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Programme Director
President Ronald Mason Jr
Dr Ally Mack City, County and State Government Representatives
Faculty, Students and Friends of the University
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentleman

It is a source of great pleasure for me to be here today as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of democracy in my country, South Africa. I am also honoured to convey to you a message of appreciation for this occasion from the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, and his Cabinet. We regard today's occasion as an acknowledgement by our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, of the determination of our people to achieve freedom and rid themselves of the shackles of colonialism and apartheid.

This is in the spirit of what South Africa's first democratically elected leader, former President Nelson Mandela, said in his book "The Long Walk to Freedom": He said "To men, freedom in their own land is the pinnacle of their ambitions, from which nothing can turn men of conviction aside".

We are proud to say that during our struggle for freedom, we enjoyed the unswerving support of African-Americans in general, but in particular the contribution of Jackson State University, as some of our previous leaders graduated from this institution and went on to fulfil one of the pillars of the mission statement of this university where it "expects its graduates to become active leaders and participants in the activities of the local community, their home community, and the world, through actions such as volunteerism, consultancies, civic and political appointments, and elections".

Since its foundation in 1877 as Natchez Seminary, Jackson State University has had a distinguished history, rich in the tradition of educating young men and women for leadership in spite of having undergone seven name changes since 1877. We at Correctional Services have benefited from this legacy of developing responsible leaders who are capable and willing to seek solutions to human, social and technological problems.

From its modest beginnings as Natchez Seminary, later to Jackson College, then to Jackson State College, to the Urban University of the State of Mississippi to the present, Jackson State University has not deviated from its original founding principles but has become an increasingly diverse institution offering a plethora of opportunities for personal growth and achievement.

It is therefore not surprising that among African-American students in Mississippi's institutions of higher learning, Jackson State University has enrolled the majority of chemistry, biology, computer science, mathematics, physics, atmospheric science and meteorology majors.

It is therefore a fitting coincidence that last month, together with Americans resident in South Africa, we celebrated the African-American History month to recall and celebrate the positive contributions made by people of African descent especially in our efforts to fight for a free and democratic South Africa. This would be a South Africa in which everyone would strive for a just and peaceful society that would eliminate despair and bring into their lives the sense of hope that would enable them to overcome their problems.

You do not need to be reminded that the idea for the observance honouring the accomplishments of African-Americans was proposed by Dr Carter G Woodson, who was known as the father of Black History. In its February 2004 edition, "Ebony" magazine describes Dr Woodson as a person "who taught teachers, transformed the vision of the masses, and became, almost despite himself, an institution, a cause and a month".

To mark the celebration of the history of African-Americans and ten years of democracy in South Africa, the United States Embassy in South Africa together with the University of Pretoria held a two-day seminar. The purpose was to attempt to recognise similarities in the struggle for inclusion, the historical and cultural links between both countries and to recognise the contributions in the arts and sciences made by African-Americans and black South Africans to their respective societies.

The keynote address was delivered by the CNN Africa Bureau Chief, Ms Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who made civil rights history in 1962 when she became the first black woman to graduate from the whites-only University of Georgia.

During her address, she related some of her experiences as a result of her interaction with the township people of South Africa. She noted that "... one of the things that impress me about South Africa (is that) I can go into a township and find a squatter camp attached to it and find people who give some of the most intelligent analysis, not only of their own condition, but of American life". This revelation is a direct result of the platform provided by the African-American History month wherein a cross-fertilisation of inter-cultural information is promoted.

Apparently Jackson University did not escape the glare of attention given to the African-American month, because I am informed that the Department of Defence decided to observe this occasion at Tougaloo College on 26 and 27 February. As you all know, Tougaloo College is one of the four institutions of higher learning that include Jackson University and that constitute the Mississippi Consortium for International Development (MCID).

This year South Africa is celebrating ten years of breaking away, exiting almost 400 years of colonial and apartheid rule. Away from governance characterised by white domination, land dispossession, oppression, repression and callous racial discriminatory laws, which left the African majority significantly illiterate, poor and underdeveloped.

This should be a celebration of, among other things, ten years of a people's struggle for social, cultural and economic emancipation. However, attempts to shed the physical and psychological remnants of our inhuman history continue to meet with resistance, which at the same time frustrates the efforts of bringing about genuine national reconciliation and nation building, so aptly pronounced on by Dr Nelson Mandela and many prominent political leaders in our country.

