Address by Deputy President Jacob Zuma on the Occasion of Budget Vote 1,
The Presidency
National Assembly, Cape Town
25 May 2005
Madam Speaker,
The Honourable President of the Republic,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests, Thank you for the opportunity to share with you some of our activities in the implementation of our programme of action, especially on such an important day for our continent.
The celebration of Africa Day provides an opportunity for us to reaffirm our Africanness, and to promote our African pride and identity, united in our diversity.
Madam Speaker, the importance attached by this country to promoting unity in diversity is evidenced by the fact that we have in our Constitution, institutions such as the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Religious, Cultural and Linguistic Communities.
We are unique in the world. In the era where other nations seek homogeneity, we are proud of our diversity.
In my meeting with the Commission yesterday, we discussed at length the importance of building this dynamic nation, and I am satisfied that the Commissioners have a clear vision of how to execute their mandate.
Honourable Members, part of addressing our diversity and cultural heritage, has included attending to the issue of traditional leadership.
This institution has been undermined from the era of colonialism to that of apartheid. Our government has since 1994 worked to restore the respect and dignity of traditional leaders and the institution as a whole.
I must emphasise that no government has ever worked so hard, proactively and deliberately, to protect and enhance the institution of traditional leadership, like this ANC-lead government. In the hurly burly of politics, claims are often made that this government is seeking to destroy or undermine traditional leadership as an institution, and the Zulu Kingdom in particular.
The challenge and difficulty we face is that there are political parties that present their views and issues in a manner that makes it difficult to distinguish whether the issues raised are those of the party or traditional leaders, for example in KwaZulu-Natal. The matter is compounded when traditional leaders are also leaders of political parties.
We believe the track record of this government speaks for itself on this question. For the first time ever in the history of this country, there are National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders.
There are also processes in place to establish local houses, so as to extend the representation and participation to local government.
There are various other interventions that are well-known to members of this House, for example the establishment of the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims.
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, the promotion of social cohesion also involves strengthening the social fabric of our society.
Let us not forget that we come from a past in which the State brutalised the lives of the people of our country in so many ways.
This included separating families, driving people off the land of their birth, preventing them from having equal access to economic opportunities and imprisoning, driving into exile or killing those that opposed the system.
We are continuing to take steps to redress this. The Moral Regeneration Movement plays an important role in this regard.
We welcome the activities undertaken throughout the country by government departments in all spheres and by civil society organisations. These range from the rehabilitation of prisoners, promoting home-based care for the terminally ill, anti-drug campaigns, - to the building of recreational facilities. The campaign of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children remains one of the highlights each year.
While all these are important, we believe we should also emphasise the developmental aspect of moral regeneration. In our programmes and campaigns, as various sectors, we should encourage developmental programmes that communities can undertake.
These include activities that promote pride, confidence and respect such as establishing communal food gardens, making our residential areas places that we can be happy to live in, and encouraging the engagement in artistic forms of expressions. There are obviously many others.
Our challenge with the MRM is also to create the material conditions in which millions of South Africans can reasonably be expected to lead law abiding and moral lives.
To attack poverty is a moral struggle. To roll back poverty creates the conditions for morality to flourish better.
Madam Speaker, the Freedom Charter proclaims that "The People Shall Share in the Country's Wealth!"
In keeping true to the wishes of our people who drafted the Charter, we are continuing with interventions to deracialise the economy. This is with a view to expand access to economic opportunities for the historically marginalised - those making a living in the second economy.
Following the updates on the government’s Programme of Action will indicate the progress that is being made in growing the first economy, as well as in making interventions in the second economy.
Madam Speaker, the promotion of national unity and social cohesion cannot be divorced from the need to promote the health of our nation.
You would be aware of the many programmes in this regard, including interventions in response to problems such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, diabetes, hypertension amongst others.
