Hansard: NCOP: Unrevised hansard
House: National Council of Provinces
Date of Meeting: 02 Sep 2021
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Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
THURSDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER 2021
PROCEEDINDS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Watch video here: PLENARY (VIRTUAL)
The Council met at 14.00.
The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
The Chairperson announced that the virtual sitting constituted a Sitting of the National Council of Provinces.
DEBATE ON HERITAGE MONTH: UNITED IN OUR DIVERSITY AND RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE – THE PATH TO CONSTRUCTING A NON-RACIAL, NON-SEXIST UNITED AND PROSPEROUS DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
(Subject for Discussion)
The MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE: Thank you very much, hon Chair, to the Minister in the Presidency, Minister Nkoana- Mashabane, the Chief Whip of NCOP, members of the executive councils who are here with us, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, I extend my warmest greetings to all of you present in this gathering. We have colleagues converged on these platforms not because of our own choosing but because of the circumstances posed on us by the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus also known as Covid-19.
The outbreak has far reaching implications in every area of human endeavour from education to health, sporting to creative, from food security to poverty alleviation, from empowerment of women to social stability ad all.
It is important for all of us to survive the scourge that at all material times we need to observe all the health protocols at as outlined by the World Health Organisation and our government through the Department of Health.
Our country is also facing the second pandemic of gender-based violence and femicide that has resulted in the physical abuse and death of so many of our mothers, of our sisters, of partners and daughters of our country at the hands of men, most of whom are known to the victims.
Our country had immense challenges for a number of years before Coronavirus. This pandemic has worsened the challenges.
Now Chair, let me turn to the issue at hand to the debate on the contribution of our heritage towards achieving our goal of a united, non-racial, non-sexist democratic and prosperous society.
This debate takes place in the year that the African Union has declared that it is the year for arts, culture, heritage, leavers for building the Africa we want. This is consistent with the aspiration five, which state amongst others that Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics our point of departure.
A central tenant of us continues struggle is and has to be to end the conditions that describes millions of our people both at home, across the continent and the diaspora as the ratchet of the earth daily bedded and cast by the most intolerable and dehumanising poverty. This is the heritage we want to leave behind for the generations to come.
This year as South Africans, we mark and celebrate the 150 years of the birth of two iconic figures in our country, they are Mannya Sharlotte Maxeke and Baba Dr Langalibalele John Dube, the founding President of the ANC and the founding mother of what is today is the ANC Women’s League and this is our heritage.
Alignment, I want to remind all of us that is also important to acknowledge that during this Heritage Month we shall continue the celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of the alignment of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa into law. The primary law of South Africa is also our heritage and our contribution to humanities progress towards peace and social development.
The South African government has urged all in sundry to celebrate the life and times of these two outstanding patriots, particularly Mama Charlotte Maxeke’s hence this is her year. Memory and memorialisation remain important avenues through which people, individual and collectives be remembered and preserve their past and justify their present positions and aspirations in what has recently being conceptualised as social cohesion and nation building.
The African Union has recognised the role that arts, culture and heritage can play as catalyst for socioeconomic development and integration of the African continent.
Collectively, the past with its theoric battles and our efforts to transform our society in the present have sad us on the par, this very par that must bring into the world a new purse what Paulo Freire has called, and I quote: “This new being: no longer oppressor nor longer oppressed, but human in the process of achieving freedom”.
In the same vain I am reminded of the words of Ngugi Wa Thiong in an essay in his book “Home Coming” where he says, and I quote:
Political and economic liberation are the essential condition for cultural liberation, for the true release of a people’s creative spirit and imagination. It is when people are involved in the active work of destroying an inhibitive social structure and building a new one that they begin to see themselves. They are born again.
In a sense, arts and culture are the two sides of the same content. The former constitutes the artistic and collective production reflecting the cultural reality of a society whereas the latter most the society and constitutes the basis on which social and heritage capital is for. Together arts and culture are part and parcel of heritage of a country.
As part of celebrating our heritage, South Africa celebrates Africa Month by declaring the month of May of every year as Africa Month and is linked directly to an aims to support and strengthen Africa Day.
I must say Chair that, the AU itself has adopted this programme as its flagship programme for the AU. Consistent with this declaration our government through the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture is embarking on the following programmes, the Africa Cultural Seasons aimed at promoting regional integration and support efforts towards expanded trade of our cultural goods and services. As we said the African month programme promotes Pan Africanism and African Cultural Renaissance. Thirdly, the promotion uses of African Languages, the focus of indigenous languages in particular provides an opportunity to showcase and promotes African Languages and cultures across continent of Africa.
Fourthly, commemoration of the 23 March as the Day of Quito Carnavale. It is our considered view that this day should be a day where the Southern African Development Community, SADC, region Africa and the globe pay homage to the Cuban forces and other progressive human being so participated and contributed to accelerate the liberation of SADC region.
Fifthly, the popularisation of harsh in meter projects. This is the pronuclear of the liberation struggles in the frontline states then as the Southern African Development Community’s now.
Six, the commemoration of the 6th year Anniversary of Chief Albert Luthuli winning the Nobel Peace prize for the whole of the continent. The first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, 60 years later today.
We shall utilise all our platforms to promote the AU institution and its programmes towards attainment of its vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.
And I also want to say that if we indeed want to see these united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa, we cannot, Chair, continuing to have in the public spaces the historically oppress majority continuing to be a cultural minority. Therefore, the issue of transformation of the Heritage Day becomes important for us so that whoever comes to our country would understand that, the majority of the people in this country have a space in their own land. So, it is within this context of building and strengthening commonalities that the current initiatives of celebrating our heritage is aimed at pursuing the agenda set out by our predecessors.
And I must say, Chair, that part of our heritage and part of our culture is a culture for resistance, is a culture for liberation, and therefore, it is our duty to preserve those institutions and those centres which are repository of this heritage.
It is against this backdrop that we continue, Chair, to urge, for instance, one of the quintessential cultural heritage site those who managed it, which is lea sly to peace account for R8 million, which we gave them and the government cannot safe leasly precisely because they have not accounted for that money. If they account for it, will be able to preserve this very important historical epicentre of the struggle of the people of this country. The stone of the continent, Chair, we have done and engaged in so many programmes and we still urge our communities, all of them, to join hands with us as government as we continue with this process of transforming the heritage landscape.
That exercise is an exercise of ensuring that the project of decoloniality is succeeding in our country. It is the responsibility of all of our local communities to raise the issue about the signs and symbols around them that they must reflect what our country is and the kind of society we are building based on their founding principles of the Constitution of the Republic, which today we are celebrating 25 years off.
The story of the continent that is transformed itself is one that we need to embrace, project and work together to transmit because in the words of great writer, Ben Kri, and I quote: “You cannot remake the world. Without remaking yourself”.
Thank you so much for your attention, Chair.
Mr M E NCHABELENG: Hon Chair, and leadership of the NCOP, hon members, Ministers and members of the executive council present, ladies and gentlemen. I am introducing this debate under the theme: Developing and Promoting Indigenous Languages. Heritage is a critical aspect which holds the identity and history of a people and their evolution.
Colonialism and apartheid have significantly impacted the heritage of Africa and South Africa. Interaction of people from different cultural backgrounds, languages and countries have left an imprint on the continent and its people.
Our heritage as South Africa is intrinsically connected with that of the continent and that of the people from different colonial countries who divided Africa in 1884 and 1885 in the notorious Berlin Conference for their own national interest. This colonial conquest has imposed its culture, values and language, amongst others. The evidence can be simply understood through the fact that today in this debate I speak in the English language.
Sepedi:
Ke bolela Sejahlapi.
English:
This does not mean that I cannot speak my own language. But colonialism disregarded our indigenous languages and ensured that their own culture was reinforced in order to erode our identity. This is done to perpetually position our language and culture as that of second class citizens and not worthy to be languages of learning, business and communication. Another aspect of colonialism is the fact that it also let to the theft of our knowledge as we currently describe it.
Africa has experienced civilisation with many kingdoms in the continent building centres of learning including the University of Timbuktu in Mali. This history should be part of our education curriculum - as part of the African Renaissance of restoring the stature and social standing of Africa and Africans. The call of the ANC that history be compulsory is important to ensure that all our children know our nation and its heritage and history.
We cannot undo history but we can try and imagine how Africa will be without the imposition of colonial languages as mainstream languages. We probably would all know many different languages in order to communicate across different ethnicities. Today Africa is also polarised politically, economically and socially on the basis of language which stems from the colonial origin, hence nations in Africa are categorised as Anglophone, Francophone, whilst our neighbouring country, Mozambique speak Portuguese.
The critical we should ask ourselves and seek to answer as a nation and continent is: “How do we restore our African identity and how do we empower our own cultures?” How do we ensure the process of the African Renaissance finds expression in different facets of our human existence? Look at the
contribution of an integrated and co-ordinated heritage system, etc – it is in this backdrop in which the creation of an integrated and co-ordinated heritage system should be in centre of promoting the indigenous knowledge system and indigenous languages. The current coronavirus pandemic has also brought to the fore critical issues around our indigenous knowledge system, particularly medicinal knowledge. Some of the symptoms of coronavirus can be treated or mitigated through the use of various organic plants which Africans have used for centuries. Some of these organic plants are also used in the so-called Western medicines, as we know and use it today.
The limitation in mainstreaming indigenous medicines is also due to the lack of systems to test and certify these medicinal plants which many South Africans still use. Systems and quality assurance are critical to create public awareness and to share the positive aspects of such plants, while also reducing the risks and side effects which can result from the usage of such remedies.
Indigenous knowledge cuts across different social and economic aspects. However, due to the unregulated nature of indigenous knowledge systems, our heritage and intellectual properties
are not protected, resulting in other exploiting such knowledge. As the ANC, we welcome the existence of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Act, which the Department of Science and Innovation is implementing in order to promote the economic, social and political development in indigenous knowledge. This is a step in the right direction which will enable the recognition and renaissance of Africa.
The democratic government has bestowed the status of all languages in South Africa thought recognising all languages as official languages and affirming their equality. The critical question we should ask ourselves is how far have we gone in ensuring that all languages enjoy equal standing through their promotion. Even with the equality of all languages as enshrined in our Constitution, English continues to be dominant. The dominance of English as a mainstream language of business and communication reproduces the cultural and symbolic dominance of the legacy of colonialism. The impact of this dominance is that our indigenous languages will be continuously be less spoken and taught.
It is a fact that we have many South Africans who are Africans but cannot speak their indigenous languages. Children today grow up without learning their mother tongues. We encourage
parents to teach their children their indigenous languages. At times, society conflates the use of English as an indicator of education or knowledge, whilst English is a medium of communication, as our own languages are.
We therefore need to promote our indigenous languages and promote multilingualism in this country. The diversity of our nation’s languages should serve as a driver in unifying our nation. Learning a new and speaking many languages enables citizens to communicate across racial and ethnic lands.
Languages helps us to explore each other’s culture, and thus connects people.
Looking at fast-tracking the promotion and implementation of indigenous languages, inequalities in languages also reproduce inequalities socially and economically. Research has proven that children in early childhood development and schools who use their home languages or indigenous languages perform better than those who need to first learn English as a means of beginning to acquire their education. Children who learn the basics in their home languages fair better than those who are forced to learn those basics in a new language - often English, simultaneously.