This psychological resistance to transformation was further enunciated by Elizabeth Isichei - a scholar of African history - as quoted by Emma Etuk in a book titled: "Listen Africans: Freedom is under fire" when she said "Colonialism makes its victims its defenders."

During his brief visit to South Africa this year, the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder commented about the "two different sides of the same street", an observation that complements President Mbeki's notion of South Africa's "two economies".

In his State of the Nation address last month, President Mbeki described the Second Economy as constituting "the structural manifestation of poverty, underdevelopment and marginalisation in our country." He further urged that "we must therefore move vigorously to implement all the programmes on which we have agreed to ensure that we extricate all our people from the social conditions that spell loss of human dignity."

History has taught us that the one who has the economic power controls also the political state. Therefore, we celebrate these years in the clear knowledge and commitment that the struggle for economic emancipation has only just begun.

Be that as it may, this historic and momentous occasion cannot be used to mount unending lamentation of the legacies of our past colonial and apartheid misrule. Although this was indeed a period of monumental human tragedy and crime against humanity, as the United Nations would have it branded under International Law.

The long and painful period of slavery and oppression in the United States should be seen also in this context, because to think and act otherwise is to be blissful, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically of a long history of human suffering, which not only subjugated, humiliated and put to death a significant number of the world population, but also shamed as cruel and immoral the perpetrator on both sides of the ocean divide.

In honouring Dr WEB Dubois as the man who could not ignore this history Dr Martin Luther King said: "He recognised the importance of the bonds between American Negroes and the land of their ancestors and he extended his activities to African Affairs. After World War I he called a Pan African Conference in 1919, 1921 and 1923, alarming imperialists in all countries and disconcerting Negro moderates in America who were afraid of this restless, militant, black genius." In the same spirit the community of Jackson and the University should also pride itself of the existence of the WEB DuBois Honors College in one of its campuses.

On the other hand our relationship with Jackson State University and our presence here today is a recommitment and rededication of ourselves to a commonwealth of ideas and knowledge bequeathed to us by many African leaders who studied in the United States and later returned to Africa to fight for the freedom of their people from economic exploitation, political subjugation, spiritual demoralisation and land dispossession.

We are reminded here of Dr Seme and Dr Dube of South Africa. Dr Nkrumah of Ghana, who after ten years of study in the United States and when his ship passed the Statue of Liberty, tearfully remarked "I shall never rest until I have carried your message to Africa". This was reported by Emma Etuk in the book I referred to earlier.

This was followed by tens and thousands of Africans who pursued not only political studies in the Unied States, but law, literature, sports, arts, science, theology, sociology and philosophy presented a wider choice. Subsequent leadership exchange programmes imprinted indelible human experiences on the mind of the African and the American nations. Hence another excellent African writer Bernard Magubane's book "The ties that bind - African-American Consciousness of Africa" and that master of American verse, Langston Hughes, in his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" could reminisce this:

"I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Eupharates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers."

At the close of the first decade of democracy all South Africans now enjoy universal adult suffrage, a right previously reserved for South Africa's white minority. It became a decade of political and economic opportunities for the majority hitherto discarded to the fringes of poverty and underdevelopment. It became the period of constitution-making and social transformation to ensure true freedom for the African majority to elect their form of government and its leadership.

When South Africa began its long walk to democracy in 1994, the country's first democratically elected leader, Nelson Mandela headed a government of national unity comprising of members from various political parties. In addition he oversaw a Parliament of about 400 lawmakers from about seven political parties.

The second President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, took the mantle from Mandela and also oversaw a legislature composed of members from various parties. It is during the presidency of the two leaders that dramatic political, economic, social and administrative changes took place and included the participation of all political parties.

Profound constitutional developments saw the adoption of one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, which includes a Bill of Rights. This period saw the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to drive the healing process, the Gender Commission to pilot the vexing problem of equality between the sexes, the Human Rights Commission to supervise the implementation of the basic rights of individuals, the Public Protector to provide sanctuary for those members of the public who feel that they are getting a raw deal from public and private establishments, and many others that derive their existence from the Constitution, including black economic empowerment (BEE) to tilt the social and economic balances in favour of historically disadvantaged black majority.

It is during the beginning of the presidency of Mr Mbeki that the system of clustering departments of government whose functions are aligned together was introduced. These clusters are the Social Cluster, the Economic Cluster, the Governance and Administration Cluster, the International Relations Cluster and the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security under which the Department of Correctional Services falls. The Department of Correctional Services in South Africa has made tremendous achievements in the past ten years in battling institutionalised corruption, reducing overcrowding, providing facilities for the skills development of prisoners, emphasising the virtues of restorative justice, implementing rehabilitation strategies and engaging in poverty alleviation projects for the benefit of poor communities neighbouring our prisons, and so on.

