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Programme Director,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

We are gathered here today as relatives, as comrades, as friends and as colleagues to bid farewell to a colossus in the liberation struggle. Gathered as patriots all to pay homage to a dedicated leader in the reconstruction and development of our country.

On the evening of Friday, 26 April, the heart of a gallant fighter stopped beating.

Yes, a heart that was larger than the continent gave up its final beat. On that fateful night the incisive mind of a commissar par excellence, a committed nation-builder, a no-nonsense disciplinarian and a true and dedicated revolutionary schooled in the traditions of self-sacrifice, selflessness and patriotism, ceased to think.

Since that day, we have been asking ourselves why? Why Steve Tshwete? Asking ourselves whether it was true that Steve Tshwete's booming, gravel-like voice has been forever silenced?

Today our hearts are filled with profound grief, pain and sadness at the tragic and untimely death of our dear friend whom we loved and cherished. Let me, on behalf of the government and people of Mpumalanga express our sincere condolences to the Tshwete family, relatives and friends.

Let me assure you that we shared and continue to share your pain. Today as we gather here in memory of Thangana, we do so conscious of the fact that some of us have hardly any tears left to shed.

From the time we learnt of his tragic and untimely death, we have cried ourselves to sleep.

To us as people of Mpumalanga the memories of how much time and effort Steve Tshwete spent on attending to our problems, is something we will always hold dear in our hearts.

The poorest of the poor, the most vulnerable in our society, indeed the working class and the broader democratic movement have lost a dedicated comrade, a leader and exceptional thinker!

As Steve Tshwete's body lies motionless, lifeless and still, the question is asked of us by those whose cause he advanced so gallantly: Will you still open the door when we knock?

We dare not let Steve Tshwete down. We must not close the door in the face of the poor.

If there is a monument we must build for Steve Tshwete it must be to continue waging total war against crime and corruption.

War against alcohol and drug abuse, abuse of women, children and the abuse of other vulnerable members of society.

There must be a total crusade towards moral regeneration.

In a sustained and all-year-round effort, we must reclaim our towns, our townships, our farms, our villages, our schools and our streets from the criminals.

We also need to ensure that we win the war against HIV/AIDS.

Programme Director, I am also convinced that we have laid a solid foundation for an all-out war against HIV/AIDS. We know that our awareness campaign is working because people in the country and in the province are aware of the dangers of the epidemic. That is why we are again reiterating our call to people to take full responsibility and care for their lives.

As Government, we will intensify the awareness campaign, as part of our comprehensive strategy against HIV/AIDS.

The challenge is to ensure that awareness continues to translate into a change in behaviour.

HIV/AIDS is a behavioural disease. We can beat it by changing our lifestyle.

There is nothing that can beat the basic ABC - Abstain, Be faithful or Condomise.

In conducting this campaign, government's starting point is based on the premise that HIV causes AIDS.

Government calls on all South Africans to join hands in a campaign of hope: to mobilise our strength as a nation and as individuals to ensure that, we are able to manage, reduce and, in the long-run, defeat this epidemic.

We have it in our power to achieve this objective.

What is critical is that we should work together as a united force to achieve the best interests of our society.

That is the monument we need to build for Steve Tshwete.

To the children, family, friends and colleagues, I know it is difficult for you to accept that Steve Tshwete is no more.

Today we are sad and broken. Sad and broken because no longer will we be able to laugh with him; to touch him, to hug him or to cry with him in sad times like these.

When someone close is lost, the broken emotional ties leave a deep sense of sorrow and emptiness.

It's not easy to carry on when someone you love has passed away. It's not easy to face each new day knowing that you will not see your loved one again.

Only time can heal the pain and bring comfort and strength with each new day.

Please be comforted by the fact that all of us are with you in prayer and sorrow.

May the memories you have of precious past years help to ease the pain and wipe away the tears.

To all family members let me say:

We know that you feel this pain more deeply.
We cannot fully grasp the magnitude of your grief.
Please be comforted by the fact that we share your grief; and we shall always be at your side.
We pray that God will give you the strength to carry on with your lives.

Steve Tshwete will be missed by all of us. His intellect, wit and determination shall be missed by all of us.

In this province, we will miss his support and advice. He joins many of our martyrs of the revolution.

Programme Director, we are not only gathered here to mourn the passing of our hero, but to also celebrate a life that was lived to the full.

We gather to celebrate a life of unparalleled resilience, dogged determination, and unbelievable courage.

We celebrate unwavering determination to free the downtrodden, the poor from the yoke of apartheid colonialism and capitalist exploitation.

We celebrate honesty and humour.

We celebrate selflessness, sacrifice and real leadership qualities.

His spirit shall live on and his life shall continue to inspire many of us and those still to come.

Comrade Steve, all of us here salute your passionate commitment to the struggle to push back the frontiers of poverty and under-development.

Thangana, as your lifeless body lies there still, cold and motionless, we can only say:

MYEKENI AHAMBE ABEKHE EQAMATHA LAPHO EYOHLALA KHONA NO TAMBO, NO HANI, NO SLOVO NEZINYINKOKHELI.

May your soul rest in peace!

Lala Ngoxolo Thangana.

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga, 2 May 2002