Our provinces need to fast-track the promotion and implementation of indigenous languages programmes, including the finalisation of language legislation in provinces for inclusion in the school curriculum. Teaching children with their indigenous languages will improve their cognitive development and performance, which will improve education outcomes and enable the social transformation the ANC advances.
A social transformation that empowers people to be their own liberators in creating a prosperous South Africa. As we continue to transform our society, we need to ensure that the education system addresses inequalities induced by language. We need to encourage our communities to take an interest in the various library exhibitions which are held across the country. Exhibitions are another form of narrating stories and history. Encouraging youth to take interest in exhibitions would also create an interest in reading and developing the love for books amongst the youth.
The sixth administration in Basic Education has prioritised reading because of the high number of children who cannot read with meaning by the age of ten- this is so sad. This is due to the lack of a culture of reading in many homes, communities
and schools. This is also due to the lack of libraries in many of our rural and township areas. This anomaly requests the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Department of Basic Education, working with different social partners in civil society and the private sector to all contribute in investing in libraries in our communities and in our schools. We commend organisations and social partners who support library initiatives to hold exhibitions in various communities.
Regarding the importance of literature derived from oral tradition within African communities, we need to promote literature which is derived from oral tradition within African communities as part of creating a citizenry which is socially engaged. The literary sector is one that has its inequalities, but it also has a significant social impact on society. One of the legacies of colonialism and patriarchy is the dominance of literature which mainly contain content produced by scholars from around the world and by men. It is important that we support our own creative sector and writers in particular.
They are an important source of preserving our heritage and stories from local communities, writing their own experience and the stories of the people.
In order to successfully grow the literature of South Africa, we need to develop a culture of reading and of telling our own stories. The recent July unrests has shown that our social fibre is fragile. The loss of lives in Phoenix and other areas in KwaZulu-Natal has displayed the level of tension amongst people from different communities and races. During this Heritage Month, we should appreciate the diversity of our nation and embrace our heritage. This is important to ensure that all the people of South Africa should appreciate the importance of forging a united society. Nation-building and social cohesion are critical in addressing the inequalities in our country.
Today we have a democratic government elected by the majority of South Africans. Our heritage and being represent the struggle for liberation and the creation of equal opportunities for all South Africans. As South Africans, we need to deepen and strengthen our dedication to our South African heritage and nation. I thank you, Chairperson.
Mr M R BARA: Chairperson of the NCOP, good afternoon to the Ministers and members of the House, this debate takes place when the country is in a critical time battling COVID-19 and its citizens are jobless. It happens at a time when 64,4% of
our youth between 15 and 24 are currently unemployed according to the recent statistics by Statistics SA.
Some have lost their jobs in the middle of this pandemic due to poor government interventions and support to business to cope with the effects of COVID-19. Others have lost hope – completely - in finding employment and don’t even bother to go outside and search for a job. All these individuals are now looking at government to provide them with a safety net to guarantee their livelihood in order to have something to eat.
All this ANC government is able to do is grant them R350, instead of jobs they promised over numerous elections campaign. Others have lost their lives or their loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while most are still scrambling for their livelihoods. This trauma-inducing situation to our country has led to people losing hope and not knowing what tomorrow brings. It should be noted that for many South Africans, it was a bleak situation long before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The period we are in, where even those who have an income, are finding it difficult to make ends meet, is indicative of the symptoms of a failing state and a desperate government that
sells nothing but false hope to its citizens. It is a time when our artists are finding it difficult to make a living while some are living large, ripping the benefits of their ill-gotten wealth.
This ... [Inaudible.] ... can be found in all levels of our government, with Ministers fingered in tender kickbacks, to officials entangled in messy irregularities. At this point, I would like to pause and pay homage to a whistle-blower, Babita Deokaran, who was ... [Inaudible.] ... for exposing a scandal on Personal protective equipment, PPEs in Gauteng. May her soul rest in eternal peace. May her murderers be brought to justice and may those she was exposing rot in jail.
Chairperson, South Africa is defined with a myriad of contradictions. Most of these fine expressions, through poverty, inequality in our society, in a population of almost
60 million citizens, the majority remains hopeless, with nothing to show for their sacrifices to freedom other than the empty betrayal full of empty promises.
While this conundrum is historic and largely by desire, most of it can be blamed in the current government’s failure to imagine a kind of a country South Africans really wanted to
build for themselves. This is the same government that had 27 years to change the fortunes of South Africans. Instead, it has stolen from them, massacred them and lied to them. All this with the impunity of tyrant.
Every year, municipalities, departments and state-owned entities, are battling to account for the resources that South Africans entrusted them with. The Auditor-General, since the dawn of democracy, has been finding irregularities in their operations, given qualified audits and at times not finding it worth their while to give an opinion at all. That is the depth of the rot in our system, while south Africans have faithfully entrusted the ANC with.
When all has failed, when trust is finally eroded, and ground starting to swell under their feet, this government resolves to dividing South Africans on racial lines when our problem is systemic. We have a problem of a collapsing economy and the fractured system of government. We have a citizenry that has lost hope in law enforcement agencies as women are murdered and chopped into pieces, staffed into suitcases and living in conditions of squalor. What this government will do is hold
... [Inaudible.] ... conferences ... [Inaudible.] ... without assuring them of any kind of intervention.
With all this dismal failure of the state, we however can find solace in the richness of our heritage; that despite our diversity, reminds that we are people that have a common goal, that of building a united South Africa. History has taught us that the crime of apartheid and the horror of racism, can be broken through the emergence of a responsive and compassionate government.
Our government must stop looking at our society with the binary lenses of the rich and poor, black and white, rural and urban. We need a government that sees us all as assets in the growth of this country rather than enemies. One that harnesses the opportunity of our land and environment. One that elevates our heritage, and celebrate our diversity.
The imminent closure of an important and historic and heritage site, Liliesleaf, is one of the indications of the failures of this government. Many young South Africans do not know what this heritage site is about and they will never know if it is closed. Another, is the closure of the Mandela House in Vilakazi Street, in Soweto. This is an indication and failure of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture to do its work.
We need leadership that is upright, incorruptible and visionary. Divisions, factionalism and racism, are a weakness. Our strength is our potential to be a prosperous economy, one that feeds our people, educate our children and protects our citizenry. Our strength is our diversity. I thank you, Chairperson.
Ms F NKOMONYE (EASTERN CAPE - MEC SPORTS, RECREATION, ARTS AND
CULTURE): Thank you so much Chair of the session. Hon Chair, the Members of the NCOP, the Ministers present in this session, Members of the Executive Council of Provinces, members of the media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I greet you all during the start of the Spring season ...
IsiXhosa:
... thina maXhosa ke siyibiza ngokuba yiNtlakohlaza.
English:
A season where there is rebirth, rejuvenation of ideas and renewal. We are hoping that, as a country in this month as we come from a season where we have seen looting, a season where we have seen a number of deaths due to COVID-19, we are hoping
that as we begin this month and this season, we are going to see rebirth, restoration and renewal.
We are coming into this month as the Province of the Eastern Cape having a great honour hon Chair, as the President declared this year as the year of Charlotte Maxeke, celebrating South Africa’s intangible cultural heritage. We are grateful as a province because, we gave birth to Charlotte Maxeke. For us, this a heritage that we pride ourselves with. We are not called The Home of the Legends for nothing, we are called The Home of the Legends because we are a province that is rich in culture, a province that is rich in heritage.
Heritage that ensured that, we make a significant contribution in the liberation of this country.
If you want to look at the most fortified province in the whole country, you will have to come to the Province of the Eastern Cape. That is the heritage we possess and no one can ever take it away from us. We have seen a number of traditional leaders who waged serious wars and serious resilience towards the occupation of the land by the then colonial rule.
Hon Chair, this is the province that is very rich in terms of culture and history. We are in the Province of the Eastern Cape going to tell our story because we believe, if we do not tell our story and only learn the story from those who colonised us, then that story is not a perfect story, that is not a full story. We ought to tell our story as the ones that were oppressed in the past.
Hon Chair, I have spoken about the fact that our traditional leaders waged wars to protect our land. We know as humans and we know as Africans in particular that, from birth as people particularly those of African descent, we are planted in our land. Those traditional leaders and political leaders who came after those traditional leaders waged a war to ensure that, we remain intact with our land and that is the fight we are still continuing today.
Hon Chair, this year as the Province of the Eastern Cape, we will be commemorating the wars of resistance starting with the War of Mlanjeni which started in 1850 until 1853 which is also known as the Eighth War, which is the second last in terms of the resistance. We will be doing that in collaboration with the House of Traditional Leaders and the event will be done in Amathole District. The focal point is to discuss the rich
heritage and the impact that was made by those traditional leaders in the wars of dispossession.
Hon Chair, another thing that we pride ourselves with is the fact that, as we commemorate Mama Charlotte Manye-Maxeke, we have as a province yesterday launched a musical that tells the story of who Charlotte Maxeke was. Today, hon Chair we are very grateful to continue to be making a contribution towards telling our story in terms of the heritage tourism. We are a beautiful province that is very rich in terms of tourism. If you look at the Garden Route, the Wild Coast, the many places that I can pride the province about. If we combine that with the heritage, we can have a beautiful story of how our people were dispossessed of those beautiful areas.
Hon Chair, I just want to indicate that, we have opened this month yesterday with a media launch of Masithethe Sign Language, because our languages are also our heritage. This year we are focussing on the Sign Language. Just as I am speaking on this platform, there is an Indaba that is going on which speaks to the deaf community about the importance and the prevalence of the use of the SA Sign Language in this province. Furthermore, hon Chair in our effort to promote use of indigenous languages, the province in collaboration with
the African Languages Association of Southern Africa will be hosting at the University of Fort Hare a language conference on 25 November.
As I have indicated hon Chair earlier on that, we are a province that has waged a lot of wars and has a lot of massacres, on 7 September we will be commemorating the 29th Anniversary of the Bisho Massacre where 28 protesters were gunned down by the apartheid police. There are a number of those massacres that we commemorate in this province, but also this year this month, we will be commemorating the Northern Areas Massacre that happened here in Gqeberha.
Honourable Chairperson, we are also utilising this Heritage Month to promote our intangible cultural heritage. Today the Nelson Mandela Bay Theatre Complex in Gqeberha is having a round-table discussion on community arts centres, so that we can find ways and strategies of preserving our heritage and culture.
In conclusion, hon Chair, the province is fraught with serious crimes of gender-based violence and femicide. We hope that, all the stakeholders that have an important role to play in preserving and promotion of culture, will still assist us in
fighting the scourge of gender-based violence by eliminating all the practises in our cultures that still continue to supress the rights of our women. With that, thank so much hon Chair.
Ms S A LUTHULI: Thank you Chairperson.
IsiZulu:
Ngibingelele wonke umuntu.
English:
Chairperson, South Africa has been praised for emerging in 1994 as a democratic state which has overcome its racial past. However, even after the dismantling of apartheid, one still finds that two decades into democracy, South Africa remains being a nation with fragmented citizenship, as access to economic resources as well as work opportunities are largely based on race, gender, class as well as geographic orientation, the results of which are being that certain sector in society, black people in particular, have been left out from key aspects of citizenship.