The developments in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa must be understood within the context of the past political, economic and social environment in our country, and how the new government responded to these developments was informed by this history as well as the national agenda of institutional transformation and the provision of security, justice and peace.

The majority of our people in prison are from the historically disadvantaged and poor communities and they are therefore among those that constitute the Second Economy.

As the Government's policy of transformation and transparency deepens in our prisons, the culture and sub-cultures embedded for decades have begun to surface. Some are positive and others send a chill down the spine of a normal human being.

Although the various cultures and sub-cultures manifest themselves in prison it should also be remembered that offenders are the "Spawn of the Badlands". What you find in prison existed first in society.

Having said that, I believe it is incumbent upon us to observe that the complexity of the correctional system will continue to make it difficult for us to achieve satisfactory levels of prison reform. Prison reform is difficult but not impossible.

Although South Africa's foreign policy is based on the United Nations General Assembly's fundamental principles governing relations between and among states, we want to see Africa playing a significant role within the continent and globally. It is only a developed and prosperous Africa that can truly and successfully face up to the challenges of the global economy and society. However, prominent African leaders, philosophers, writers and intellectuals believe that Africa will prosper and develop when it believes in itself and not when Africa rejects itself.

Cognisant of the globalisation challenges facing the African continent, it became obvious that South Africa has to ensure that it accelerates its own development in order to withstand these challenges, and to create an environment in which South Africa can meaningfully participate in creating wealth and prosperity for Southern Africa and the whole continent. This is being done with the distinct realisation that poverty provides fertile ground for neo-colonialism to creep in.

The African continent has since committed itself to economic recovery and creating a better life for its people by employing the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as a vehicle to achieve this objective. Africa has made a concerted effort to make the necessary progress in spite of the challenges of the regeneration of the continent.

In addition to NEPAD, we still have to contribute as much as we can to the common African effort to strengthen the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as well as the African Union (AU) to ensure that they discharge their responsibilities effectively. This work is driven by the conviction that we will not allow anything to stand in the way towards the building of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Africa. That is why the Constitutive Act of the AU embraces a Peer Review Mechanism (PRM) whereby Member States could collegially assess and review social and economic progress in each member country, basing the process on the fundamental requirements for peace and stability and that is democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law. A process that requires deep commitment and utmost vigilance.

Again the writer Emma Etuk put it this way "Therefore, I insist that the place to begin the work needed for a better Africa is at the schoolhouse of freedom. Africans must begin to think and think very hard about the survival and preservation of freedom because freedom and liberty have eternal rewards. Freedom and liberty are crucial for the sustenance of a healthy civilisation. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance".

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Jackson State University for having invited me to join in this celebrations to mark ten years of freedom in South Africa. My appreciation is further extended for the co-operation the university has shown us in the training of our members of staff, and I hope that such assistance will continue in the future in the interests of strengthening relations between South Africans and the African-American community everywhere. My appreciation also goes to Dr A Mack for believing in the freedom of the African people and their shared destiny with the American people.

Also to the President of Jackson State University, President Ronald Mason Jr and the entire faculty for inviting us to break with you the bread of human freedom and knowledge. The community and leadership of Jackson for welcoming us and African students in your village and homes. Please do not tire of us. We are equally grateful to the Mississippi Consortium for contracting with the South African Government and exposing some of the Correctional Services staff to America's Criminal Justice System. African theologians and philosophers believe that the Sovereignty of God in history has its noble way of honouring the salient ones.

Our department has been benefiting from the service provided by graduates from this University as they hold important positions in the administration of justice, the rehabilitation of offenders, human resource development and in partnering the department with the community. This is a major contribution to the reduction of crime, and the creation of an atmosphere for a peaceful, safe and secure South Africa.

Finally, I wish to share with you the resonance of the words of one of Africa's most illustrious sons who was prepared to lay down his life to fight for the freedom of the people of South Africa. The famous words from the dock during the Rivonia trial of 1964 when Dr Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment have remained a symbol of commitment to the struggle of black people against oppression. Dr Mandela said "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal that I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die for". And thank God he did not die, instead his ideal, the African ideal, the human ideal became a reality and this is why we are celebrating.

Thank you and may God bless you all. May God bless Jackson State University.

Issued by: Ministry of Correctional Services
10 March 2004

Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)