Chairperson, Ministers, hon members, I want to start by saying to the hon Dudley from the ACDP: I understand why you were trying to parachute your speech into statement time. It was because you were not prepared. You debated about the EU instead of the African Union government.
Sihlalo, kule nyanga kaNhlangulana, kule nkulumompikiswano yanamuhlanje ngizothanda ukwethula inkulumo ehalalisela intsha yonke yase-Afrika, ikakhulukazi intsha yaseNingizimu Afrika ngegalelo layo emzabalazweni wethu wenkululeko, nangendima esayiqhuba ekuvikeleni amalungelo abantu.
Sihlalo, ngivumele ngicaphune amazwibela amanoni avela kwenye yezinkondlo ezingasoze zabuna zoxoshidada, esakhula ngazo, esihloko sayo sithi UNomtobhoyi:
We Nomtobhoyi Kukhiwa amanzi Uyafa uyafa Kuyaphekwa Uyafa uyafa Kuyagezwa Uyafa uyafa Kuyadliwa Chwi umlenzana!
Lokhu ngikusho ngoba kule Ndlu yesishayamthetho sinabo oNomtobhoyi. Uhulumeni oholwa yi-ANC umile uthe qingqo, ulokhu ephuma phambili kuhle kwesixhumo senyamazane ngokuhola abantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngezinkambiso nemihlahlandlela yokuletha intuthuko kuleli lengabadi ye-Afrika yonkana.
Isibonelo kulokhu yingesikhathi uhulumeni ehlaba umkhosi wokuthi kunezinhlelo azenzayo zokufinyelela ebantwini , ngalokho-ke zonke izinhlangano nomphakathi wonkana kumele zisebenzisane, okungukuthi "tiriswano". Waphinda futhi wenza uhlelo lwe-Asgisa okuqondwe ngalo ukuvula amathuba emisebenzi. Khona emuva kwalokho nje wenza nohlelo lwe-Nepad, okuqondwe ngalo ukuthuthukisa izwekazi lethu lase-Afri-ka.
Kodwa-ke koNomtobhoyi yonke le mizamo iyize leze kubo, abayigqizi qakala; kufana nokuthela amanzi emhlane wedada nje kubo. Balokhu bedukuza oswini, behlezi phansi bethe dekle. Abanagalelo abalenzayo, kodwa uma bebona izintatheli zamaphephandaba, ezemisakazo kanye nezomabonakude bavele bathi chwi umlenzana.
Ngithanda ukukhumbuza iNdlu ukuthi uMongameli wethu, uComrade Thabo Mbeki bekuthiwa uhamba isikhathi eside futhi uhlale esemazweni angaphandle, akahlali lapha ekhaya. Bacabanga ukuthi kumele ahlale lapha ekhaya kuphela kube sengathi iNingizimu Afrika iyigatsha labo ngoba bona abanawo amagatsha. Bona-ke abakuboni ukubaluleka kokuthi kudingeke ngani aphume ahambele izwekazi lonke nomhlaba wonke jikelele. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, as it is the month of June, I want to honour all the youth of Africa, especially from South Africa, for the role they played in our struggle for freedom, and the role they continue to play in protecting human rights.
Chairperson, allow me to quote briefly from one of the classical poems which is meant for the kindergarten grades which we also grew up reciting. The title of the poem is Nomtobhoyi:
We Nomtobhoyi Kukhiwa amanzi Uyafa uyafa Kuyaphekwa Uyafa uyafa Kuyagezwa Uyafa uyafa Kuyadliwa Chwi umlenzana!
I quoted from this poem because in this House we have people who behave like Nomtobhoyi. The ANC-led government is standing firm, and it is, like a young buck, leading the pack when it comes to making policies and guidelines for the people of South Africa and Africa as a whole.
An example here is when the government made a clarion call that there are programmes that are being implemented to reach to the people. Therefore it was up to the community organisations and the community at large to work together, hence the word "tiriswano". The government also came up with Asgisa with its chief intention of creating job opportunities. And Nepad was also started with the intention of developing the African continent.