Such exclusion has followed through at all levels of society, leaving behind a deeply divided society. Chairperson, even
though progress that have somehow been made through legislative front, social exclusion still persists, as black people in South Africa, still do not benefit from the promises made in the Constitution. Chairperson, a society is considered united when inequality, exclusion and differences based on ethnicity, gender, class, nationality, age, disability or any distinction which engender division, distrust and conflicts are produced or are eliminated in a planned and a sustained manner.
In an attempt to create a ... [Inaudible.] ... sense of unity, there has been numerous alternatives or concepts that have been put forward by the Ruling Party, as it seems that the population may rely under. This includes the flogging notion of nonracialism. However, racial division is a legacy which has proved difficult ... [Inaudible.] ... and it still forms part of contemporary live experiences of most South Africans. Even though more South Africans no longer live according to apartheid laws, their constructed identities of that era remains.
Black families still live under the same conditions which they lived under apartheid, if not worse. One finds out that, even though South Africa developed a constitutional framework for a
new political social order, old patterns have continued to prevail, which are held by one race over another, that seems to continue. This in turn has undermined the efficiency of the Constitution. Racial privilege still forms parts of daily narrative, and it can be seen in all areas of life, whether it is economic or social. Even though rights of freedom are guaranteed in the Constitution, ... [Inaudible.] ... freedom remains but an illusion.
Poverty and social class in our society are racialised. Black people are still faced with a number of structural challenges which they still need to overcome. Black people stands as mere subjects in this country, instead of being full citizens, as the level of poverty still make them to be unable to make choices for upward social mobility. For example, the right to education, is a constitutional right. However, the reality is that the poor cannot fully exercise this right due to constraint of their circumstances.
The majority of the South African population still finds themselves in a position where they are unable to enjoy the privileges that comes with being a citizen for the ... [Inaudible.] ... and unemployed do not lay claims to land and still lives in the conditions that mirror apartheid society.
They have little or no access to land, lack of access to economic, cultural and political resources. Many of our people still lives in shacks and townships, where living conditions are unsatisfactory, with a public health care in shambles, where state hospitals are understaffed and ill-equipped to help the needs of their communities that they are supposed and meant to serve.
Unemployment is on the increase with a large number of graduates struggling to source employment. With the unemployment rate among youth being more than the size of adults each year. All these are at the premise that even culture, language and heritage is being contested in all sector of society. So, we have no heritage to speak of, because landless people cannot speak proudly about heritage. One also found out that citizenship is experienced differently depending on which side of the socioeconomic spectrum one falls under.
Citizenship is experienced differently by one living in a township in comparison to the one living in the affluent suburb in the same metro. South Africa is not two nations. There is one capitalist country who’s rationalised capitalism appease certain racial group at certain point of production
capitalist system. Yet, it is behind this backdrop that concepts such as nonracialism have been put forward as a unifying agent. Nonracialism is a policy that has been characterised by ruling party through its history, and it’s an idea that there must be a certain of nonracial citizens in the harmonised society.
However, concepts remain flawed as well, as we cannot expect the fact that our racialism is a reality. For every part of one’s life as a citizen is experienced along racial lines. The process of true nation-building requires respect for individual’s rights, values and appreciation of differences, as it is not enough, that we only have key instrumental documents outlining rights and duties of individuals. But what is also required is lived experiences that goes beyond and more genuine than that.
The reality which we are faced with especially in South Africa is that, the Constitution has not achieved the kind of society which it wishes to achieve. We have to find alternative ways of forging a genuine path of nonracial, nonsexist, united and prosperous democratic society, that can only be done through the EFF. The values of the EFF through our non-negotiable seven pillars paved the way to building a united and a
prosperous society, for our true heritage can only be through owning of and expropriation of land and minerals for equitable redistribution, through the nationalisation of mines, banks and other strategic sectors of our economy.
What will assist in building the ... [Inaudible.] ... through nonracialism, will be when the majority of the people who are Africans own land and do not stand as outsiders in our own country. So, we have no heritage to celebrate while we are poor, landless and jobless. I thank you, Chairperson.
Ms H G S MAVIMBELA (KZN – MEC SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE): Hon
Chairperson, greetings to the hon Minister, the executive members, all the hon members in the House and all the guests that are following us on the social media platform, let me begin my contribution for debate by putting the preamble of SA National Heritage Resources Act of 1999 which states as follows, and I quote:
Our heritage is unique and precious and it cannot be renewed. It helps us to define our cultural identity and therefore lies at the heart of our spiritual well-being and has the power to build our nation. It has the potential to affirm our diverse cultures, and in so doing
shape our national character. Our heritage celebrates our achievements and contributes to redressing past inequities. It educates, it deepens our understanding of society and encourages us to empathise with the experience of others. It facilitates healing and material and symbolic restitution and it promotes new and previously neglected research into our rich oral traditions and customs.
Heritage is the subject of reflection, discussion and debate as regards what should be promoted, enjoyed and conserved or discarded and regretted, as well as learnt from; in order to build on for the future. What we have inherited from the past is a rich and complex mix of racial and ethnic groups. Our diversity runs across the racial spectrum which is made largely of Africans, whites, Indians and coloureds.
A diverse society provides a greater opportunity for learning about and appreciating the values of human interaction and inter-cultural communication, as well as challenges of co- existence. Therefore, in dealing with issues of heritage, we have to explore and build creatively on virtues of commonality and diversity, particularly when it comes to intangible items of heritage. In this respect our task, amongst other things, entails
promotion of unity, alongside respect for diversity and its correlative cultural expression.
IsiZulu:
Ukuhlonishwa kwamagugu ethu anothile kubhekelelwe kuMthethosisekelo waseNingizimu Afrika obeka ngokusobala ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika ingeyabo bonke abahlala kuyo, sibumbene nakuba singefani.
Isingqalabutho zombuso wethu wentando yabantu zazazi kahle kamhlophe abacindezeli kanye nombuso wobandlululo wasebenzisa wona amasiko kanye namagugu ethu ukusehlukanisa. Nokho ke kusukela ngonyaka we-1994 siqalile umzamo wokwakha isizwe esikwaziyo ukuthi yize nanoma sehlukene ngokwamagugu namasiko kepha kumele sikusebenzise lokho kwehlukana kwethu, ukukhuthaza ubumbano, ukuhlalisana kahle komphakathi kanye nokuguquka kwenhlalo nesimo somnotho emphakathini wethu.
English:
The recent incidents of unrest that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng exposed some of the fault lines that still exist in our society today, as they resulted in the emergence of racial tensions in many of our communities. While these incidents caused a lot of pain and suffering, but we should see them as
a wake-up call for us to work towards achieving the goals that we set for our democratic state, which is to use every available resource to create a better life for all our people.
As we embark on a journey to rebuild, heal, and create a better living environment for the people – we should take lessons from what transpired, in order to ensure that we reignite the spark that set us on a path towards creating South Africa as a Rainbow Nation.
Now it is up to us to help communities heal while at the same time create room for social cohesion, for communities to come together to ensure that there is peace and harmony.
Both Blacks and Indians are capable of collectively attaining and embracing social cohesion despite the diversity ethnically and linguistically. Just like a Phoenix which is also known as a colourful, mythological bird, that symbolises rebirth, regeneration and renewal, collaborative understanding of what it means to live alongside other racial groups outside of their affiliation is needed in order to move forward.
Now as we begin a new month, rich with history, culture and heritage, let us come together to embrace our diversity. Learn
each other’s culture and most importantly let us teach our children to embrace different cultures in society, learn each other’s culture and languages for us to see real change in society.
Hon Chairperson, ever the decades, KwaZulu-Natal has evolved into a multicultural society. In addition to the Zulu heritage, the province boasts of Afrikaner, English, Indian, Khoisan, Xhosa, and Sotho, cultural heritage. This unity of cultural heritage is a potential source of economic strength if properly harnessed. The Department of Arts and Culture’s position is that KwaZulu-Natal is a cultural melting pot and unity in diversity is its principal policy stance.
The position of the department is that heritage sustainability can only be ensured through equal investing in all the three cultural streams that contribute to the cultural melting pot of KwaZulu-Natal. Historically marginalised cultural communities must not only be the beneficiaries of the heritage policies, programmes, schemes, designed to improve their lives, but must be the principal actors and agents in the heritage industry. Thank you very much, hon Chairperson.
Afrikaans:
Mnr S F DU TOIT: Agb Voorsitter, ...
English:
... what does it mean to be united in our diversity? South Africa has 11 official languages, for major ethnic groups, about 58,4 million inhabitants, 10 major religious beliefs and one goal, survival. Chair, it’s clear we’re different, different values, different cultures, different prospects and different beliefs.
But, what is lacking in South Africa? The one major thing that will solve the large percentage of our problems, respect.
Respect for yourself, your culture, your religion, your family your language, your ethnicity. Only when you have respect for this will, you able to respect others.
Afrikaans:
Die Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal, HAT, definieer erfenis as volg: Eienskappe van ’n vorige geslag of tyd op ’n latere oorgedra. Daar word gesê dat erfenis die spieël van ’n nasie is. Ek staan vandag as ’n trotse Afrikaner, trots gewortel in Afrika, trots op wie en wat ek is. Ek is trots op my taal, die pragtige Afrikaans, trots op my kultuur, volksliedere, die Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurverenigning,
FAK, die HAT, akademia [Onhoorbaar.], trots om deel van ’n groepering te wees wat Suid-Afrika ontwikkel het, initiatief geneem het, leiding geneem het, uitvoering gegee het aan die Woord van God naamlik, bewoon en bewerk die aarde, gaan heen en vermeder.
Watter taal kan die kreun van die rooigeroeste windpomp en die yl vlakte beter beskryf en omskryf, soos wat dit moeisaam, verwese sy angel diep in moederaarde se donker skatkamer steek om getrou, gedweë teen die tempo wat die wind bepaal, die soet lewegewende water na die oppervlakte trek om die skurfgekraakte dors te les? My taal, Afrikaans.
Ons het voorouers wat ons geleer van hulp verleen, hoflikheid, konfyt kook en vooruit beplan. My kultuur, psalms, gesange en gebed, my geloof! Wees trots op wie en wat jy is.
English:
House Chair, government is in a process to attempt to erase the existence for of the cultures in South Africa in contrast to the preamble of the Constitution. Why? One may ask. Is it because there might be a culture of entitlement? Might be a culture of envy, regret, revenge or hate? If you enviously
focused on the success of others, you always stand in the shadow of their achievements.
Suffering doesn’t destroy faith House Chair, it refines it. I have said it before, government might try to destroy our culture, our heritage, our achievements, but they will not succeed.
Afrikaans:
Die regering sal nie daarin slaag om ons van ons kultuur en erfenis te ontneem nie. Dit bruis met trots in ons are. Die onderdrukkende, uitsluitende vure van beperkende wetgewing en regulasies verfyn die geloof, versterk die gees en spoor uithouvermoë en die strewe na sukses aan.
