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14 February 2007

Madam Speaker, Mr President, the theme of this year's State of the Nation Address was partnerships – of all kinds.

"We must today renew our pledge, to speak together of freedom, to act in partnership to realise the happiness for all that should come with liberty, to work together to build a South Africa defined by a common dream, to say, together, in action – enough of everything that made our country to contain within it and represent much that is ugly and repulsive in human society!"

Much of the debate yesterday focused on crime – to many members who spoke this is the most pressing issue confronting South Africa. One cannot deny that crime is a challenge – a serious challenge and one that we must not neglect to address directly and forcefully. Nevertheless, it is worrying that the representatives of the people at national level seem unable to look beyond the terrifying effects of crime to the root causes and to determine ways of addressing them.

Crime is a serious problem but the most serious problem and one we must confront directly, decisively, is the continuing reality of marginalisation, exclusion and deep poverty. If as a parliament and government, we fail to address these issues we will not eliminate crime.

Mr President, your reference to partnerships as a route to realising our immense possibilities is a call to action for all South Africans.

The question we must answer is: can we meet the challenge?

(Mongwe le mongwe o tshswanetse go dira go itsenya mo tirong e e botlhokwa ya go tsholetsa setshaba ya go tsikanya botlhe ka thswaragano ya go roba matla a tse maswe tse di tliileng le apartheid. Tirisano ya baetapele le banni ba rona ke yone e itlileng go supa gore Afrika Borwa ke lefatshe la tshepho le ditshephiso).

Each of us has to play a practical role in the critical process of mobilising our people – all our people – in the national task of breaking the grip of the apartheid legacy.

We must, as MPs, as leaders, show South Africa to our people as the land of possibilities.

Our job, beyond winning and sustaining freedom and democracy, is to embed in South Africa a fundamental social transformation that will unambiguously signal that we have created a better life, that indeed, Madam Speaker, South Africa is a land full of possibilities.

To be that kind of national agent for social change, we need to move beyond our inherited and acquired social, political and cultural attributes. We have to throw off the cloak of self-imposed superiority that seeks to pretend that some of us know it all. We also have to throw off the cloak of imposed inferiority that causes some of us to define ourselves as unequal to deep challenges.

We all must become full citizens of South Africa, able to enlist our people in the pursuit of the elements of a free, capable and able South Africa.

The assignment is that all of us must enter into a social compact that has all of us leading a process of social transformation. Such a compact means we do not need to ask the President about crime - rather we need to ask what more we can do, what can we contribute.

Such a stance will require real commitment from Rev Meshoe to all the clauses in the Constitution, not just the ones that do not deal with homosexuality. We are bound by the whole constitution – not just a part of it; national leadership carries with it the obligation to be true to the spirit and intent of our Constitution.

Clearly, the creation of this transformed, engaged, positive, thriving society depends on education. As the President said, we must redouble of efforts at improving the quality of our schools and universities and colleges. Our colleges are at full steam, 25 000 students have registered on their new programmes, and we will soon reach our target of 27,000 for this year. Our universities are, among many new initiatives, increasing their engineering intakes and taking decisive steps to ensure that we succeed.

Much that is positive has occurred.

For example, for the first time in a decade we have offered student teachers full-cost bursaries, we have no-fee schools, and all high school learners take maths or maths literacy.

Building a transformed society will take more than changing structures and curriculums in schools, universities and colleges. We have to re-examine practices - multi-lingualism, the study of South African history, knowledge of Africa, access to music, creative arts and the sciences must be promoted. Schools and universities should reflect increasing diversity – our mix of learners has changed, our mix of teachers will change as well.

We must also address the needs and interests of the vulnerable in our society. We need to do more for those with disabilities; and all us must ensure that girls and women feel safe, and that the conditions for feeling safe emerge.

This implies building a truly caring society.

Our government has been commended by many for its social protection measures; pensions, child-support grants, access to healthcare, and housing support. All these are praiseworthy achievements.

However, given the growing number of orphans, the massive disadvantage and want of many pensioners, the number of beggars on our streets, the clear evidence that many are hungry and without means – we have to ask – are we doing enough to build a truly caring society?

Giving does not always show care; at times it may actually reflect disdain.

A truly caring society would empower while giving, would support but ensure that the recipient, the poor person, the young person, will be free to direct his or her own life some day.

A recent strategy and tactics document of the African National Congress (ANC) asserts that we as South Africa are only at the beginning of a long journey to a truly united and prosperous society in which the value of all citizens is measured by their humanity without regard to race, gender and social status. It also states that "if there were to be any single measure of the civilising mission of the national democratic revolution," it would be how it treats the most vulnerable within its ranks.

How do we as South Africa treat the most vulnerable?

We need to work more closely with communities and social partners to ensure that we devise new models and where necessary institutions of a caring and empowering social development system.

If we want to reduce the number of orphans seeking refuge in institutions, should we not support the development of caring communities where children feel safe and loved?

Should we not link grant recipients to work opportunities within national development programmes or to skills training programmes?

How do we make real our support for a thriving caring society – one that is dynamic, thriving and empowering? Our social development programmes should be of a character that restores caring, mends the social fabric, and creates the conditions for the promotion of dignity and freedom.

Each of us has a role to play in defining such a response. Imagine for a moment a social compact in which each of us gives up a meal to someone who is without food. Each of us feeds one – no one goes hungry – hundreds work the land to ensure food for all – seeds bought by all of us with the money spent on advertising a crime message?

Mr President, it is possible for all of us and our potential partners to work together to achieve that "common dream" you referred to.

The type of South African equal to that imagery is one such as the cadre identified by the ANC as she who can pass through the eye of a needle. She is a person who fully understands the socio-political impact of social engineering, who knows that the ANC cannot successfully be made a scapegoat for the residues of the racism that engulfed our country, one who knows that mouthing holier than thous will not work because fundamental transformation requires getting our hands deep into the muddy bowl, right up to our elbows, if we want to contribute to a South Africa that has rid itself of "much that is ugly and repugnant."

Are we, Honourable Members, up to the challenge?

Issued by: Department of Education
14 February 2007