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Pastors: Paul Daniel, Terry Crist, Langton Gatsi and Brian Houston,
Church leaders,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very much indeed for the great honour of being the keynote speaker at tonight's special service. I believe this service is the highlight of your very powerful and blessed Fire and Light Conference. It is heart-warming to see so many people, especially Cape Town's youngsters, on fire for the Lord, seeking and trusting in His Light.

As you heard from Pastor Daniel's introduction, I am the Premier of the Western Cape. I was invited here tonight to share with you my vision for Cape Town and the Western Cape. Now I know I am a politician and not a preacher, but I would like to start by reading a few verses from the Bible. Although I must admit that sometimes, we preach just as much. As long as we just practice what we preach!

Please turn with me to Romans Chapter 13 verse 1 (to 5):

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be, are ordained of God.

Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist, shall receive to themselves damnation.

For rulers are not a terror to good work, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God; a revenger to execute upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."

Ladies and gentlemen, God is very clear in His Word that we should subject ourselves to our authorities and obey the law. But if the residents of a city, province or country should obey this Biblical command, then so must the authorities be subjected to God's commands and perfect will.

The recognition of God Almighty, of His power; the adoration of His Name; the obedience of His Word and commands; and the following of His immaculate ways, should be clearly visible in an authority. It should be its starting point and final goal to honour, please and obey God. This is also my vision for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

The Western Cape is the only province in South Africa with its own Constitution. Its preamble starts with: "In humble submission to Almighty God" It ends with: "May God protect our people. God bless South Africa." We open our Provincial Parliamentary sessions with prayer in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa - the Western Cape's three official languages.

When we have Cabinet meetings, each of my Ministers gets a turn to open the meeting with prayer. For us there is no other way that we can be sure that we will have the wisdom to lead this province and make proper decisions that will benefit all the people of the Western Cape. We trust in God for guidance.

Personally, I start every day by reading a chapter from the Bible. To me it is vitally important that already very early in the day I put my hand in God's Hand and let Him lead me the way. Please allow me to share with you a personal testimony. During the first few days of June 1999, just after South Africa's second democratic general elections, we kept a close eye on the election results as they were trickling in. Although we had confidence, it was never a sure thing that we would be in government again. Even after we managed to form a coalition and become the government, it was not a sure thing that I would be the Premier of the Western Cape again. In this time, I prayed to God. I said to Him that if He wanted me to be Premier again, I would do it for Him, gladly. But if that was not His wish for the Western Cape or me, then I would also do His will, gladly. I also said to Him: "If you do make me Premier again, I need you to provide me with guidance, knowledge and wisdom, every step of the way." That day God and I signed a contract. I can assure you that He has never disappointed me. He has never failed to bring His side.

Ladies and gentlemen, this reminds me of another contract that God signed with His people. That was the day He sacrificed His Son on the Cross to save us, cleanse us and give us Eternal Life. Jesus Christ defeated sin, death, Satan and the grave to give us life and life in abundance. Let us use this life, given to us by the Power of His Blood, to spread His Word, to pour out His love to others and to be the province where His Light always shines.

At the very blessed and powerful Newlands prayer celebration two months ago, we took each others' hands as a city. We confessed our sin, repented, asked for forgiveness and prayed for our city and each other. That day Christ's name was proclaimed royally. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit distinctly. It is a day many of us will never forget - a day we stood together as one body, the Body of Christ. This is my vision for Cape Town and the Western Cape. That we will stand together and pray for each other and for the unsaved - without ceasing. That we will hold hands and worship God Almighty together, as our loving Father. That we shall declare the Name of Jesus Christ as the Name above all names. That we shall accept and experience the Holy Spirit as our Guide and our Comforter. And that we shall hold God's Word high as our Light and our Direction Finder.

We as a city, as a province and as a country, so desperately yearn for peace, acceptance, equality, neighbourly respect and a sense of oneness. There is only one way that we will ever achieve this: by accepting what God has already provided for us, by accepting what Jesus has done at Calvary for us.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have spoken about what we as a city and province should do, but when it comes to being on fire for God, seeking, and trusting in His light, I want to say the following:

Before we go out into the world, before we try to transform nations, I believe strongly that we should start with ourselves. My and your starting block should be right here - in our hearts. We need to constantly search our hearts, soften them, confess our sins to God, ask for forgiveness, pray, be willing to learn from His Word and abide in Him. We should never forget the first principles as stated in Hebrews Chapter 6: "repent of dead works and have faith in God." We must first clean up before we can build up.

Being a Christian does not only mean that we pray and read the Bible every day, go to church and have communion. It is not a part-time thing. It is a way of life. It is not a religion. It is a relationship - a relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, we are the carriers of His Name. Our Christianity, although it is tough at times, should be visible in our way of life. Even in the little things, like the way we cleaned up Newlands stadium after we left there on Wednesday, the 21 of March, leaving a testimony as Christians. At the workplace we should hold Christ's Name high by delivering work of an outstanding quality, as students we should study hard and do our best, we should pay our bills on time, even those traffic tickets, and so one can go on.

As a city and province where God reigns we need to have a sensitivity, an open eye and ear, and most of all, a warm heart for our poor and needy, for our disadvantaged communities, for our widows and orphans, and for those who have fallen prey to moral decay. This is our Biblical duty. We as Western Cape Government have many systems, projects and policies in place to deal with these problems, but we need the public's help to take care of these people in the way God wants us to.

I want to conclude by once again thanking you for giving me an opportunity to address you tonight. This provided me as Premier and leader of the Western Cape government with a chance to stand up for Christ, something I pray more governments in our country, continent and the world would do. The Bible tells us that we should never be ashamed to stand up for Christ and proclaim His Name. Then He will proclaim our names in front of the Father. Let us follow the Light His Word blesses us with. Let us burst with excitement for His Work. Let us, as the people of the Western Cape and children of God Almighty, burn with love and warmth for our neighbours, and let Christ's Light shine brightly and with radiance through us, as His willing disciples. Let us send out a message of hope and faith to South Africa and the whole world.

I thank you.

Enquiries: Chris Koole on 082 7743462

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Western Cape, 12 May 2001