Daar is ’n ongetemde drang om oorlewing, ten spyte van die onderdrukking, ten spyte van vooruitgang vir ons nageslagte, ter wille van vooruitgang van ons nageslagte.
Solank as die ANC aanhou om te onderdruk, af te kraak en te lieg sal die vlam van motivering, sukses, aanhou en oorwin al hoe hoër in ons harte brand.
English:
Heritage Month, the debate on being united in our diversity.
Afrikaans:
Witgepleister graf!
English:
You boost as if you care, as if there’s no discrimination, no exclusion and no expropriation on your side. Holding out an wilted olive branch - that is how we see you. That’s who you are. Only when culture find pride in themselves without disrespecting others. Only when they do not blame the past, their shortcomings and failures, inabilities, lack of sense of achievement, only then House Chair, might they will be able to thrive as a collective, contributing to their own heritage and that of the country.
Afrikaans:
Die VF Plus dring daarop aan dat daar gelyke geleenthede, gelyke bevordering en gelyke beskerming van alle kulture in Suid-Afrika moet wees. Soos by Magersfontein, sal ons, ten spyte van ’n oormag, die goeie stryd stry, die geloof behou en met trots, nederig die stryd deurvoer en oorwin. Dankie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Mr K M MOEIEMANG: On a point of order House Chair, on a point of order House Chair.
AN HON MEMBER: You are very angry we are going to take back the land no matter ... [Interjection.]
The House Chairperson (Ms W Ngwenya): Hon members, order!
Mr K M MOEIEMANG: Can the hon member not be that angry? Thank you.
The House Chairperson (Ms W Ngwenya): Hhayi mani, akusiyi
point of order [ No man, that’s not a point of order.]
Ms M C MAHASELA (Limpopo Chairperson – Sports, Arts and Culture): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon members, hon Minister of Sports, Mthethwa, ladies and gentlemen, all esteemed stakeholders and participants of this august interactive session.
Sepedi:
Thobela! Ke a le dumedi?a.
English:
Hon Chairperson, allow me to extend my warmest greetings to all of you present today. It gives me great pleasure to be with you of course on unusual platform, which is virtual. This does not mark a happy occasion, but a reminder of where we are today as the country. We entered the second day of September month which is recognised countrywide as a heritage month. We are sure that with the wisdom and guidance our government will strive much to greater heights and achievements.
However, is now becoming a norm for our gatherings to take place under extremely difficult circumstances that has been transmitted to us by nature. Amongst other objectives of our struggle today, is a fight against notorious pandemic, which is COVID-19. Hon Chairperson, mention the word township in South Africa and it immediately sparks mental images of the haves alongside the have nots, the dichotomy of poverty in close proximity to wealth. It is a term that often invokes images of underdeveloped and racially segregated areas. While this is still very much the truth, the township economies of the country will have to be a key focus of economic development going forward.
To overcome the persistent dichotomy between developed cities and towns and former border industry zones and feeder
townships, we need to change townships from labour reserves - largely consumption based, into productive hubs that attract investment. We need to use local labour to benefit local people. And lastly, we need to integrate township small, medium and micro-sized enterprises, SMMEs, into formal value chains township economy provides a unique insight into township informal business and entrepreneurship and the Deputy President David Mabuza, when dealing with issues of township economy once said we need to repurpose rundown industrial parks such that they are at the centre of growing township economies.
A quarter, which is 24,35% of South Africa’s population of 47,8 million people live in the 76 largest townships in the country. Township population is a large proportion of the Limpopo population. Township or former Bantustan area economic contribution must grow from its current tiny share of gross regional product. To increase the number of sustainable entrepreneurs beyond the usual three-year mortality rate through interventions across the whole value chain of enterprise development, savings clubs and stokvels have substantial funds and the majority are to be found in the townships. Potential consumption of the township population
should be used to create partnerships that will convert the townships from consumer outposts to productive centres.
To achieve these, government policy on promotion and support of township economy to be successful and have intended results, government needs to repurpose rundown factories in the townships for manufacturing and agro-processing purposes, for example, Limpopo produces lots of agricultural products that leave this province unprocessed. Products like macadamia nuts, bananas, oranges, etc. These products can be processed in the province. They can also create jobs along the way and improve the standard of living in our townships.
With regard to the tourism sectors, Limpopo has a unique cultural diversity, which attract tourists from both local and foreign countries. This unique offering can be fused with our already buzzing nature-based tourism, this will help develop and improve economic activities in rural and townships.
As I conclude, let us intensify the struggle for the second and most critical part of our struggle, economic freedom and the return of the land that was stolen from our foremothers and forefathers. We need to reverse the effects of 1913 Land Act. I repeat - we need to reverse the effects of 1913 Land
Act where Africans were dispossessed their land. We need our land back! We need to ensure proper land redistribution and support those black farmers who are given their land back. I thank you.
Sepedi:
Mo?ate!
Mr I NTSUBE: Thank you very much, hon House Chairperson, the hon Minister and the Chief Whip of the Council. Indeed, I think there is a general consensus that the black majority, Africans in particular, need to get their land back.
The debate brought forward this afternoon presents us with an opportunity to engage in a festival of ideas and outline our policy position and policy direction as the ANC. It gives us an opportunity to articulate how we intend to strengthen our national democratic society through the heritage, symbols, aspirations and voices of the people.
Our first point of departure is to acknowledge the protracted process of change, which is continuously informed by the society we envisioned for our people at large. As our Strategy and Tactics document of 2017 outlines, a national democratic
society constitutes the ideal state we aspire to as the ANC and the broad democratic movement. The vehicle to attaining this society is through the national democratic revolution which ultimately seeks to build a society based on the best in human civilization in terms of political and human freedom, socioeconomic rights, value systems and identity.
Our document further outlines that, as with any nation, South Africa will continue to have multiple identities based on class, gender, age, language, geographical location, religion and so on. In a national democratic society, such diversity should feed into and over-reach national identity. In its own unique way, South Africa should emerge as a united African nation, adding to the diversity and identity of the continent and humanity at large.
The country has a long protracted history of oppression, subjugation and exclusion based along racial lines. The ANC has ... [Inaudible.] ... identified social cohesion as one of its key priorities to redress past injustices and the development of those who were previously marginalised.
Based on the four pillars of diversity, inclusiveness, access and value, social cohesion is an effective tool to combat the
triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. When our first democratically elected government decided to place the nation’s collective heritage, national symbols and arts as priority areas, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.
The country cannot achieve unity and social cohesion without reducing the gaps between the rich and the poor, black and white, women and men, city and country. In doing this, it is necessary to recognise the historical obligation for redress to correct the wrongs of the past and affirm the historically disadvantaged. Without unity, the nation cannot hope to correct the wrongs of the past. Without correcting the wrongs of the past, unity would be superficial.
In the postapartheid period, we as the ANC have persisted in our determination to implement the national democratic revolution. The national democratic revolution has, as its first national suspect, the struggle to overcome the legacy of the racial or national oppression of the black majority in general and Africans in particular.
Its second national aspect refers to the task of nation- building — the ... [Inaudible.] ... of actual material conditions for a united nation in all of its diversity, and forging a unifying national system of governance whose character reflects the principles of clauses in the Freedom Charter, which is what is meant by social cohesion.
On the other hand, it is often contested but there is some consensus that social cohesion can be said to present in societies to the extent that societies are coherent, united and functional, and provide an environment within which its citizens can flourish. In other words, social cohesion is what holds societies together.
The Freedom Charter and the Constitution refers to what must be addressed to attain the ideal of nation-building and social cohesion. Both call for a South Africa that belongs to those who live in it, black and white. They affirm a nation united in diversity. This appears to be an ideal that most South Africans must continue to embrace.
National symbols such as the national flag, an anthem and a coat of arms, unite the people of our country and make them proud to be part of that country and all of its achievements.
The national flag of the Republic of South Africa was brought into use on Freedom Day, 27 April 1994, as we were ushering in our democracy. This unique design of the flag, which begins as a V, comes together at the centre ... of representation and the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, which ultimately takes the road ahead of ... [Inaudible.]
Similarly, the coat of arms was also launched on Freedom Day. This was in the year 2000. A central image of the coat of arms is the secretary bird with its uplifted wings. Above the bird is the rising sun, a force that gives life while representing the fight of the darkness and the triumph of discovery, knowledge and the understanding of things that have been hidden, and the illumination of the new life that is coming into being.
We need to remember patriotic symbols when we are faced with difficulties as a nation. During the month of July, some parts of our country were faced with unrest which was characterised by violence, looting and the destruction of property. Nearly
300 people lost their lives during this unfortunate period of unrest. This has been the most severe unrest in more than ... parts of the country since the ushering in of our new
democratic dispensation. The ANC has made a clarion call to community organisations, religious leaders, trade unions, business formations, nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, and broader civil society to join in condemning the criminality, looting and wanton destruction of livelihoods and property.
The events that engulfed our nation in July of this year ought to never be repeated again, whilst the unrest has brought to the fore many political, social and economic issues, and the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. We cannot speak about the above in the absence of imbedding national pride and patriotism in our communities.
Whilst the right to peaceful demonstration is entrenched in the Constitution, we must remember that, that right goes with a set of responsibilities and a need to uphold the rule of law at all material times. At the core of these responsibilities is ensuring that we inculcate a culture of patriotism and national pride in our people. While it can be argued that patriotism cannot solve our national problems, particularly the triple challenges that we are faced with, it cannot stop unjust killings and it cannot abolish injustices, we cannot realise the sublime ideals of a national democratic society without patriotism.
In the absence of such, all that we will have is a South Africa that is polarised with a perpetuation of the triple challenges. In the absence of patriotism, all that we will have is a nation that is always reacting and never progressing. Without patriotism, we will lose the country, for we will have given up on the ideals that our forebears fought for and sacrificed their lives for.
In conclusion, the imperative to the realisation of a diverse, socially cohesive society with a common national identity, as emphatically outlined in Outcome 14 of the National Development Plan, will require every member of our community to spearhead and champion these imperatives in their respective corners and spaces. Each and every one of us must take up the task of social mobilisation and strengthen the organs of people’s power. This is done with the understanding that arts, culture, heritage and symbolism are central to nation-building. Thus, the promotion and preservation of cultural heritage symbols remains paramount to this end.
Ms M HLOPHE (Gauteng – MEC FOR SPORTS, ARTS, CULTURE AND
RECREATION): Madam Chair, if I may just lock off my camera so that it doesn’t interrupt my ability to speak. Chairperson of the NCOP, Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Ministers,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, hon members, distinguished guests, in receiving the Noble Peace Price on the 11 December 1967, Chief Albert Luthuli made a compelling argument about the African Revolution. He gave a clarion call for a nonracial South Africa, when he asserted our vision for a democratic state. A country that upholds the rights of all who live in it, black and white.
Hon Chair, the recent racial tensions as witnessed in Phoenix are a stark reminder that our country still has a lot to do in order to resolve the national question. Since the dawn of our democratic society, we can account for much of the transformative agenda. However, the stubborn legacy of apartheid and colonisation persists.