And yet all this seems to be nothing to the Nomtobhoyis. They do not care. To them, it's all just like water off a duck's back. They have neither the direction nor the action. They play no role, and yet when they see the media, they jump with joy.
I want to remind the House that our President, Comrade Thabo Mbeki, is said to be always out of the country. And his critics say he spends most of his time out of the country. Those who say this believe that the President must idly sit in this country like they do in their branches. These people do not see the importance of visiting other African countries and the world.]
Allow me to remind the House that it would be a great mistake in our history to forget the great heroes of our continent who have contributed to the African dream that Africa must unite. There have been leaders like Dr Kwame Nkrumah who championed the clarion call for the African Renaissance in the 1960s.
This led to the creation of the OAU on 25 May 1963. This call was accepted by African leaders who pushed it in different ways. I need to mention other leaders like Julius Nyerere who initiated Ojama - African socialism - not forgetting Milton Obote who allowed the Makerere University to flourish.
What Dr Kwame Nkrumah verbalised was already in the blood of Africans. The clarion call he made was also embraced by African communities. In Africa there were many communities that had distinguished themselves before Western civilisation arrived, particularly in culture, technology, education, economics, etc.
Umbono wokwakhiwa kwe-AU wavuselelwa ngabaholi base-Afrika ngo-1990, okwalandelwa yi-Sirte Declaration eLibya mhla ziyi-9 kuMandulo ngo-1999. Leso simemezelo sasicela kwakhiwe ubumbano lwe-Afrika ngokuthi kwakhiwe i- African Union.
Leso simemezelo salandelwa yingqungquthela yaseLome ngo-2000, lapho kwavunywa khona umthethosisekelo wokwakha ubumbano lwe-Afrika eLusaka ngo- 2001. Ngalowo nyaka kwenziwa imizamo yokwakha iNepad. Inhlangano yobumbano lwe-Afrika yethulwa eThekwini mhla zi-2 kuNtulikazi, 2002. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[The idea of forming the AU was revived by the leadership of Africa in 1990 which was followed by the Sirte Declaration in Libya on 9 December 1999 which pleaded for the formation of the Africa Union.
This announcement was followed by the Lome conference in 2000 after which the constitution of the African Union was adopted in Lusaka in 2001. In that very year endeavours to form Nepad were made. The African Union was launched in Durban on 2 July 2002.]
The AU seeks to unite Africans as they have a common and shared identity. The first task is to achieve unity, solidarity, cohesion and co-operation among all the people of Africa and the African states.
The AU also aims to end ignorance on our continent by investing in education and research in all fields and it endeavours to develop capacity in science and technology. A key challenge it has to contend with, is to end the levels of unemployment that have been characteristic of almost all societies.
Regarding development, the AU has established the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad, as a vehicle for development.
Ngiko nje namuhla onkhe emave ase-Afrika atibophelele ekutseni umnotfo wawo ukhule udlondlobale ulandzele imigomo yeNepad. Tinyenti tinhlelo letentiwako letenta kwekutsi timbiwa nalokunye kungatfunyelwa emaveni angesheya kuseluhlata kepha kucolisiswe bese kuyatfunyelwa-ke. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[That is why, today, all African countries have undertaken to ensure socio- economic growth according to the Nepad objectives. Numerous programmes have been initiated to ensure that minerals and other raw materials are now processed locally and not exported in their raw form.]
With regard to cultural development, in Limpopo the Venda people of Mapungubwe mastered the technology of melting gold that was used to paint, among other things, the world-famous artificial wooden rhino which experts have dated back to 1 000 AD.
In the Eastern Cape there were miners diggers called "Amambo" who were also able to melt iron and manufacture a lot of things from it. All these innovations were inspired by the spirit of the African Renaissance.
Emave ase-Afrika atiwa kakhulu ngekubambelela emasikweni awo lekuyintfo lengatiwa eYurophu, eMelika naseKhanada. Loku kwenteka nakhona umoya waseNshonalanga walinga ngawo onkhe emandla awo eminyakeni leyengca lengu- 500 kubulala emasiko, tilwimi kanye nenkholo yebantfu base-Afrika.
