Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon members, our heritage and ideals, our moral code and standards, the values that we live by and pass on to our children are magnified or diminished by how freely we exchange our ideas and feelings.
On Heritage Day we sing freedom's song. In the stirring words of Abraham Lincoln, "Our defence is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors."
We, in this House, by common cause, are here because we believe that public service is a force for change. We, as the people's servants, hearken to the voice of our heritage and ancestors. I rise to speak for my heritage. Following the post-Anglo-Zulu War partition of the Zulu Kingdom and the Land Act of 1913, which deprived the majority of the Zulus of their ancestral land, my nation desperately needed change. But was this change to be revolutionary or evolutionary? How was a young aspiring Zulu politician, like me, to help transform the living conditions and restore national dignity without eroding traditional values? I wished to see my nation prosper and coexist peacefully with other peoples. This is my heritage!
At the same time, I did not wish to see the resentment of the colonial era based on race transformed into envy fuelled by material advancement of the few at the expense of the many. I viewed my people, the Zulus, as individuals and members of strong self-reliant communities, not as political troops in a class struggle. This is my heritage!
We are also mindful today that there is insufficient regard for South Africa's diverse linguistic and cultural heritage which traces its roots to the Dutch and British immigrants - white Africans - who first graced the shores of the Cape hundreds of years ago. The legacy of the Van der Merwes and the Mulders is my heritage. The legacy of the 1820 settlers in this province is also my heritage!
With this thought in mind, I would like to relate an anecdote of what happened when I attended the national celebration of Women's Day, in Vryheid, in the Zululand District, last month. I was invited by the hon Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, the hon Ms Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, to join her and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, the hon Dr Zweli Mkhize. The guest of honour and guest speaker was His Excellency Mr J G Zuma, the President of the Republic of South Africa.
This event starkly confronted me with the question of whether we are truly the Rainbow Nation that we market ourselves to be. I'm not going to raise the argument about whether the notion of a Rainbow Nation is right or not. I wish we were a Rainbow Nation, but my own view is that we are, rather, a great nation because of our dazzling multiculturalness, one that is more comparable to a delectable bowl of salad.
We are rich because we are all Africans in the sense which was so elegantly stated from this podium by His Excellency, President Thabo Mbeki, in his memorable evocation, "I am an African!" We are rich because of our diverse cultures. We embrace all these cultures as our own, whether we are Africans of different ethnic groups, or English or Afrikaans, coloured or Indian.
Yet, in all the past 15 years that I have attended all these functions - so- called national events - I have been struck by the fact that not one of them has been representative of all our people. Only Africans attended the function in Vryheid, for example. Less than 10 whites were present. I saw two Indians, who were officials. There was not a single coloured present.
So, I asked myself: "Where is the Rainbow Nation?" Is it our fault, the African majority? Maybe we have not opened our arms wide enough to embrace the other race groups, particularly minorities? I do not know. I'm groping. I'm groping around in search for an answer. It could be that the minority groups, so far, have not accepted that we are one nation. It could be that they simply do not feel safe in the midst of the majority. We look in a mirror dimly, but after 15 years, my dear brothers and sisters, we must come face to face with this brutal question.
Must it only be in the soccer and rugby stadiums that we see all the black and white faces? I boldly assert today the truth that the best way to build a united South Africa is by cherishing and respecting all its constituent parts.
Yes, South Africa is one country and it is building one nation, but its future will only be secured if all its constituent traditions are respected. One way to approach the process of building an authentic national consensus is with an open mind and with honesty.
The case for freedom, the case for our constitutional principles and the case for our heritage has to be made anew in each generation. The work of freedom is never done. We are also mindful this week especially, that South Africa should be free to recognise its diverse religious heritage, and doing this is not the same as creating a government-sponsored religion.
Our diversity is also reflected in the glory of creation. It is written in the narrative, too, of South Africa's ecology. As we approach Copenhagen, we are mindful as custodians of this fragile land that it is not just the honour you take with you, but also the heritage you leave behind. I thank you.
Hon Chairman, since I have not exhausted my time, I wonder if you could allow Africans to clap. I want to sit down please. [Applause.]