As we celebrate 27 years of our democratic dispensation, this year’s Heritage Month coincides with the celebration of 150 years of uMama Charlotte Maxeke, a beacon of hope and inspiration in building a nonsexist society. A cultural activist who left our country as part of a choir only to return back home as the first black female to obtain a BSc degree. She further led the women’s march against the pass laws and co-founded the Bantu Women’s League in 1918. The
women’s league which fought against the pass laws and aroused the discourse on gender equality.
In celebrating Heritage Month, we must equally celebrate uMama Charlotte, pause and reflect on our heritage landscape and its critical actors, from whom we sit here today as descendants of, for in their veins and our veins lie the blood of heroes and heroines whose yesterday’s struggles form our reality today. The process therefore, of protecting their memory is to indeed protect who we are and our common identity.
Hon Chair, the Gauteng heritage landscape is laden with narratives of our rich struggle history and our nation’s unending pursuit of economic emancipation. These historical sites and routes must therefore serve a two-pronged agenda to raise our national consciousness of our socio-political struggle and also to serve as avenues for economic emancipation for communities in which they reside. As such, our Gauteng province has embarked on a process of reviving these heritage routes to serve as catalysts and enablers to transforming our urban spaces to revive our township economies.
As the economic hub of the country and continent alike, we appreciate that economic emancipation must ripple to all corners of our province. Our heritage and culture must therefore aid us in this important task. We may be like the United States of America and now of late Nigeria. We utilise our various platforms within the arts to heighten our work of consciousness-raising whilst transferring our cultures to the globe, ensuring economic emancipation for those who are within.
Nigeria as an example, has used low-cost films as a way to impart their culture into the continent and globe alike. It is therefore not a coincidence that many within our own country even, now adorn Nigerian attire and view it as beautiful. This is not a coincidence but targeted, focused work the country is doing in ensuring they transmit their culture to the world.
Learning from such examples and various others, our province, in celebrating our heritage and culture, is actively assisting our Amapiano artists to take over the world. Amapiano, some may be aware, is a musical genre on in Gauteng and has taken over the nation and now, the globe.
As we speak and celebrate Heritage Month, some of our artists are currently in London to perform at the Ama Fest and fly our national flag high. Working together with the High Commissioner in London, we’ll be ensuring that, whilst they are that side, they take advantage of many opportunities before them but importantly, represent our nation.
South Africa is a beautiful country full of potential and great talent, and we ought to strive to do more in celebrating who we are and importantly, transmitting that which makes us who we are to the globe. So, we raise a nation of young people who see their greatness and seek not to be copies of others in other countries.
There are many lessons we can give to the world and above this, is our ability of this great nation to foster social cohesion even during difficult times when it was least expected of us. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms D C CHRISTIANS: Hon House Chairperson, hon members and hon South Africans, as we commence Heritage Month, it is important to remind each other of the importance of embracing our rich cultural diversity.
South Africa has a sad past. Certain racial groups were disempowered. The colour of your skin determined where you lived, your quality of life and your future prospects. It remains important to acknowledge this gross infraction of human rights so that history never repeats itself.
As we continue to strive for unity, we must build a country which celebrates and protects diversity. While we were all raised in different homes by different families who sing different songs in different languages; support different sports teams; go to different churches; and prefer different ways to braai, our hearts all beat to the same South African rhythm.
Hon House Chairperson, the vision of our country must include greater equality for women who continue to fight for equality in the workplace as well as in society. Our vision for a brighter future must include greater equality for the LGBTQIA+, where government and every workplace dedicate their efforts to eliminating obstacles to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender equality, and engaging previously-marginalised women and the LGBTQIA+. Most importantly, we need to fight against the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide which continues
unabated while women, young girls, and vulnerable girl- children have to live in continued fear.
Inequality still reverberates across all sectors of our economy and country. If it is to be adequately addressed, we need to invest in our schools as well as our communities. The only way South Africans will prosper is when government ensures fairness and opportunities for all South Africans.
Government needs to find innovative solutions to ensuring opportunities for the millions of young people of all races who are without jobs and have no access to education.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that we need to invest in quality health services for Black, White, Coloured and Indian communities so that we can all prosper together as a nation. At a time like this when the country and the world is dealing with loss, pain and grief caused by the pandemic that has put a pause to our fast-paced lives, it is our collective culture, heritage and shared responsibility that bring us closer together as a nation.
Afrikaans:
Een van die waardevolste erfstukke wat elkeen van ons moet koester en ten alle koste beskerm is sonder twyfel ons
Grondwet. Hierdie Grondwet is gegrond op die uitwissing van alle vorme van ras en seksistiese diskriminasie. Dit ag nie politici of enkele persone as die hoogste gesag nie, maar beskou ons almal as gelyk. Dit is ’n Grondwet wat van alle meerderjariges stemgeregtiges maak, sodat ons almal ’n keuse kan uitoefen in die land waarin ons woon en waaraan behoort.
Inderdaad, dit is ’n Grondwet wat aan elkeen van ons ’n gesamentlike erfporsie gee en ons kulture en kultuurgeskiedenis, tale diversiteit en verskillende erfenisse beskerm. Die erfenis van een groep is nie belangriker of kosbaarder as die erfenis van ’n ander groep nie.
English:
Hon House Chairperson, it is now more important than ever before that the ANC-led government starts taking tangible action to protect its citizens. The vulnerable in this country are tired of cheap talk. We need action! Protect our children, women and the vulnerable. Build a socially-cohesive nation where we all have the same opportunities regardless of who we are and where we come from.
After 27 years of democracy, Nelson Mandela’s vision of a
rainbow nation seems like a distant dream. However, the DA
will not stop fighting for a nonracial and nonsexist society because we can never be free if we are not all regarded and treated equally. I thank you.
Mr X NGWEZI: Hon House Chairperson, Mtimande, [clan name for the Ngwenya surname] the novelist and poet Chinua Achebe quoted an African proverb that says, “When brothers fight to death it is the stranger that inherits their father’s estate”. Showing the extent to which no person benefits from violence and disharmony.
As a nation, we are endowed with vast mineral and cultural wealth with diverse races, tribes, creeds, languages and landscapes which held prospects for the symbolic rainbow nation to be realised. However, as South Africa reflects hope as a rainbow is only possible if we are intentional about addressing challenges to achieving a democratic society. A society that is fair and anchored on the Constitution.
We believe that the Constitution is an adequate vehicle and frame for reaching a prosperous South Africa. The pillars of our democracy such as accountability and equality can and must ensure that all South Africans are treated equally in society, political and economic systems regardless of their colour.
However, one cannot turn a blind eye to the past. A history that is marred by inequality and segregation. In light of our history, it is extremely important to implement policies that redress long-existing inequalities effectively so that unity is enhanced.
The path to constructing a non-racial, nonsexist and democratic society is challenged by virulent corruption, nepotism and racial superiority which is against equality. But these challenges are not permanent, reverting to our democratic principles and constitutionalism will ensure that human rights and a people-centred approach is followed and it is through this that the existing controversies can be redressed.
Although we have faced numerous challenges as a nation, it is in the same way that we can conquer and thrive. It is as a nation without any race or tribe being preferentially treated or any gender being discriminated against. A prosperous and democratic South must and will be created, not by any external forces but by South Africans themselves.
Finally, the late great Baba Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa said, “a
country that speaks against its heritage is a dead country”.
Our diversity must not be used as an impediment to unity and prosperity. It is and must always be an enabler. Thank you very much, House Chairperson.
Cllr J SIDELL - SALGA: House Chairperson, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, hon Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, hon MECs that are connected on the platform, hon Chief Whip of the NCOP, hon House Chairpersons, hon Permanent and Special Delegates, kindly receive greetings from the SA Local Government Association, Salga, National Executive Committee in the local government sector.
This year’s Heritage Month is celebrated under the theme, “The year of Charlotte Maxeke: Celebrating South Africa’s Intangible Cultural Heritage”. Heritage Month recognises and celebrates aspects of the South African heritage and culture which are both tangible and intangible. These are creative expressions such as music and performances, our historical inheritance, languages, the food we eat, popular memory values and indigenous knowledge. This year of Charlotte Maxeke, celebrating 150 years of her birth is a very remarkable leader of her time who kicked down many doors of injustice and prejudice. This is our heritage and national pride.
For this debate the theme: “United in our diversity and rich cultural heritage – The path to constructing a non-racial, nonsexist, united and prosperous democratic society” suggests a recognition and appreciation of our colourful diversity as reflected in our diverse cultural, religious, language, racial and ethnic heritage.
These should never have been allowed to divide us as a people, and we will always reflect on the historic painful legacy that has sought to subjugate and undermine the cultural heritage, beliefs and knowledge systems of some while promoting and enforcing others’ cultures, religious beliefs and heritage.
In the construction of a non-racial, nonsexist, united and prosperous society, respect and appreciation of all our diverse heritage should be embedded in our education system, our daily conversations, our acknowledgement of each other as equals and worthy of existence in all that defines us as a people. The spirit of Ubuntu unites us and should be made a true value that would underpin our unity in diversity
The local government has an opportunity to use cultural heritage as an instrument to drive social cohesion. Cultural heritage is central to protecting our sense of who we are. It
gives us an irrefutable connection to the past; to certain social values, beliefs, customs, and traditions, that allow us to identify ourselves with others and deepen our sense of unity, belonging and national pride. It is important to preserve our cultural heritage because it keeps our integrity as a people. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that are transmitted through it from one generation to the next. In addition to its intrinsic value, culture provides important social and economic benefits. With improved learning and health, increased tolerance, and opportunities to come together with others, culture enhances the quality of life and increases overall well-being for both individuals and communities.
Advancing cultural heritage tourism is important for various reasons, one of which is the promotion of social and economic development. Cultural heritage tourism has a positive economic and social impact. It establishes and reinforces identity, it helps preserve the cultural heritage, with culture as an instrument, it facilitates harmony and understanding among people, it supports culture and helps renew tourism.
Respecting both similarities and differences in others opens doors to many opportunities. Cultural diversity helps us
recognize and respect “ways of being” that are not necessarily our own. As people from diverse cultures contribute language skills, new ways of thinking, new knowledge, and different experiences emerge. Language is one of the most important aspects of any culture. It is the way through which people communicate with one another, build relationships, and create a sense of community. The role of culture in encouraging the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government cannot be contested. The sustainability of heritage resources cannot be achieved without the direct involvement of the local community. The physical state of resources is directly connected to the local community participation; if heritage is respected, used, and managed by locals, it has better chances to be restored and protected and social cohesion is achieved.
Heritage tourism also promotes community pride by allowing people to work together to enhance economic and cultural development through distinct community opportunities. Studies show that travellers are more eager to visit places with strong community identity. The role of the local government in celebrating South Africa’s diversity and cultural heritage cannot be overemphasised. Municipalities provide the stepping stones that will pave the path to constructing a non-racial,
nonsexist, united and prosperous democratic society. I thank you, hon House Chairperson.
Mr X NGWEZI: Chair, may I please address you?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Hello? [Interjections.]
Mr X NGWEZI: May I please address you, Chair?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Yes, sir.
IsiZulu:
Mnu X NGWEZI: Ngicela ukwazi ukuthi yindaba laba bengasho ukuthi “Malibongwe” lapha? Kanti kubongwa anjani amagama? [Ubuwelewele.]
