Ngiyathokoza Sekela Sihlalo, ngithokoze namaLunga ahloniphekileko weNdlu, neenthunywa ezikhethekileko, nomhlonitjhwa iSekela lakaNgqongqotjhe wezoBulungisa nokuThuthukiswa komThethosisekelo, bomma nabo baba. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[Ms M G BOROTO: Thank you, Deputy Chairperson, and thank you, hon members of the House, distinguished guests, hon Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, ladies and gentlemen.]
I am standing here feeling very honoured and privileged indeed to be taking part in this very significant debate in which we commemorate the 18th anniversary of the freedom of our country.
Umntwana nakakhulako ngendlini, nakaba neminyaka elitjhumi nobunane, siba nokuqala ngapha nangapha siqalisise bona umntwana lo usiphathele ini. Lokho sikwenza ngombana sazi bonyana umntwana nakafika kileyominyaka sekakhombisa bonyana uzokuba umuntu onjani. Siyamqala begodu sibe nethemba, sibone nengomuso elihle, sifune ukubona bonyana uyakuphi nepilo. Bese simsize bona afike lapho afuna ukufika khona. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[When a child grows up at home and reaches 18 years of age, we start to wonder what he is going to do for us. We do that because normally we know that when the child reaches that age he will show us what kind of person he will be. When we look at him we normally see hope and a bright future. We also see where he is headed in life and assist him to reach his destination.]
Deputy Chairperson, this year's Freedom Day and the theme we have chosen for our debate, namely "Working together to build unity and prosperity for all", are made even more relevant because they coincide with our movement's declaration of this year as the year of unity in diversity. It is the year in which, on 8 January 2012, we celebrated 100 years of our illustrious movement. We say this because unity and diversity are the two most important fundamental impulses of the ANC and our struggle for freedom.
The theme that we have chosen for our debate reaffirms our commitment to break with our tragic and divided past. It reasserts the pledge and solemn undertaking we made after the demise of apartheid rule. When we came to power in 1994, we pledged that we would work tirelessly with all our people to break the discord of our divided past and build a united, democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous society. Allow me, Deputy Chair, to take this moment to pay tribute to the selfless efforts of the many heroes and heroines and millions of ordinary South Africans who, day in and day out, resisted the oppression and fought tirelessly for freedom and democracy in our land. We are truly grateful for their sacrifice and contribution to the struggle for liberation. It is through their tireless efforts that we convene today to celebrate our freedom and narrate the profound story of our nation's progress from the bondage of oppression to the path of democracy, racial justice and freedom.
As the ANC, we rise today with great humility and the utmost appreciation for the role that the forebears in our movement played in the fight for liberation in our country. We acknowledge the brutalities of our tragic past - the detentions without trial, the disappearance of our people, deaths in detention, the hanging of those opposed to apartheid rule, imprisonment without trial, massacres of innocent people, forced removals, banishment, the Group Areas Act and many more laws that made the lives of black people unbearable - and give testimony that our freedom did not come free.
Ever since the ANC was founded in 1912, it has dedicated itself to the historic mission of uniting our people in the struggle for liberation. As the ANC today, we remain committed to these ideals and we are resolute in our resolve to unite our people and ensure a prosperous South Africa.
The great son of Africa and a veteran of our fight for freedom, former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, once challenged all of us to work tirelessly when he said:
... we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
Former President Nelson Mandela challenged all of us to never again let this beautiful country of ours "suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world".
To many of us and millions of our people, this momentous day of the dawn of freedom in our land, 27 April, came as a great beacon of hope. The commemoration of Freedom Day always brings with it the opportunity to recommit and rededicate ourselves to the ideals of freedom and democracy. The day gives us the opportunity to rise up and live out the true meaning of the creed laid out in our Constitution and the civil liberties that it guarantees our people.
This day calls upon all of us to ensure that in our daily deeds and words we become advocates of hope, prosperity, freedom and respect for each other's rights. It reminds all of us as leaders of our people that we have an even greater duty and responsibility to preach a message of hope to our people that this nation we have today shall never regress to the dreaded days of apartheid. We must show our people that this great nation of ours has chosen hope over fear and unity of purpose over conflict and discord. This day calls upon all of us to continue inculcating in our people a belief in the justice and dignity that our Constitution accords them.
It is tragic that almost 18 years into our democracy some of our people continue to endure the dehumanisation associated with the apartheid era. They are regarded as lesser human beings and are even called "refugees" in their country of birth. It is our clarion call to all South Africans to refuse to be in the company of those who use divisive language and the words that served to characterise our people during the dark days of apartheid. We should speak out against such individuals, regardless of their position in society. We must rise without any hesitation to condemn their shameful words, deeds and intentions, which are divisive, backward and narrow-minded. We cannot allow racism or racist attitudes to prevail in our society and communities. We must therefore work harder to defeat elements of racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia.
The challenges facing our people are multiple and complex but we remain determined to build a prosperous South Africa. We have moved with the utmost speed to dismantle the laws that created the foundation for the neglect and isolation of our people in the country of their birth. We have expanded access to education, health care and other inalienable rights guaranteed by our Constitution. We are on the path to building a better quality of life for all and ensuring that our nation continues to prosper.
We are aware that some of our people still face poverty, have no access to basic services and are unemployed. But steadily, as I said when I started, umntwana okhulako ufunda kophambili abone bona kwenziwa njani [a growing child is learning from the old ones to see how things are done].
The dark clouds of despair are clearing.
Isokana naliba neminyaka elitjhumi nabunane sithoma ukubona bona lizokusiza njani ngekhaya nasifuna isizo. Lokho kuyakhombisa bona akuzenzakaleli bonyana nasiba neminyaka elitjhumi nabunane sikhula njalo sinethemba sibe sigidinga ukufikelela eminyakeni elikhulu. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[When a boy reaches 18 years of age, we start to notice how the boy is going to assist us at home when we need assistance from him. That shows that it does not just happen out of nowhere that we reach 18 years of age; we always grow up having hopes until we reach 100 years of age and celebrate.]
We have bled from a thousand wounds in progressing towards our country's healing. We are a nation at work, building a better life for all our people. [Time expired.] [Applause.]