, to feel brotherly about the lot in our country who do not have a shelter over their heads, who lack educational qualifications and many who are trapped in abject poverty. We call upon you to help us redress these imbalances, which threaten our dreams of a nation with equal opportunities.
As business people, I would like to invite you to join hands with us to build the economy of this country, and our province in particular. Your experiences and skills, accumulated over years of hard work, could be transferred to thousands of people who are also trying hard to create employment for themselves. I refer here to the emerging black entrepreneurs who have set up enterprises, which have grown tremendously over the past few years. The impact that these initiatives have on our economy and the creation of employment is unquestionable.
I would like to also call for your support regarding the new relationship which we envisage between employers and their employees. Whereas in the past the latter was regarded as mere productive forces with no rights, today we have a legislative framework that encourages more respect for the rights of employees. Most often the call to protect workers rights has been deliberately misunderstood and painted with all sorts of accusations, such as how it threatens to scare investors and limit the creation of jobs. I would like to encourage you to embrace this as a step which will harmonise relations between employers and employees, the result of which should be increased productivity and greater care in the welfare of those who make it possible for your different companies to receive bigger returns.
As a component of the broader business community in our country, I am curious about how you plan to respond to the influence of Information Technology in production processes. What is your conception of business operations in the next century? The Information Age is putting immense pressure on us as societies in many different ways. As this development affects the traditional modes of production, such will translate into the loss of jobs as well. The changes in managerial models equally affects productivity and competitiveness. It would be important, therefore, to begin to invest a lot of resources in training so that workers and managers get increasingly acquainted with the technological developments that will take us to the new millennium.
Mr chairman
Our President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, in his address to the Afrikanerbond, acknowledges the nobility of a 'goeie Afrikaner', but cautions that "Hy is 'n regte Afrikaner want hy werk vir die belang van alle Suid Afrikaners". I am sure there will be no need to translate this for you.
Our President says this because he believes that when we in the ANC talk of a 'good comrade' and you of 'n goeie Afrikaner', whenever they are motivated to occupy an office in our movements, we should begin to refer to these people in that way because they are willing to work for the good of the country and not merely to accomplish their respective, and sometimes subjective, interests. Julle is goeie Afrikaners omdat julle deel is van die verlange om ons mense uit die ellende te bring.
Julle is goeie Afrikaners omdat die gesig van sieklike baba in die hande van sy lewelose moeder julle belang is. Inderdaad, julle is goeie Afrikaners want julle het gekies om julle te vereenselwig met ons gemene nasionale agenda om een verenigde, demokraties en voerspoedige Suid Arika te bou. (You are good Afrikaners because you share in the desire to lift our people from misery. You are good Afrikaners because the site of a sickly baby in the hands of a lifeless mother is your concern. Indeed you are good Afrikaners because you have chosen to identify with our common national agenda, to build one united, democratic and prosperous South Africa.)
I have placed a lot of tasks in your hands and have no doubt that you are able to meet each one of them. This I have done with the full knowledge that only a partnership between us can attain these objectives. I would like therefore to reiterate the commitment of our government to build a partnership with the people. In this partnership I expect you to voice your concern when you think that we are moving astray and offer your hand when you feel that we are about to sacrifice our mandate.
Meneer die voorsiter
Hierdie regering is verbind tot verandering, die konsolidering van demokrasie en die bou van 'n verenigde nasie. Niemand kan ons keer nie. Ons waardeer u bydrae en vra u om uit te gaan en ook ander mense te werf om hierdie gemeenskaplike agenda na te streef. (We are committed to change, deepening democracy and building a united nation. No one can stop us now. We value your contribution and ask you to go on and recruit many others to join in this common agenda.)
Dankie.
Issued by Thabo Masebe Spokesperson for the Premier Tel: 082 551 4945