ILUNGU ELIHLONIPHEKILE: Malibongwe!
Mnu X NGWEZI: Malibongwe leli. Leli malibongwe. [Ubuwelewele.]
English:
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Order!
IsiZulu:
Sebekuphendulile baba.
Ms D FIENIES (Northern Cape MEC – Sports, Arts and Culture): Thank you, hon House Chairperson. Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, hon Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, hon Deputy Ministers, hon House Chairpersons, hon members of the executive committees, hon permanent and special delegates to the NCOP and the President of SA Local Government Association, Salga, good afternoon. Hon House Chairperson, the celebration of Heritage Month affords us as government a strong opportunity to make inroads in our mandate to bring together South African communities to appreciate and celebrate our diverse and rich cultural heritage.
Hon House Chairperson, as we continue allow me to refer to an article titled The Native Union which was written by Pixley ka Isaka Seme in 1911:
There is today among all races and men a general desire for progress, and for co-operation, because co-operation will facilitate and secure that progress.
This iconic African intellectual of our liberation struggle continues to say:
The greatest success shall come when man shall have learned to co-operate, not only with his own kith and kin but also with all peoples and with all life.
These words also spoke of a vision of the kind of society we seek to build. The struggle which we fought for has a rich and diverse history and has produced many heroes and heroines to whom this year’s Heritage Month celebrations are dedicated.
One of those heroines is Mama Charlotte Maxeke. Our history abounds with selfless patriots who paved the way for a democratic and free South Africa. The year 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of a struggle icon and human rights campaigner UMama Charlotte Maxeke. She and other selfless women of her generation fought against oppression at a time when such defiance was met with unrelenting force and brutality. As we navigate through this difficult period, we dare not forget those who sacrificed everything for us to be free. Through their sacrifices, we now live in a country which recognises women as equal citizens with equal rights and responsibilities.
Hon House Chairperson, the South African heritage is one whose ingredients are found in the many cultures that have contributed to it. As a nation we are unique and, at the same time, fortunate to be the custodians of such a diversity of cultures. As citizens we must make it a priority to learn about each other’s cultures and languages in order to be tolerant and understanding thereby contributing to nation- building in a positive way. Where ignorance prevails, intolerance and suspicion will find root. We have to stand guard over our heritage which is under threat from forces that seek to drive a wedge between different race groups through misinformation and by creating suspicion. Celebrating our heritage should not be something that happens only during this month. It must be something that is on our minds every time we rise to sing the National Anthem, national pride must prevail every time any of our national sports teams take to the field, and it must be displayed at public events.
Hon House Chairperson, our languages and indigenous African knowledge systems, customs and traditions, among others, must continue to exist. We must define our heritage as the dreams of our visionaries, leaders and intellectuals who went before us. As we are gathered here today it is very important for us to draw a distinction between history and heritage. The two
terms are misunderstood, confused and sometimes used interchangeably. History is the remembrance, recording or account of everything that has happened in the past. However, not all history is heritage. For heritage is the principles, ideals, personalities and institutions that we consciously select to transmit from the past because they have helped move us forward. We cannot consider the history of language oppression, and exclusion of fellow human beings as part of our heritage. Thus, we choose to define our heritage as visionary pronouncements that have helped us move forward as envisioned by that great son of the soil, Pixley ka Isaka Seme in his award-winning oratory work in 1906, on The Regeneration of Africa and the call he made for the unity of Africans in October 1911, among others.
Hon House Chairperson, in this House sitting, we must ask ourselves whether national celebrations like Heritage Day have ever been successful in uniting our people across the divides of gender, religion, language, race, age and income level.
Hon House Chairperson, in conclusion, Heritage Month is one that should unite and not divide South Africans. Our unity cannot be a unity that seeks to destroy diversity, but must highlight and celebrate the diversity of our people. Our
culture and heritage is, indeed, the pride of our nation and such symbolism is a strong force for unity. Lastly, social cohesion and nation-building will forever seem an elusive and moving target, while the divide between the rich and the poor ever grows wider with every passing day. Social cohesion cannot be a judgement; it has to be built. I thank you, House Chairperson.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Thank you very much, hon member. Hon members, allow me to invite House Chairperson J Nyambi to take over.
IsiZulu:
Malibongwe! Ngena baba.
English:
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Chairperson of the session, I’m rising on a point of order. May I address you? Let me just put it that way. Why is this “malibongwe” said to other provinces and other provinces to enjoy “malibongwe”.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Hon Nyambi ... [Interjections.]
Mr K M MOEIEMANG: You can give them the “Malibongwe” if you
like. No one stops anyone from doing that.
Ms B T MATHEVULA: It’s an ANC slogan.
Setswana:
Mme M O MOKAUSE: Hakere ...
English:
... is an ANC slogan, I’m not ANC.
Setswana:
MODULASETILO WA KHANSELE YA BOSETŠHABA YA DIPOROFENSE (Mme W
Ngwenya): Ei, o a tshwenya, Mokause.
Ms B T MATHEVULA: It’s factions. It’s factions. It’s factions, House Chair.
IsiZulu:
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nk W Ngwenya): Mhlonishwa u-Nyambi, ngena.
English:
Ms M O MOKAUSE: Your factions are very clear now.
IsiZulu:
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nk W Ngwenya): Malibongwe! Mhlonishwa u- Nyambi, ngena bo.
English:
Hon Nyambi! Hon Nyambi!
Ms B MATHEVULA: He’s sleeping. He’s sleeping that one.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Okay, we can continue. The next speaker, hon members, is hon R Allen. R Allen!
Mr R ALLEN (Western Cape – Chairperson Cultural Affairs and Sport): Hon House Chairperson, members of the NCOP and fellow South Africans, democratic South Africa was forged out of the flames of oppression, discrimination, and division. Our heroes fought to liberate us from racial hatred fuelled by societal dominance. It is them that we celebrate when we think of our heritage. They remind us that hope remains even in the midst of tremendous adversity.
Chairperson, we again face adversity. This time in the form of an invisible enemy, a worldwide pandemic. Covid-19 has brought with it new challenges, new villains and heroes. We fight against an oppressor that knows no race, gender or class. Our
liberation now, like before, is dependent on our collective resilience.
The western cape government has worked tirelessly to support residents during this time. Almost two million people have been vaccinated in the Western Cape, thanks to the efficient vaccine roll-out programme including MEC Nomafrench Mbombo. We understand that a vaccinated population is the quickest and most effective way of saving the lives and livelihoods of the people we serve.
The Department of Cultural Affairs in the Western Cape has played its part in supporting the vaccination process. Most recently the department offered free access to affiliated provincial museums for vaccinated individuals to celebrate Heritage Month.
Respecting our heritage comes from celebrating our diversity. Not every resident is the same, and they have different needs. To this end, we have set up 27 minilibraries across the province for visually impaired residents. These libraries help those with limited literacy skills or disabilities such as dyslexia to access literature resources for their benefit. We believe that the inclusivity demonstrated through these
initiatives is necessary to construct a nonracial, nonsexist, united and prosperous society.
We are not only an inclusive government, but a trustworthy one too. We are the only province without outstanding invoices at the end of the last financial year. This can be contrasted to the R4 billion in outstanding invoices for other provinces.
The Western Cape government pays its debts on time. Trust in government has a long history here in South Africa. Our marred past is important to remember, not to rehash old wounds, but to understand who we are today, where we are headed and to learn how we as public representatives can best serve residents. This is why we must fiercely protect our cultural artifacts and heritage sites. They are a significant part of our legacy as a nation.
However, I am deeply concerned that the ANC national government in not giving real meaning to this belief. We see this most clearly at the Robben Island Museum. Chairperson, through you, to Minister Nathi Mthethwa, the ANC has failed in its capacity as custodians. It has been described by the Ex- Political Prisoners Association members as dying a slow death. This cannot be happening to Robben Island. The Island where
Nelson Mandela spent a huge part of his life fighting for liberation.
Corruption, mismanagement and neglect has battered this once world-class museum. In line with the principle of transparent governance, we asked the national Minister to reveal the results of an investigative report on the matter. He evaded accountability behind the so-called legal reasons. This report was ordered in 2018. Since then two reports were finalised that implicated two senior officials. The Department of Arts and Culture claimed that they could not make public the results of the investigation due to ongoing disciplinary action. It has been three years and neither these reports – nor their summary reports have been provided. This excuse has long since lost its credibility, much like the department itself.
The national government’s neglect of the museum is disheartening as we have done everything in our power to help them. Firstly, we have listed the Robben Island Prison landscape on the Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route.
This is an ongoing project aimed at taking cognisance of significant sites connected to the country’s resistance and liberation heritage. We hope that this will increase the
prominence within the local and global community and maintain the esteemed reputation of the museum.
We have conducted a site visit with representatives of the National Heritage Council as well as heritage consultants to identify potential maintenance and conservation initiatives for the island. We have stepped in to help the national government identify the issues at hand in the hope that they start taking the maintenance of the island seriously.
This museum, like many others is integral to the path of constructing a nonracial, nonsexist, united and prosperous democratic society. Preserving a political prison that incarcerated President Nelson Mandela and other national heroes is important as it serves to warn of the dangers of racism, discrimination and hatred. It also reminds our people that we are not victims of our circumstance. [Interjections.]
Mr K MOEIEMANG: On a point of order, Chair. Can the member bring a substantive motion on the issue of Robben Island because now it is no longer about Arts and Culture, but it is about casting aspersions on the Minister in terms of how he deals with the issue around Robben Island. Thank you.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms W Ngwenya): Hon member, can you please continue.
Mr R ALLEN (Western Cape – Chairperson Cultural Affairs And Sport): Thank you so much, Chairperson. It also reminds our people that we are not victims of our circumstance that a political prisoner today can be celebrated a leader today and tomorrow. It’s a message of hope in trying times, not unlike the present.
Maintaining our cultural heritage is necessary for protecting cultural diversity. It helps foster social inclusion and encourages mutual respect and nation building. This is why we hold national government accountable for its failures. It’s not simply a case of run-down buildings. In this case, it’s the erosion and neglect of the institutions that we overcame on our journey to hard-won democracy. Something held dear in the hearts of many South African.
We owe it to our heroes who fought for our liberation, our democracy and our new beginning. Their sacrifices paved the way for our society today.
We do our best to make them proud by continually prioritising our people, running efficient vaccination processes and programmes, creating jobs and delivering on our promises. We encourage the ANC to follow in our footsteps of the Western Cape government by committing themselves to cleaner, more transparent governance at a national level. If not that, then the very least they can do is preserve the legacies of our heroes and maintain our museums. I thank you.
The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY FOR WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Chair, Chief Whip, hon chairs of committees, hon MECs from our respective provinces, hon president of Salga, good afternoon. We are gathered here this afternoon to celebrate our heritage under the theme: “United in our diversity and rich cultural heritage - The path to constructing a non-racial, non-sexist, united and prosperous democratic society”. Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi! [Praise the name of women!]
As we meet here and celebrate the diversity that is in us, we also proudly and openly say that yesterday we were the skunk of the world and today we are the darling of all peace loving people around the world. We have gone through the worst and we never ever have to go back there. We have survived apartheid
and we will survive COVID-19. We should also survive gender- based violence and femicide.
