Speaker, on behalf of the ACDP, I wish to offer my condolences to the family and the people of Zimbabwe on the passing away of former Zimbabwean President, the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe. It is widely agreed that Mr Mugabe started his presidency relatively well in a country that was prospering and was at peace, to the extent that it had come to be known as the bread basket of Africa.
Things started to deteriorate when the late Morgan Tsvangirai and associates formed the Movement for Democratic Change that opposed some of his dictatorial tendencies, and divisive policies they believed would destroy the economy and the relative peace Zimbabwe had. Speaker, I will not dwell much on the political intolerance or regime of brutality that ensued and changed the course of history in Zimbabwe until the late Mr Mugabe was deposed by the army in a well co-ordinated bloodless coup last year.
What I would like to highlight, are two positive things for which many Zimbabweans credit Mr Mugabe. Firstly, he is applauded for the education he gave them, one of the
best on the Continent. In an opinion piece written by Prof Jonathan Jansen entitled, "South Africa can learn a thing or two from Zimbabwe's education system." He wrote, and I quote:
As the regime of Robert Mugabe crumbled unexpectedly before our very eyes, I could not help but recall why I left my university in California to do my doctoral fieldwork in rural Zimbabwe about a decade after the end of white rule.
He continues to say, and I quote:
To this day, top universities send their marketing personnel to Zimbabwe to recruit talented students. Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa make a significant contribution to science and mathematics achievement in townships and rural schools. Their students not only graduate from our universities; they often excel with distinction.
The ACDP concurs with Professor Jansen and encourages government to review the abysmal state of education in
this country, and learn from the strong Zimbabwe education model. The second positive that many Zimbabweans still speak about, is that they were taught the value of hard work, rather than becoming dependent on the state to provide for their basic needs.
It has been said that many of our hotels, restaurants prefer to hire Zimbabweans not because of their willingness to accept lower salaries, but mainly because they have a stronger work ethic. I recently read of primary school children in a rural area of Zimbabwe who were involved in projects to keep their community clean. They don't complain when they have to pick up litter because they are taught to take pride in keeping their community clean.
This, I believe, South Africa can learn from, and is part of the good things they say Mr Mugabe left for them. Thank you.
IsiXhosa: