Hon Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the President of the Republic of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Mothlante, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, government officials and distinguished quests, tomorrow marks 102 years since the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. The formation of the Union of South Africa was the beginning of the institutionalisation of racial and ethnic divisions in our country. It also sought to take away the dignity of Africans in particular and black people in general and entrench white domination.
In response, African people came together in 1912 and formed the African National Native Congress, later to be known as the ANC. Rallying towards the formation of the ANC, Pixley ka Isaka Seme called on Africans to forget their differences of the past and unite together in one national organisation. In this regard he said:
We are one people. These divisions, these jealousies are the cause of all our woes... today. Since then the ANC spearheaded the struggle to bring about a nonracial, nonsexist and democratic South Africa. In the course of this struggle the ANC and other liberation movements always upheld the ideal of one country, one democratic state and a nonracial destiny for all who live in it - black and white.
It is through these selfless struggles, dating back more than a hundred years, that we are sitting in this democratic Parliament today. Today, South Africans are working together to build a national democratic society.
In the past two weeks there have been heightened tensions among South Africans about what is wrong and what is right. This tension brought about by the artwork, The Spear, has brought home the reality that ours is a society that requires great effort towards healing, reconciliation and nation-building. I am happy that this matter is being resolved. It is quite clear that more dialogue is required if we are to build a socially inclusive society.
There are very loud voices out there that seem to suggest that the ruling party has been bullying others and therefore denying them their right to freedom of expression. This perception is wrong.
Throughout its life the ANC has fought for the rights of all South Africans to participate freely in their cultures, religions and beliefs. The ANC has fought for freedom of the press and has done away with censorship and banning orders.
Those who argue for freedom of expression, which we support fully as the ruling party, must equally appreciate the rights of other South Africans to dignity, as guaranteed in our Constitution. [Applause.] We will not agree to freedom to denigrate and humiliate other South Africans and take away their rights. The rights of South Africans include the right to protest; to march when they are dissatisfied and they have grievances.
As South Africans we need to find the correct balance between freedom of expression and the right to dignity. [Interjections.] President Zuma has already announced that in July this year, we will convene a national summit on social cohesion and nation-building, which the President will address. We would like therefore to extend an invitation to all members of this House from all parties, so that we can have a rational debate.
This summit, which will be held in Kliptown, the birthplace of the Freedom Charter, will afford us as South Africans an opportunity to once more assess how far we have travelled in building a nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous society.
The overriding theme of our discussions on social cohesion and nation- building is that South Africa belongs to all who live in it - black and white.
We are doing this, guided also by the Preamble to our Constitution, which declares that, and I quote:
We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past, believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity
As a build-up to the summit, we are mobilising the nation to engage with the question: What does it mean to be a South African?
In his state of the nation address in 2009, President Zuma made a call that we must embark on a national dialogue on the kind of society we seek to build. This year the President announced a number of heritage legacy projects to honour the heroes and heroines of our struggle for national liberation.
As a nation, we must work together to erect new symbols of a democratic society that will have a positive meaning to all of us. As we build new symbols of democracy, monuments and museums, we must continue to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
As we speak, we are embarking on projects that will assist to revitalise local economies and provide much needed job opportunities, particularly in rural areas.
Through our Mzansi Golden Economy Strategy, we estimate that more than l50 000 work opportunities will be created over the next five years, as we implement this heritage programme throughout the country.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Zuma for having put issues of arts, culture and heritage on top of the government agenda, and for giving his full support as we roll out this programme.
Let us work together to encourage tolerance in our country and build a sense of common nationhood. Let us continue to be guided by the motto on our coat of arms, which we must respect at all times, which says, "!ke e:/xarra //ke; which means "diverse people, unite".
Let us continue to entrench the values enshrined in our Constitution and nation-building ethos based on the progressive values of ubuntu that teach us that motho, ke motho ka batho; umuntu umuntu ngabantu; munhu I munhu hi vanwani; muthu ndi muthu nga vhanwe; 'n mens is 'n mens deur ander mense, I am because you are.
We must do this to give meaning to the words of one of the founding fathers of our democratic nation, former President Nelson Mandela. I want to quote them since hon Lekota spoke a lot about what former President Mandela said:
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
[Applause.]
As we take these words to heart, let us work together to build a socially inclusive society. I hope that all of us will participate in the summit. Hon Lekota, I am sure there will not be any shouting there. We will discuss it rationally so that we can all agree on how to build one nation. With these few words I want to take this opportunity to thank all hon members for having listened to me quietly while I delivered this speech. [Time expired.] [Applause.]