Diversity in our culture remains part of our history. Our history tells us stories of traditions, struggles, resistance, achievements, victories, and it is through shared histories that we celebrate our pride, resilience, diversities and shared connection through our communities.
We can claim Mme Makgomo, Mannya Charlotte Maxeke as we share her in the Eastern Cape as we claim her in Limpopo as Mannya. She is buried in Johannesburg, so she is a daughter of South Africa. If she was still alive, would have been the first South African, after 112 years, to have come home a black woman to attain a science degree. So, when we say Malibongwe! [Praise!]. We say it with guts and we know that you strike a woman you strike a rock.
We have just concluded the month of August which was supposed to be a month of jubilation as South Africans from all walks of life remember that as we were fighting apartheid we were also fighting triple oppression that subjugated a black woman. But lo and behold, I do not know how many women died in the
hands of those who are supposed to protect and love them, and also make sure that they also celebrate that which we have.
We will continue with all peace loving men and women, not only to celebrate South African women, but to make sure that women and girls and people living with disabilities and all other South Africans who do not look like me and you feel very much at home in South Africa.
Our country’s heritage continues to shape and influence our social values and norms which can be interpreted positively. This includes the spirit of Ubuntu which is central to our country’s nation building and developmental agenda. The practice of Ubuntu is central to ensuring the full realisation of all who live in South Africa and beyond.
However, we are still confronted with cultural practices that are harmful in nature. These cultural practices inform social norms and values that reinforce gender inequality in social relations with women being most disadvantaged. Many of these social norms and values have led to violent behaviour that has become destructive to human dignity and freedom.
We had just concluded the women’s month which we will not conclude but celebrate our women every day, as I said. Even as we go through 16 days of activism and also this month of September we will continue to celebrate our womanhood with all our progressive men and protect their children and people who are not necessarily looking like Matibe and the Chair. The tragic reality is that women of all ages continue to be stripped off their right to human dignity and untimely right to life.
The prevalence of gender-based violence and femicide is a consequence of interplay of patriarchal and bad cultural practices and values and negative masculine construct.
Reinforcing patriarchal social norms and values condone the domination of men over women. This unhealthy gender social relations results in a high prevalence of intimate partner violence.
This form of violence is experienced in marital, intimate dating and domestic relationships. Many women in South Africa continue to suffer from intimate partner violence like the recent murder of Nosicelo Mtebeni. I was at that home yesterday in Matatiele. It is heart wrenching. A law student of the University of Fort Hare who was murdered allegedly by
somebody who is supposed to love her. Yet, another woman is stripped off their dignity and right to life at the hands of someone they should trust.
Hon Chair, gender hierarchy enormity roles of the masculine and feminine in most of South African cultures has implications in full eradication of gender-based violence and femicide in our country. Therefore, as we look at pillar 2 of the National Strategic Plan, it seeks to address a range of risk factors that drive gender-based violence and contribute towards the normalisation of violence such as cultural beliefs and practices. It prioritises changed behaviour and social norms across key social groups, including men, to internalise alternative healthier masculinity and embrace other gender and sexual identities.
In addition to pillar 2, it recognises the importance of collective heritage of the country which is also characterised by a violent past. Therefore, the National Strategic Plan of the gender-based violence seeks to address the collective traumas of apartheid and colonialism.
Hon members, this is central to the process of restoring human dignity and building caring communities. Caring communities
must be able to address how cultures of ethnic and identity specific communities maintain destructive social norms and values such as condoning violence in our communities and homes.
Culture continues to influence how gender-based violence is viewed. Many of our cultures are dominated by negative patriarchal ideologies that reduces gender-based violence and femicide to an accidental problem. This sets a dangerous precedence and it often negatively influence accountability and reduces it to convenient explanations by communities.
It is for this reason that urgency is needed and implementation of the NSP of the GBVF. This plan is a framework that provides a co-ordinated and response to eradicating the scourge in our country. We can continue to build a South Africa that we are all very proud of, including the people who are LGBTIA who are members of our communities. They are our children, our brothers and sisters, and together with them we should fight and win this war against gender- based violence, this COVID-19 and all as we did fight and win against apartheid.
Let us continue celebrating the heritage month with dignity that Mme Makgomo Charlotte Mannya Maxeke would have loved us to as well as Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela and many other heroes and heroines. Let us rebuild a safer South Africa for all young and old. Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi! [Praise the name of women!]
Mr W A S AUCAMP: Thank you hon House Chair, hon Ministers, hon memebrs and fellow South Africans. As a nation we celebrate our heritage in order to recognise and honour our nations cultural wealth as well as our history within the framework of our different backgrounds.
We have such a rich and diverse heritage which means a lot to us as a nation. A heritage that we all need to cherish.
Although, we as a proud nation want to celebrate our heritage, it very difficult to do so when the future of our people is looking very bleak.
Hon House Chair, why would people that are living in poverty would want to celebrate their heritage if all that they can think of is how to survive and put food on their tables? How can expect our people to concentrate on celebrating their heritage when they constantly have to try to keep themselves
and their families safe from crime that is constantly growing in our country? How can we expect to build a non-sexist society and ask women to celebrate heritage when women constantly live in fear in a country where gender based violence is amongst the highest in the world? How can we celebrate our heritage when we have a government that through their draconian triple B and double D policies discriminate against people and even went so far as to disqualify them from receiving Covid-19 relief funding because they belong to a certain race group? How can we expect our people to celebrate our heritage when they are constantly exposed to poor service delivery, brought about by our incompetent government, cadre deployment and corruption?
Hon House Chair, all of what I have now mentioned are issues that are counterproductive with regard to us celebrating our heritage and uniting the people of South Africa. If we as a rainbow nation are serious about creating a path towards a non-racial, non-sexist, united and democratic society, we need to concentrate on what we have in common instead of being constantly reminded about our differences.
Hon Chairperson, what all of our people have in common is the desire to live in a country that is governed in such a way
that unemployment decreases instead of the continued rising thereof and currently the highest in the world.
We all want our children to obtain their decent mother tongue education and don’t want anyone to discriminate against the language that we speak. We are all united in a desire to live in a society where crime rate is not constantly soary. We all want to live in a corruption free society where service delivery is at the forefront and not the self-enrichment of the political elite as we so very often see.
We all want the women of our country to be safe from abuse and for women to be able to participate in the growth of our country. We are South Africans and are united in our longing for a government with integrity.
Hon Chairperson, without achieving these common ideals, we will never be successful in creating a united and prosperous democratic society. Heritage will mean absolutely nothing if we continue to have an incompetent and corrupt government that does not put the united needs of our people first.
If we are serious about celebrating our heritage, we need to be serious about bettering the lives and creating a prosperous
future for all our people. In achieving these goals, we will in our diversity come together to unite as a nation in order to celebrate our unique and rich cultural history and to embark on a road that will help us all to prosper.
Hon Chairperson, the legacy that we must leave behind as well as the future that we must build for our children is as important as celebrating our heritage. As its stated in the preamble of our Constitution, the DA firmly believes that South Africa belongs to all who live it, united in our diversity.
Let us therefor not continue to implement measures and policies that will divide us. Let us rather come together and triumph as a nation by celebrating what unites us through the pursuit of our common desire of safety, prosperity, and a country that we can live in and feel free which is provided by a good and honest government. A government that will lead us in such a way that we will not only celebrate our heritage but that we will also be able to celebrate our future. Hon Chairperson, the type of government that only the DA will be able to provide. I thank you.
Ms M N GILLION: Hon House Chair, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, all MECs present, representative of SA Local Government Association, Salga, all permanent delegates and hon members, I am pleased to be giving this speech in celebration of the Heritage Month under the theme: “The Significance of Culture and heritage in creating a National Democratic Society”.
On this month, we celebrate the rich and diverse cultural traditions and heritage that has been passed down to us by our forefathers and fallen stalwarts. The ANC prides itself in the main aims of the national democratic revolution and the Freedom Charter, which the mass democratic movement advances in creating a nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Our history has no blank pages, and it is important that we celebrate diverse cultures, and the living heritage which is expressed in our traditions and histories. Twenty-seven years into democracy, the ANC has done tremendous work and still is working towards building the nation and social cohesion. South Africa carries a legacy of indigenous livelihoods such as the Khoisan, Bantu immigration, slavery, colonization, settler economies, and liberation movements. These histories have all
had a drastic effect in shaping South Africa’s population. Yet somehow, through the interchange of cultures and sharing of cultural influences in the age of globalization, there definitely remains space to further engage on the importance of heritage sites, museums, archives, and cultural projects to contextualize the South African heritage.
Hon House Chairperson, while the hon member of the Western Cape is making a very long speech about Robben Island, I want to remind him about the cultural land of the Khoisan people, which are fighting a battle in court with the Western Cape government, and the heritage site being fought for is called the River Club – the land at the River Club. The Khoisan people are still suffering at the hands of the government of the Western Cape.
To address the importance of heritage and culture, acknowledging that in a country like South Africa, there is not one heritage, or an easily defined set of distinct identities. The cultures, languages and heritages of South Africa are multiple, diverse, and dynamic. The intersectional issues of gender, ethnicity, and race further complicate the matter of identity and make it highly inadvisable to categorize the different people contained within South
Africa’s borders. This is especially true in the wake of segregationist, as the apartheid policies which attempted to divide and conquer the majority of the country’s population by emphasizing the nonmix of different races. Thus, the social, psychological and geographic elements of apartheid continue to shape the lives and outlook of many South Africans.
Hon members, the promotion and investments into museums, archives and cultural sites is of importance because museums and heritage sites have the capacity to enhance social cohesion. Despite the positive strides post-1994 the South African society remains divided. This is because the privilege attached to race, gender, and class has not been fully addressed.
The quest of nation-building and social cohesion, as one of the National Development Plan, NDP, imperatives focusing on museums, heritage sites and other memorials serve communities by stimulating dialogue on different historical issues that shape the context of our country and accurately representing all the people of the nation. Today, we have different museums and heritage sites just to mention a few; the Apartheid Museum, Anglo-Boer War, Hector Peterson, District Six Museums, the Cradle of Human Kind, Robben Island, and Mapungubwe
Heritage site have woven the implantation of the NDP to enhance and ensure that ideals of its existence are reflected in our heritage landscape. This why the transformation of the heritage landscape is important.
In light of the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, the implementation of the National Heritage Resource Act should contribute towards the elimination of poverty, reduction of unemployment and inequality by 2030.
Moreover, in order to transform and build the nation, the government through a multidimensional approach inclusive of a social compact with business, government, labour and civil society should work together to bring about future change and development. It will reaffirm the importance of freedom, peace and security as well as the respect for all human rights as embedded in our Constitution. This social compact will promote national unity, cohesion and nation-building.
Hon members, in taking forward the NDP, it is clear that exclusion and lack of opportunities does undermine the social cohesion in our country and we still have a momentous task.
Heritage is about embracing diversity and ensuring that we advance constitutional democracy, human rights and equality
and also promoting nonsexist, nonracial, equality and human solidarity, to build unity amongst South Africans, the region, continent, international community and encourage rebuilding and rehabilitating of individuals and communities.
