Hon Chairperson, delegates to the NCOP, hon members, the Ministry of Arts and Culture welcomes the opportunity to participate in this debate whose purpose is broadly to reflect on the meaning of this year's Heritage Month celebrations, the theme of which is: "Celebrating the Heroes and Heroines of the Liberation Struggle in South Africa".
This year's Heritage Month celebrations are dedicated to honouring the memory of heroes and heroines of our national liberation struggle. These are men and women - black and white; young and old-who made an enormous contribution. Some of them paid the ultimate price in order for us to enjoy freedom and democracy in our lifetime, and they include kings, chiefs and warriors of the wars of resistance.
This month we also pay tribute to the workers of our country, the youth and the women, who occupied the foremost trenches in the struggle to defeat the apartheid crime against humanity. As they engaged in the national liberation struggle, these patriots did so not seeking personal glory; their prime inspiration was to see the realisation of the ideal of a united, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa that belonged to all who lived in it, black and white, as reflected in the Freedom Charter. This month's celebration will give worthy recognition to these patriots.
The heroes and heroines of our national liberation also include artists and intellectuals who used their creative talent and vision to strengthen the offensive against inequality and oppression in our country. I further refer to those who ensured that the apartheid state was isolated from the international community. Our heroes and heroines were also sportsmen and women who, even under the most difficult conditions, excelled in what they did. The heroes and heroines of our liberation struggle also include members of faith-based organisations and a number of traditional leaders from whom our struggle drew support and moral guidance.
We must use this month to reaffirm our national liberation heritage as part of our country's cultural heritage. Indeed, we must make the point that our liberation heritage is part of our country's collective memory.
As we honour the heroes and heroines of our national liberation struggle, we are mindful that the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the ANC, will be celebrating its centenary next year. The ANC centenary will be a celebration by all the people of South Africa. This we say because the ANC was formed to be the true parliament of the people of South Africa. More importantly, it was formed to unite all South Africans behind the goal of building a national democratic society that is united, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous. The ANC, therefore, belongs to the people of South Africa. It is part of our heritage that we must continue to celebrate and take pride in.
As part of honouring the heroes and heroines of our national liberation struggle, the Department of Arts and Culture has made significant progress in identifying sites that are of significance to the national liberation struggle. Linked to this process is our programme to honour national icons. This programme is part of our national liberation heritage route, which has now been approved by the Cabinet. We take this opportunity to thank provinces for working well with us as we identified these sites and national icons.
We wish to caution once more that as we identify sites and icons, we must remember that our national struggle for liberation was supported by ordinary men and women from all walks of life in South Africa, in Africa, in the diaspora and, indeed, in the whole world. The process of identifying liberation sites and icons must strengthen ongoing efforts to promote nation-building, reconciliation, national healing and social cohesion. Hon Chairperson, we take this opportunity to announce that we have received proposals from different provinces with regard to sites and icons that are of significance to the national liberation struggle. These include liberation heritage sites - some of which I will be visiting this week in Mpumalanga - such as The Hill in KaNyamazane, a place where youth activists of that area held their political meetings. It was on this hill that youth activists from the area were ambushed and massacred in 1986. We will also be visiting the grave sites and the families connected with the Lowveld Massacre in Mpumalanga.
We have also received proposals from the North West province. These include the Molema Cemetery, where the graves of local historical figures are situated, including that of Dr Modiri Molema, one of the foremost African historians and intellectuals. Sites in the North West also include Seweding, a place where Sol Plaatje lived.
In KwaZulu-Natal work is under way to upgrade the grave of Dr Langalibalele Dube, the first president of the ANC, and to build a museum in his honour.
In Limpopo, liberation sites are under consideration and these will include grave of Kgosi Mokopane, a site associated with conflict between the Boers and Chief Makapan during the so-called siege of 1852.
In the Free State, the Wesleyan Church hall in Mangaung, the place at which the ANC was founded, has now been nominated for national monument status.
In the Eastern Cape work is under way to refurbish the garden of remembrance in Nkantolo, the birthplace of O R Tambo, and for the further development of the site of the Pondo Revolt commemorative area. Work is also under way to complete a museum in honour of Steve Bantu Biko. The grave of Robert Sobukwe will also be upgraded and declared a heritage site. Work is also under way to build a museum and visitors' centre at Mvezo, the birthplace of former President Nelson Mandela.
In the Western Cape the Rocklands Civic Centre in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, will also be declared a heritage site. This is where the United Democratic Front was founded.
We will continue to work with all provinces to identify sites and icons that are of significance to the national liberation struggle. There are many of them that we will not be able to mention here today, but we remember names such as Helen Suzman, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Albertina Sisulu, Bram Fischer, Sarah Baartman and many others. We will continue to remember these heroes and heroines in order to ensure that the story of the liberation struggle in our country is told in full and reflects the ordinary experiences of those who took part in that struggle. Hon members and delegates, let this year's Heritage Month celebrations strengthen our efforts to unite our nation and preserve the collective memory of our people. Let us continue to tell the story of South Africa. Let us continue with our efforts to build a truly nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
As we continue with Heritage Month we will visit as many provinces as we can, and we will work with all provincial governments to ensure that we truly begin the journey of ensuring that the National Liberation Heritage Route is established. I want, once more, to take this opportunity to thank you, Chairperson, and hon members of the NCOP for giving us the opportunity to come and debate this important theme of our Heritage Month, honouring the heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle. I thank you very much.