Hon Chair, today we say, "Take action, inspire change and make every day Mandela Day." Nelson Mandela continues to rally the people of our rainbow nation, as he termed us, like no one else. He has been the great reconciler and outstanding nation-builder for our country. During his inaugural address, he implored us to "act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation-building, for the birth of a new world."
The foundation he laid for national unity is one that we have to build on to achieve a common national identity. In his inaugural address, he also laid out the roadmap for the nation:
Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for glorious life for all. All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world.
The task he envisioned for himself and for us requires continuous attention, belief and commitment. Therefore, the renewed call to take action, inspire change and make every day Mandela Day deserves our lifelong and wholehearted support.
However, what does this mean? In Cope, we believe that to make every day Mandela Day we have to commit to actions that celebrate all our cultures and are moral, selfless and decent so that we inhabit the moral plane that Nelson Mandela occupied. The outcome of making each day Mandela Day has to be fully regenerative for our society.
Our own history of struggle shows that when good people commit themselves to a worthy cause, the impossible is made possible. We can also learn valuable lessons from the histories of other people. In this regard, I wish to refer to the rule of Chinese Emperor Ch'eng T'ang, founder of the Shang Dynasty in the 18th century BC. On his bathtub were inscribed the words, "Day by day, make it new." For Mandela Day to be a meaningful initiative, we too have to adopt the adage, "Day by day, make it new".
The shine of the Mandela presidency is endangered now. As a country, we are regressing in many ways from those halcyon days. The need to protect all the gains of our constitutional democracy and the human rights that go with them must therefore be made into a high priority for all of us.
From ancient texts we learn that a Tang dynasty arose in ancient China and was characterised by such astute statecraft that it stands out in the annals of history. The civil service examination of the Tang dynasty, 3 800 years ago, was so refined that its basic form was used up to the 20th century. In later years, however, Hsan-tsung succeeded to the throne. Unfortunately, he was so besotted with a woman that he neglected his duties. In a short while, the woman's friends and family members were appointed to government. Government then became a family thing. One of the woman's brothers quarrelled with the general, An Lu-shan, and this led to a war and the rapid collapse of the state.
Leaders of government must serve as role models so that the legacy of Nelson Mandela, which is now under threat, lives on in the lives of every one of us. Let us, day by day, keep the gloss on those values so cherished by Nelson Mandela. Thus, through our actions, we too will inspire change among ourselves, our fellow citizens and everyone else in the world.
Siyakhahlela Madiba, Ngqolomsila, Vela babenjalo. Enkosi. [We salute you Madiba, Ngqolomsila, Vela bebenjalo.] Thank you. [Applause.]