Hon Chairperson, hon members and our beautiful guests in the gallery, lo kovhela [good evening]. The celebration of heritage must seek to contribute to the resolution of three interrelated contradictions, namely class, race and gender oppression.
In the context of arts and culture and the celebration of heritage, these contradictions impact on socioeconomic, cultural, religious, family and other relations in all communities. Their impact presents deep-seated challenges that could require strategic transformation in order to build values of a just and caring society. Our debate should promote an understanding that there is a dialectical relationship between heritage and culture, social cohesion and quality of life.
South Africa's rich heritage has been recorded and stocked in the libraries in both rural and urban communities, but not in its totality. In this regard the ANC policy emphasises that arts and culture should be preserved and promoted as part of heritage. Moreover, the production of arts and crafts should be financially resourced and encouraged among the communities.
This task requires the capacity of the economy to allocate funds for the purposes of building a unitary state. In a diverse, constitutional, democratic society like ours, the impact of heritage and culture is profound and central to enhancing the values of a just and caring society.
Fortunately, there is tremendous progress within this area, also as far as ensuring that heritage and culture is popularised, preserved, democratised and opened to all South Africans. Many now serve as a rich resource for communities. Community needs have been integrated into appropriately restructured management of heritage resources.
The ANC government must continue to strengthen partnerships across society to ensure social cohesion and a better quality of life.We must consolidate partnerships across society to strengthen social cohesion and ensure that our nation achieves the values of a caring society. Indeed, the need to build co-operation among all South Africans applies more so to matters of spiritual sustenance, such as beliefs and moral values, which are as communal as they are profoundly personal.
This we must do, proceeding from the understanding that comprehensive social transformation entails changing the material conditions of all South Africans for the better, but also ensuring that we forge a nation inspired by values of human solidarity. It is the combination of these factors that describes the civilisation of the national democracy that we seek to build.
We must continue to encourage the development and promotion of traditions, religious expressions and other belief systems which are consistent with the values of our country's Constitution. These form a critical part of the nation's collective resource in the promotion of humane values. In this regard we must seek to emphasise that which is common and good for our society.
I believe in linking the values and quality of life firmly to key priorities such as access to health, housing, rural development and anticorruption. These are of vital importance to ensure that values are entrenched as a key component of development. The Ready to Govern document argues that, through arts and culture, a sense of national identity and pride can be cultivated.
We must promote the national democratic revolutions' revolutionary values of morality, and these long-standing values must inform the new national democratic society as articulated in the ANC's 2007 Strategy and Tactics document. The society we seek to build must have a humane value system, a strong revolutionary morality and must espouse the principle of selflessness and a deep-rooted respect for truth and honesty.
The Strategy and Tactics document argues that a national democratic society should be founded on a thriving economy. It should be an economy that promotes development, decent jobs and rural co-operatives to ensure national prosperity. These include vegetable gardens and the development of letsema [collective farming].
In many communities, Heritage Month is associated with agridevelopment activities. Critical to this is the value system based on human solidarity and appreciation of the culture of hard work and zeal.
This debate takes place during the month of September. This is the month that is central to the area of agriculture and rural development because our diverse communities are united at this time of the year in ploughing their lands and cultivating their gardens in order to plant maize, vegetables and fodder for their animals.
Great strides have been taken since 1994 in the project of nation-building. Key steps have been taken to advance the national democratic project of reconciliation, patriotism and a proudly South African identity. These accomplishments are rooted in longstanding ANC traditions such as nonracialism, nonsexism, nontribalism and unity.
In this regard, social cohesion and revolutionary moral values and quality of life should be linked to building the infrastructural conditions for a united nation. Through appropriate policies it should overcome the legacy of the Group Areas Act, apartheid social geography, inequalities and uneven development. Through our programmes for housing, social security, quality health care and sport and recreation, we aim to continue to build a life of better quality and values. Housing is not just about building houses but also about transforming our cities and towns; building cohesive, sustainable and caring communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities; and a better health system with the necessary hospital infrastructure.
Our health system and the provision of antiretroviral drugs are aimed at empowering those living with HIV and Aids. Similarly, the new economic path must succeed in creating decent jobs, ensuring quality of life and closing the gap between our people in both income and wage.
We must proceed from the understanding that comprehensive social transformation entails changing the material conditions of all South Africans for a better quality life. It also entails ensuring that we forge a nation inspired by values of human solidarity. It is the combination of these factors that describe the national democracy that we seek to build.
All sectors of society must ensure an overarching South African identity, recognising the diversity of the country's people. We need to promote pride in our heritage, including our African identity and our common humanity as global citizens. The 2010 Soccer World Cup has left us with a rich heritage that we must preserve and promote. Central to this endeavour is the ongoing mobilisation of all South Africans to strengthen the nation's moral fibre, informed by the ideals of human compassion and solidarity.
In conclusion, the debate on social cohesion, heritage and values must not be seen in a socioeconomic vacuum. Of significant importance are the improvement of our country's economy and the quality of life of our people.
Planting and harvesting for a future quality life for our people is the hope that heritage brings. In that sense, September is not only looking to the future, but also backward-looking to improve programmes of the past in order to ensure unity and a life of quality for our people. I thank you.