Badzeshi bebakwenta loku ngobe basitsengisa ngesikhatsi sebukholoni. Bawuchuba lomkhankhaso wabo nangesikhatsi semamishinani lapho emasiko, lulwimi nenkholo bebakubetsela ngesipikili balinga kukubulala. Bebatsela emanti emhlane welidada ngobe nalamuhla loku emasiko solomane asekhona.
Angisho kwekutsi ngelishwa lamanye emave, lawa labetfujwe yiFrance nemaPhuthukezi alahlekelwa ngemasiko, tilwimi nenkholo yawo. Phela, kubulala emasiko, tilwimi kanye nenkholo yebantfu, kukubulala buntfu babo. Umuntfu longenabo buyena ufanana nemuntfu lofile. Umuntfu lonjalo uhlala njalo adla ematse ebelumbi.
Lamuhla bavakashi labanyenti bavakashela i-Afrika batewubona imihambo ye- Afrika kutsi ichutjwa njani. Lubumbano lwe-Afrika lubukene nensayeya yekugcugcutela nekutfutfukisa emasiko. Injongo lenkhulu kwakhiwa kabusha kwebu-Afrika.
Kubonakele futsi kuyatiwa kutsi intfutfuko nebuchwepheshe lebebukhona e- Afrika kadzeni abukefiki kulivekati laseYurophu nakulamanye emavekati.
Lucwaningo lusivetela kutsi imphucuko yeMagrikhi yavela e-Afrika. Inyuvesi yekucala yasungulwa eGibhithe. Ngubani longaphika kwekutsi tibalo betivele tifundvwa kwakadzeni e-Afrika. Imibhalo yaseTimbuktu, eMali iyakhombisa kutsi belumbi bangesheya babetele kutewukwendzela lwati lwesayensi, lwetemitsi, lwetebunjinela nalokunye kubantfu labamnyama.
Loku kuniketa Hulumende Welubumbano lwe-Afrika insayeya yekutsi kucedvwe lenkholelo lengenaliciniso yekutsi i-Afrika bekulive lelatfolwa belumbi, imnyama, ingati lutfo kube kunebufakazi bekutsi beyinotsile, inako konkhe kwekutiphilisa kepha labamhlophe baweba wonkhe umnotfo wayo.
Asingakhohlisani bekunene, i-Afrika beyikwati kwenta yonkhe imisebenti yebuciko. [Saphela Sikhatsi.] [Tandla.] (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[African countries are famous for clinging to their culture, something which is very unusual in Europe, America and Canada. This is so despite Western elements trying by every means over the past 500 years to invade and destroy the culture, language and religion of the people of Africa.
White people did this because while we were colonised they owned us. The campaign to subdue us was continued by the missionaries where culture, language and religion were being crucified in an effort to destroy them completely. This proved to be like water off a duck's back because we still have our traditions today.
I should say that unfortunately, other countries that were colonised by the French or the Portuguese lost their culture, languages and religion. To take away ones culture, language and religion is to destroy one's identity. A person who has lost his identity is like a dead person. And a person like that remains a slave to foreign ways.
Today most visitors come to Africa to experience the different cultures and to see how we live. As such the AU is faced with the challenge of encouraging and developing our cultural heritage. The greatest aim is to return Africa to its former glory.
It is a known fact that ancient civilization and technology available in Africa in the ancient days have spread to continental Europe and to the other continents. According to research, Ancient Greek civilization came from Africa. The first university was started in Egypt. Further, who can deny that mathematics was being studied in Africa since ancient times? The writings of Timbuktu in Mali are evidence that white people had come to acquire knowledge of science, medicine, engineering and other things from the black race.
This gives the AU another challenge of eradicating the false belief that Africa was discovered by white people even though there is proof that Africa had been very wealthy. She had everything necessary to sustain herself before all the wealth was stolen by the whites.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us be honest with ourselves; Africa has always produced artefacts. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]