The recent unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal highlighted racial tensions in Phoenix. As the ANC, we condemn such acts of violence. As a country, we have fought for the freedom and the creation of a rainbow nation that see no race, class or colour. Social Cohesion requires great focus and attention in our country to ensure that effective frameworks are implemented to advance government interventions to reignite a social cohesive nation for socioeconomic development.
Nurturing a more cohesive society is an important policy goal in itself for any country.
Change is constant, whilst there is a widespread agreement that social cohesion influences economic and social development, and that nurturing a more cohesive society is an important policy goal to promote a more cohesive society. This is the aim of the NDP in advancing a national democratic society, which advocates the need for such a compact given the sociohistorical divisions across society, especially along racial and ethnic lines which still persist.
Hon members, as we celebrate the Heritage Month, we are still in celebration of the year of a pioneer, struggle icon and human rights campaigner, uMama Charlotte Maxeke, who epitomizes the values of NDP in forging nation-building and social cohesion. She was a brave and dedicated stalwart who made an incredible impact in many areas including education, faith and politics.
The history of women and their participation in the formation of this country has been about engaging in the liberation struggle and the fight against women inequality. The fight against gender-based violence and femicide in our country must be intensified to rid our country from the awful unequal disparities, rape and killings of young girls and women. Our government under the auspices and leadership of Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Minister Nathi Mthetwa, has activated the annual program of action with one of the strategic interventions that promote social cohesion and nation-building and the programme will be anchored around uMama Charlotte Maxeke.
The liberation of our country cannot be complete when the majority of our national population, which is women, is still confined to the margins of mainstream economy and society
because of disempowerment, violence, poverty, and lack of access to resources. We, as women cannot claim to be free from oppression when we read daily in newspapers and media articles of horrendous killing of women and children in our country.
The history of the women of this country and their contributions is incomplete without the story of uMama Charlotte Maxeke. The personification of women’s struggles against deprivation of basic human rights, dignity, education, employment opportunities and property ownership. Our heritage should also awaken the silenced history of women. We must forge the social compact that will lead to a meaningful inclusion of the diversity of our nation in the arts, culture and heritage landscape.
In the same breath, throughout the history of arts, culture, and sports, women have often been represented as a subjects rather than the creative force behind the work. However, they have continually played an important role in supporting their male counterparts and helping them to achieve stellar careers.
As we come to the end of Women’s Month, we celebrate strides of female artists and sports women gaining recognition as a result, we are seeing an increase in the number of women
participating in the arts. This is a good contribution to transform a male dominated sector. The arts sector is an important contributor towards the culture and identity construction of any country. Our priority as government is to create safe spaces and communities for full participation of women, the girl child, the LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities and youth in sports, arts and culture. Social cohesion and safe communities will contribute to the economic development of our country and creating a better life for all. I thank you, House Chairperson.
The MINISTER OF SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE: Thank you very much, Deputy Chair. Thanks to all members with their contributions it is very important matter of heritage. Firstly, hon Nchabeleng, raises a very important matter of indigenous languages and I must say that English and Afrikaans developed because there were resources put there both at the level of education which is bursary but also with monuments and the museums which had made that possible. As a department every year we ensure that we give bursaries to students, 400 students across the provinces and in almost all institutions of higher learning in this country.
We also take very seriously the issue of research and development, particularly in this area. In Makhanda there is a museum which has was established in 1972 called the National English Literary Museum. We said that because it’s located where 80% of the people speak IsiXhosa, the content must change and the content has changed and so is the name of the of the Museum. It is now, Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. This is one way of ensuring that indigenous languages are supported.
Also, Chair, I want to respond to hon Bara. Hon Bara, we all know the difficult situation of artists in particular and their lives during this period. However, I want to say to you we said right from the beginning that the government would not have enough resources to cater for them. But this very department within this period we have given R642,9 million to artists and athletes in this period benefiting 63 343 of them with 40 000 jobs created. In fact, we surpassed the National Treasury which thought that we will create 30 000 jobs.
Now, I also want to deal with the issue of Liliesleaf. Liliesleaf we support it. Liliesleaf is our heritage. That is why this government over a period of time has invested
R70 million to Liliesleaf and we’ve been funding it up until
2015, when Liliesleaf could not account for R8,1 million. I think you were perhaps not connected at the time when we explain. We actually cannot give more when you have not accounted. The Public Finance Management Act, PFMA, section 38 enjoins us to ensure that people account for the money. So, it’s not about neglect of Liliesleaf.
Hon Allen, talking about the Robben Island, one issue about Robben Island that you got correctly is the maintenance of Robben Island. We are also worried about it and you know that That is the task of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. We have agreed with Minister De Lille that, how about we taking over the maintenance of this very important institution of our people because we believe that if we do that we would be able to maintain the Robben Island.
The issue about the release of the report. I think you are a bit ahead of yourself hon remember, Allen. You just have to hold your horses a bit. I can’t release any report because that is the purview of the board of Robben Island. They are the ones who are going to release it and they will release that report. It will be shared with everybody else. The issue of management and leadership there, the process is finalised. They have finalised the appointment of the of the chief
executive officer, CEO, and they would do that. So, it is important sometimes that when people engage they engage from the position of knowledge of information because, you know, when you don’t have information sometimes you say things you don’t understand.
We have been hard at work to ensure that the heritage of our country is transformed. The unity we are talking about will be achieved if all of us agree and understand the imperative of transformation in this country. It’s not us who are reflecting on this thing of racism, you just have to listen to former players of cricket to understand that this is a pernicious and painful ideology which make young people who are athletes who are artists, but cannot be able to achieve their goals simply because they are held by the people in their midst who are racist. You can’t say if that happens, you turn a blind eye, you have to confront it. Nevertheless, thank you very much, Chair and thanks to members. Until we meet again. Thank you.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you very much to all the members that participated in the debate, in particular, the Ministers and Deputy Ministers, if any, as well as the special delegates, the members of the executive council, MECs,
from the provinces who participated in this debate. Hon delegates, we will now proceed to the Order of the day.
That is; Consideration of Report of Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy (Announcements, Tabling and Committee Reports, 16 March 2021, p 46) Legislation relating to the Draft Norms and Standards for the Trophy Hunting of Leopards in South Africa, developed in terms of Section 8(3) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004) (NEMBA), read with Section 146(6) of the Constitution which requires that all subordinate legislation issued under the Act, which affects provinces.
We will now call on the hon Modise as the chairperson of the select committee to present the committee Report. Over to you, hon Modise.
CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE ON LAND REFORM, ENVIRONMENT, MINERAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY - LEGISLATION RELATING TO THE DRAFT NORMS AND STANDARDS FOR THE TROPHY HUNTING OF LEOPARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA, DEVELOPED IN TERMS OF SECTION 8(3) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: BIODIVERSITY ACT, ACT 10 OF 2004, NEMBA, READ WITH SECTION
146(6) OF THE CONSTITUTION WHICH REQUIRES THAT ALL SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION ISSUED UNDER THE ACT, WHICH AFFECTS PROVINCES, TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES FOR APPROVAL, DATED 9 MARCH 2020.
Setswana:
Mme T C MODISE: A ke go leboge, Motlatsamodulasetilo, ke leboge go nna teng ga Ditona le Batlatsaditona, ke leboge go nna teng ga Modulasetilo wa Ntlo ya Baeteledipele ba Setso le motlatsi wa gage, Semesegolo sa rona Rre ..., le badiri ka nna, batlotlegi botlhe, kemedi go tswa kwa go bomasepala, bakhuduthamaga botlhe.
English:
Hon Deputy Chairperson, let me report on the Report of the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Minerals and Energy on the Legislation relating to the Draft Norms and Standards for the Trophy Hunting of Leopards in South Africa.
The committee invited all nine legislatures to attend its briefing session on 3 November 2020 where the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries briefed the committee and all legislatures were present on the draft norms and standards.
The department explained that the draft norms and standards was being drafted to assist scientific authorities in determining and preventing excessive hunting by local and international concern, as well as determine whether the current hunting pressure has detrimental impact on the survival of the specific on the ... [Inaudible.]
The committee, thereafter, requested the provincial legislatures to consult with the respective provinces in order to ascertain whether the proposed amendment to the above mentioned norms and standards as presented by the department were in conflict with the provincial legislation.
Provincial legislatures held further engagements with the department on the matter, as well as call for the public comments.
During the provincial public engagements, the following recommendations were made: the need for effective, efficient public education before publication of the norms and standards; the affected community must be briefed about the challenges and opportunities of the Act and simplification of technical information; lack of compliance by number of hunters be addressed; establish an incentive-based system on phase-out
damage control animals; land owners shall be incentivised to conserve and not to destroy leopards; sports hunting is the best scheme for incentive land owners; the zero-quota has initiatives illegal activities to determine the legal regulated hunting; promoting serious law and enforcement action to neutralise legal trade in the leopard skin, taking into account cultural and religious traditions of South Africa.
Hon Deputy Chair, as you know that the leopard’s skin is used
by our traditional leaders.
The maintenance of the register to keep track of the number of hunting licenses granted. Issue for any specific leopard hunting zone.
The Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy having considered the matter on the subordinated legislation submitted by the department in terms of section 8(3) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, Act 10 of 2004, referred to it on 7 September 2020, reports that the committee has concluded its deliberation on the matter and recommended the approval of the
subordinated legislation. I, therefore, thank you, hon Deputy Chair.
Declaration of vote:
Ms L C BEBEE: Hon Deputy Chairperson, I stand on behalf on the ANC and declare support for the Report of the Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy on Legislation relating to the Draft Norms and Standards for the Trophy Hunting of Leopards in South Africa.
The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act provides for the comprehensive management and protection of the country, that is diversity protection of species and assistance, and sustainable use of indigenous biological resources amongst others.
One of the challenges faced by the constitutional democratic government after 1994 was the alignment of the provincial legislation with the national legislation as well as the enhancement of the work of Parliament through meaningful of public participation.
Before the enhancement of the 1994 Constitution, provinces had legislative authority to come up with provincial legislation.
All legislative ordinances that relate to the management of provincial nature reserves and the protection of white lives within those reserves; and these would include white lives’ sport and trophy hunting and promulgation of members sought to bring the much-needed policing and legislative alignment.
Hon members, leopard is one of the Big 5 Animals in South Africa and are a great source of foreign currency attraction through our viable tourism sector.
Deputy Chairperson, over the years there was a considerable interest in trophy hunting of leopards. Just as in the caves with trophy hunting of lions, leopards are now an endangered species. But we, hon members, have legislation that deals proactively with endangered wildlife animals and there are a number of civil society organisations and other stakeholders who are doing a tremendous job of ensuring that our animals are protected and there is sustainable use of environmental and preservation of generations.
As the ANC we take note of the recommendations made by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and Environment ... [Interjections.] [Inaudible.] ... part of
involvement of the stakeholders in the department of norms and standards in order to avoid unnecessary amendments.
This speaks directly to the public participation process, a very important constitutional requirement in legislative formulation. I thank you, Deputy Chairperson Mamma.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
Voting.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
The council adjourned at 16:59
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