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Allow me to extend a hand of gratitude to the King David High Headmaster for once again inviting me to be with you tonight. I acceded to his request without blinking an eye. It is always a pleasure to be called upon to share a few ideas with young people, and as you know King David High is not just a school. It is a distinguished centre of excellence.

Most of you have just emerged from the Jewish holidays' season. I trust that during this period you were able to relax with your families and friends and also took the time to reflect on the present and future challenges facing our society.

Speaking of excellence, recent technological advances have reduced the world into a village. At the touch of a button you could be linked to someone in America or Britain. That's how small the world has now become.

Yet. in this globalisation it is only those countries with a technological edge that will survive. Others, lagging far behind, will be relegated to a dependent nation status, worse still servant nation status.

This has serious implications for South Africa. The question we have to ask ourselves is: where do we want to position our country in relation to this reality?

Much as we may rightly harp on our tragic past as having disadvantaged many of us this will certainly not bring bread to our table. Similarly, the South African miracle will quickly fade if it is not accompanied by concerted efforts on our part to give it concrete meaning.

Two critical issues have to be addressed if we are to be on-line with the world. Firstly, massive investment in human resource development and, secondly investment in science and technology research & development (R&D ).

The world's total expenditure on research and development is $452 000bn of this figure Africa accounts for less than 1%. Of the approximately 5,2m scientists and engineers in the world Africa's share is yet another embarrassing 1%. Our Human Development Index which is a measurement of the quality of life in terms of life-span. literacy and standard of living is not flattering either, - we rank ninety three in relation to the rest of the world, surpassed by far by such developing countries as Mexico, Colombia, Botswana and Mauritius.

Yet the irony is that if the index in South Africa is calculated along racial lines "white" South Africa would take position twenty four while "black" South Africa would be relegated to the one hundred and twenty third position.

This is a challenge we must all face up to. Certainly the state has a critical role to play in this respect. Our budget allocation and expenditure must begin to reflect our priorities and our commitment to reconstruct South Africa.

The challenge I'm putting to our young people is that excellence is a sum total of efforts and strategies that must be directed at making our country competitive internationally, and therefore contribute in changing the quality of our lives for the better.

We cannot afford to lock ourselves in little shells, complacent in our privileges while the rest of society is left behind. You must begin to think of partnerships with your less advantaged. Where you have resources and experiences to share this is the time to do so. Just down the road is Alexandra, an impoverished slum that is crying for opportunities, why not partner with one high school there?

As you know I have started a flying programme for young people drawn from all our communities. The idea of this programme is that the sky should be our limit in our strive to be the best in the world, both literally and figuratively. Next week 80 specially selected young people will begin their flying lessons and reach for the sky. At the end of this programme we want to say there are so many opportunities for advancement in our country - they are waiting to be explored. The business community, in particular. has played a critical role in this process. The major corporations have each adopted a cadet - they'll carry all the financial costs of the programme. This is what I call gross domestic investment - it's not charity, it's investment in development.

This is the story of South Africa. This is excellence; and I cannot wish you better than to say, as you leave King David High ask yourself: what can I do for South Africa?

The challenges facing us in South Africa are vast and many. It is not just a matter of government throwing money at problems - this is not the solution. The solution lies in us. whether as nurses, computer programmers or engineers adding value to our work and knowing that this contributes to the sum total of what the country generates, knowing that this leads to economic growth so necessary for ending poverty in this country. That's all we ask for.

Crime in this country especially here in Gauteng, has reached unacceptable proportions. We can hardly venture beyond our doors' thresholds let alone our driveways. Yet. this state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. As government we are certainly determined to root the thugs out. As you may be aware we have joined hands with business and community organisations to once and for all deal a death blow to crime.

However, the point needs to be made that crime in this country did not start with Mandela's inauguration. For too long it has been festering, camouflaged under politics. Our police were preoccupied with suppressing political dissent rather than concern themselves with combating this evil. There is now political stability in the country and the veil is off. This is not cheap politicking nor point scoring. It is simply an undeniable fact. General Fivaz the National Commissioner has himself on several occasions exhorted the police to make a clean break with the past. We need to link up with our police in whatever way we can to reclaim our street so as to make our cities and suburbs safer.

Some of you in leaving this school will be looking at the job market. Yet as you know unemployment in this country stands at over 40%.

It will not be easy, but know at least one thing: on our part as government we are doing all we can to facilitate economic growth. In the meetings we hold with local and foreign business people, in the trips we undertake abroad in everything we do foremost in our mind is job creation.

If others will be going to university, and we in Gauteng have six of the best in the country, or technicons please make the best of it. I reflected on the dismal state of scientific and technological research in this country. I trust that in your subject choice you will seek to reverse rather than perpetuate this anomaly. Bear in mind that to be competitive as a nation we must conquer the very frontiers of science. The twenty first century belongs to science and technology.

Of course at university you will be exposed to other things as well: substance abuse. Mounting peer pressure, unedifying associations and a host of other vices will be brought to bear on you. Be stoic and principled, you come from good families and an equally distinguished school. You dare not let us down.

Our strive is an equitable education system. Education in this country was used as a terrain for ideological designs. We want to move away from that. This is the essence of our new Education Bill.

The state cannot be expected to abuse tax payers' money to satisfy the grand plans of some ideologues still living in the past. We are one people.

We have all made our country a better place for all our people. We have done away with racial hatred. We truly are a rainbow nation of Mandela. The same determination that saw us to where we are now must be mobilised to conquer all other obstacles confronting us today.

With these words f wish you all the best may you succeed in all your endeavours. Shalom.

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