Waterkloof Air Force Base Pretoria, 18 April 2002
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me welcome all of you to this historic gathering, and express my sincere gratitude that you could make the time to join us, to discuss this matter of national importance.
Allow me to begin by extending a heartfelt apology from President Mbeki who was supposed to open this Summit. The President very much wanted to be here, but was forced by circumstances to go to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue meeting at Sun City, where his intervention is urgently required.
The attainment of peace and stability in our continent is of critical importance, as it will create an enabling environment for sustainable development. The President has requested me to ask for your understanding and forgiveness, and for you to pray for him and for the success of the Congolese talks, which we are hosting as a country.
Compatriots, your presence here is an indication that we are not mistaken in our belief that South Africans have high moral values, and that they are disgusted by the sporadic incidents of moral depravity that occurs in our country.
Your presence shows your determination to become involved in this national priority task of laying the foundations for building a coherent and sustainable Moral Regeneration Movement for our country.
Wherever one might travel throughout the world, one would find that there is an affirmation of moral values and virtues, irrespective of the culture of a particular nation. These include values such as goodness, honour, respect, justice, and integrity among others.
What makes us unique is our fundamental law, the Constitution. Its Preamble clearly speaks to the issue of moral renewal where it says, and I quote:
"We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past;...and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
"We therefore ... adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
"Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person" (Unquote).
Our Bill of Rights, in Chapter 2 of the Constitution, contains numerous indispensable values that directly address critical issues of morality, including, among other things, the democratic values of human dignity, equality, life, freedom and security.
Our Constitution, therefore, is a cornerstone which lays out the kinds of values we uphold and which we want all nations of the world to identify us with.
Colleagues, today's launch is a culmination of a long process of introspection and planning. Leaders of political parties and religious communities met at a Moral Summit in Johannesburg in 1998 under the leadership of Former President Mandela and committed themselves to a 'Code of Conduct for Persons in Positions of Responsibility'.
The Former President and Former Deputy President, initiated a series of workshops on moral regeneration, which produced the booklet 'Freedom and Obligation', and planned the establishment of a national Moral Regeneration Movement.
In 2001 a Working Committee was appointed to promote the establishment of the MRM, hence the launch today. The MRM intends to be civil society driven with the necessary support from government.
Its purpose is to facilitate, encourage, and coordinate the programmes of every sector of society, in working towards restoring the moral fibre of our nation.
Compatriots, we are here because we believe that something is wrong within the fabric of our society, and that we urgently need to do something about it.
Moral degeneration cuts across the whole spectrum of our society, and that is why the renewal movement requires the participation of all South Africans through various sectors, as represented here today.
This Summit offers a unique opportunity for us to redefine and reaffirm ourselves as moral beings, and collectively formulate tangible, practical and workable strategies and programmes that will see us endorsing values compatible with the new and democratic South Africa.
It also allows us to reflect on, and harness, harmonise, strengthen, integrate and coordinate all the existing programmes, knowledge and tools for moral renewal.
A lot of groundwork has been done already by both government and civil society, which paves the way for an implementable programme of action to emerge.
This summit has specific objectives, which include:
The Summit should enable us to define the nature of the problem and discuss the manifestations of moral degeneration. It will allow us to look into some of the symptoms of decay, such as the following:
Moral decay also manifests itself in failure to take responsibility, for example, failure to report criminal activity or corruption and general failure to act against wrongful behaviour by others.
From our side as Government, we are determined to continue using every resource to deal with crime, corruption and other unlawful manifestations of moral decay. In all our actions and statements, we want to spread the message that this government will not tolerate anarchy and lawlessness.
Distinguished participants, a critical area I hope delegates will also discuss is the weakening of the institution of the family, and the changing nature of the family, which to a large extent has a lot to do wit!e in our society.
In 1995, forty two percent of children under seven years of age were living only with their mothers. Data from the 1996 Census showed that three hundred and thirty three thousand, five hundred and ten children had untraceable fathers, twenty four thousand, three hundred and twenty five, had untraceable mothers while nearly ninety nine thousand households were headed by children aged from ten to seventeen years of age. These figures should have increased by now, indicating the challenge we face.
The challenge of HIV/AIDS will further compound the problem of child-headed households. I trust that the Summit will look at the long-term effect of such a scenario as far as the moral fibre of our nation is concerned.
We also need to discuss the revival of social support networks, and perhaps revisit the notion of the collective upbringing of children. In this regard, allow me to reiterate that we may need to go back to the basics and promote the notion of "Every Child is My Child," which formed the rock upon which communities were built.
I am also of the view that some of the answers we are seeking may lie in our past practices, customs and traditions.
It is for this reason that our country has embraced both the concept and spirit of vukuzenzele and letsema, which we must apply in the process of our nation building.
Other areas that the Summit could possibly look at include:
I am confident that both the Summit and the Movement will be highly successful in achieving its objectives.
My confidence stems from our collective history and experience as a people, from our proven ability to bring together diverse strands of rich cultures and traditions, and our ability to work together, even in the most trying of circumstances.
Chairperson, I have no intention of prejudging the outcome of the discussions today, but I believe that there are a number of things that each and everyone of us can achieve if we lend a hand to this campaign and movement, in our respective sectors.
Looking at leisure for example, we could all discuss how we could influence our broadcasters to balance their approach to programming. They could, for example, be sensitive about flighting soap operas and explicit sex, whose content is not conducive to good conduct, as well as crime serials and violent dramas, and be geared towards educative programmes that promote good moral values.
We could look at what kind of books and manuscripts can be produced by our authors and scriptwriters, which would nurture and promote values that would build a stronger nation.
We could invest more in sports, particularly for the youth as sports bridge cultural boundaries and have the potential to promote tolerance, trust, respect and social cohesion.
More importantly, sport is fertile ground for much needed positive role models to our youth.
I also hope, dear South Africans, that in your deliberations today, you will not forget the imperative of strengthening partnerships against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and that we will look at how this relates to the issue of restoring the moral fibre of our nation.
We should emerge with a programme that gives South Africans hope, a programme that says in working towards moral regeneration, we will mobilise for care and support for those who are affected and infected by this disease.
We should also emerge with a programme, which says we all care enough to educate others in our communities about the imperative of changing behaviour to arrest the spread of HIV/AIDS. Part of reviving the moral fibre of our nation and restoring our capacity of caring, includes taking part in the home-based and community based care initiatives in our communities.
I would like to make an earnest appeal to all of you to join hands in a campaign of hope, in our response to HIV/AIDS. If we mobilise our strength as a nation and as individuals we can make a difference.
Fellow South Africans, today, in the single symbol of the National Anthem, Coat of Arms and our Flag, we are, as a nation, giving expression to our patriotism and national pride.
We have put aside our political differences, and are saying we will emphasise our national identity and celebrate our diverse backgrounds, traditions and cultures, and learn from each other.
We came here prepared to spend the whole day charting a way forward that will make this a truly caring nation, and one in which our children and their children will grow up knowing the difference between right and wrong, bad and good.
I believe we are on the right track, and we can only succeed. I wish all delegates well during the deliberations, and look forward to an inspirational day.
I thank you