With regards to HIV and AIDS, public education remains an important part of our national programme, including the campaign to destigmatise the disease, as emphasised at the Candlelight Memorial events in Rustenburg on 15th of May and here in Parliament on the 18th of May.
If we succeed in destigmatising, we will have an environment in which people find it easier to take the HIV test, not for the result to be known publicly, but confidentially in order to know their status.
If negative, they will then strive to stay that way, if positive, they will have to adjust their lifestyles accordingly.
Part of the management of HIV and AIDS includes the need to alleviate poverty and provide nutrition for people infected with HIV, in order to build the body’s defence mechanism.
Let me emphasise that our position is that nutrition is not a substitute for appropriate treatment, but prolongs good health and serves as a solid foundation that determines the success of other medical interventions.
That is why nutrition was included as an important element of our Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment Plan of November 2003.
The pillars of the Plan include prevention, enhancing the treatment of opportunistic infections, and effective management of those HIV positive individuals who have developed AIDS defining illnesses. This Plan is widely recognised as one of the most comprehensive in the world.
Let me reiterate the seriousness with which government is treating this epidemic. This is borne out by the magnitude of government expenditure in implementing our Comprehensive HIV and AID Care, Management and Treatment Plan.
Government however cannot tackle this on its own.
Madam Speaker, I would therefore like to commend the contribution of the various partners in the South African National Aids Council, and in the entire Partnership against Aids, in the past year.
We are also aware of some further work that needs to be done. For example, we need to continue to work at removing the obstacle which limits the ability of some women to protect themselves against HIV infection, namely the unequal power relations between men and women.
The question of the emancipation of women in all spheres remains paramount if we are to make a visible impact in curbing the spread of the disease.
Madam Speaker, the people of South Africa demonstrated foresight when they drafted the Freedom Charter 50 years ago, and proclaimed:
"There Shall be Peace and Friendship. South Africa shall be a fully independent state which respects the rights and sovereignty of all nations; and this nation-state, South Africa, shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation - not war",.
In adherence to this vision, we undertook in our Election Manifesto in 2004 to dedicate more resources to ensure that we contribute more effectively to the efforts on our continent to prevent and urgently resolve conflict.
We have remained true to both the provisions of the Charter and our Election Manifesto. The President has spent countless hours in efforts in contributing to bring about peace and stability in the continent.
The progress being made in these peace efforts in the Great Lakes region demonstrates that South African efforts have not been in vain.
With regards to Burundi, the achievements scored this year have brought us closer than ever to a democratic solution. A democratic government should be in place by the end of August, in line with a timetable adopted by the Great Lakes Regional Heads of State at last month’s summit in Uganda.
Indeed, as we celebrate Africa Day, we do so in full realisation that things are being done differently in Africa in this new millennium.
We are therefore more confident now than ever before, that we will achieve the regeneration of Africa, that one of our founding fathers, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, wrote about so eloquently, a century ago in his famous article, entitled: "The Regeneration of Africa".
Honourable Members, we are encouraged by the unity of purpose and action evident during the various interactions between the Presidency and key stakeholders and communities.
The meetings of the President with Working Groups representing various sectors, as well as our interface with decision makers in other spheres outside of the formal working groups, demonstrates consensus among the key stakeholders with regards to taking forward the transformation and reconstruction of our country.
Our interactions with the public during the izimbizo and other public interaction programmes, also demonstrates the level of determination and enthusiasm to work with government to improve the quality of life.
We are humbled by the faith that our people have in the Presidency in particular, and government in general. It gives us the encouragement to carry on with the task of building a better life.
Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank President Mbeki for his untiring support and guidance.
I also thank our Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad, and all other Ministers and Deputy Ministers for putting up with us.
We thank our Director-General, the Reverend Frank Chikane, and all other Directors General for their support, dedication and commitment.
We also extend our gratitude to the staff in the Presidency for their hard work and much-valued support to all of us, especially to the President who works 24 hours a day!
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, Happy Africa Day to you all!