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Speaking notes of the Free State MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Ace Magashule, on the occasion of the anti-xenophobia prayer service, Welkom
1 June 2008
Motsamaisi wa Mosebetsi, Moruti Lekoana
Majoro wa Phethahatso wa Matjhabeng, Mme Mmathabo Leeto
Bomajoro le Makhanselara bateng Kwano
Baemedi le Baruti ba dikereke tse Fapafapaneng
Bomme le bontate
Comrades
* Ke batla ho lebohela bo teng ba lona kwano, tshebelestong ena ya thapelo e kgahlanong le tlhekefatso ya batho ba bo rona ba tswang dinaheng tse ka ntle, haholoholo khontinenteng ena ya rona ya Afrika.
* Re ya tseba kaofela ha rona diketsahalo tsa moraorao tjena moo bana ba bo rona ho tswa dinaheng tse kantle ba ntseng ba ketekwa le ho bolawa ho tsona.
* Ke batla ho toboketsa hore re le mmuso o etelletsewng pele ke African National Congress re tshwela diketso tsena ka mathe.
* Tsena ke diketsahalo tse sa hlokahaleng, tse senang motheo e bile dile soto.
* Honoured guests, it is important that as South Africans generally and Free Staters in particular, we take a stand against these recent violent acts that have been directed against our African brothers and sisters and other foreign nationals.
* These acts have put our country in a bad light globally and have indeed dented the image that we have been building for so long.
* It is important that the outside world know that these xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals do not represent the totality of the sentiment of the majority of our people.
* We are gathered today as Free State people to express our disgust and anger against those who have taken upon themselves to mete out this injustice against our fellow patriots.
* We are saying that we cannot keep quite or turn a blind eye against such injustice. To do so would be a historical mistake.
* Motsamaisi wa mosebetsi, bomme le bontate, re hloka hore re beye ditaba pepeneneng, re bue nnete malebana le ho bat eng ha melata naheng ya rona.
* Ke batla ho phetha dintlha tsena tseo e leng nnete malebana le ho bateng ha melata naheng ya rona: Batho ba tswang dinaheng tse kantle:
1) Ba kenya letsoho katlehong ya moruo wa naha ya rona. Ha se nnete hore ba nka mesebetsi le ho kgothotsa baahi ba naha ena, kaha boholo ba nako, ba itshebeletsa dikgwebong tsa bona.
2) Ba ba le seabo letlotlong le ruileng la setso le bonono ba naha ya rona, mme ba thusa ho e fetola ho ba tikoloho e tswetseng pele. Dihlahiswa tsa matsoho tsa setso le mmino , tse hlahiswang ke bomphato bana ba rona ho tswa dinaheng tse fapaneng tsa Afrika, hammoho le mokgwa wa bona wa ho apara, le dipuo tse fapaneng, di atisa ho phatlalla ha kgetho tse fapaneng boitsebong ba rona ba setso, jwaloka naha.
3) Boteng ba bona bo hlokwang haholo ka hara naha ya rona, haholoholo ha e le mona re habile Mohope wa Lefatshe wa Fifa ,wa selemo sa 2010, ke pontsho e tiileng ya hore re fela re le naha ya Afrika, eseng Mayuropa kapa MaAmerika. Mohope wa Lefatshe wa Fifa, wa selemo sa 2010, esale o pepeswa le ho tsebahatswa e le ketsahalo ya Afrika. Ke kahoo e leng bomadimabe hore nakong ena eo MaAforika a lokelang ho kopana ka yona, moyeng o tshwanang wa 2010, ebe ho ba le ditlhaselo tsena tse soto kgahlanong le bana ba bo rona ba MaAfrika.
4) Kopano ya khontinente ya Afrika le Tsosolosobotjha ya Afrika, di itshetlehile ho MaAfrika a lokelang ho hlomphana jwaloka balekane.
* Ladies and gentlemen, comrades we indeed have to speak out against these xenophobic attacks against our compatriots from other countries.
* Let us recall the incidents of fascism that occurred in Germany when the Jews as foreign nationals in Germany were blamed by the Nazis for the economic problems that Germany faced then.
* One man commented at that time referring to the Nazis that:
"They came for the Jews, and I did not speak out,
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out,
Lastly, they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."
* The political and moral lesson here is that we must always speak out when injustice is done against other people and not think that we will not be the victims of that injustice ourselves.
* Always, injustice against others succeeds when good men and women stand aside and do or say nothing.
* Bomme le bontate, re le baetapele le baahi ba Foreistata re tlo etsa ka hole hore re thibele ketso tsena tse soto tse kgahlanong le batho ba rona ba tswang dinaheng tse kantle.
* Ke ipiletsa ho baahi ba Foreistata kaofela hore ba kenye letsoho ho thibela diketso tsena tse mpe.
Keya leboha.
Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Free State Provincial Government
1 June 2008
Source: Free State Provincial Government (http://www.fs.gov.za)