Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister of Arts and Culture, hon members of the NCOP and delegates, comrades, ladies and gentlemen, a nation without a heritage is a nation without a history. We all know that our country's past is full of pain and misery, but it is what defines us as people of South Africa. This aspect of our heritage must be conserved and presented to a wide range of young South Africans so that we learn from that bitter experience, which will never be repeated again.
This allows our country to stand amongst other countries in the world with a rich heritage. Our heritage ranges from our cultural diversity and languages, to our tangible and intangible cultural heritage. All these are fragile, and need to be protected and preserved for future generations.
During this Heritage Month we as South Africans need to rise above our differences and learn about one another's cultural experiences. This will enable us to learn more about one other and respect our diversity as one united South African nation.
In 1999, when addressing an occasion like this, Dr Ngubane, the former Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, simply put it thus:
What Heritage Day truly represents is an opportunity to pay respect to the many cultures, languages, traditions and diversity of heritages that make up our national identity.
This message is correct because today we have gathered here with the idea of building a nation and social cohesion.
This idea should encourage us as South Africans to celebrate our cultural heritage, our diversity and traditions in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all. This principle is derived from the Freedom Charter which states that:
... South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people.
Our Constitution is clear about this pronouncement. It defines a South African citizen in terms of our national territory, allegiance to our national institutions, and the people of our country. Today, our country's institutions, such as the SA Human Rights Commission and the SA Commission for Gender Equality, are geared to promoting and protecting the needs of all South Africans regardless of race, colour, creed or gender. However, some cases of abuse of workers, more especially on the farms, have been reported.
Mpumalanga will host national Heritage Day on 24 September 2011, and the Deputy President of the country will deliver the keynote address.
Gert Sibande District has been identified as the place to celebrate this, because the graves of fallen heroes and heroines of the national liberation struggle who were killed by a group of Black Cats - said to be affiliated to the IFP in the 1990s - are there. It is in close proximity to the heritage cultural precinct where there is a life-size statue of Gert Sibande, the Nomoya Masilela Museum in Bethal, and the Nokuthula Simelane statue. It is further linked with the heritage route that includes the Mahatma Gandhi prison cell in Volksrust and the Dr Pixley ka Seme statue, which will be unveiled in Daggakraal next year.
The theme of this month's celebration is "Celebrating the Heroes and Heroines of the Liberation Struggle in South Africa". Indeed, when we celebrate this day we need to pay special homage to the outstanding work they did to liberate South Africa from the apartheid regime. Some of them never lived to taste the fruit of this democracy; they perished to pave the way for our future.
The department is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the promotion and preservation of our culture and heritage, in our attempt to honour the contribution of our heroes and heroines of the struggle in the province. We have commissioned a research project on our liberation heritage in the Gert Sibande District, and research in other districts is also scheduled in future years. In addition, we have commissioned the setting up of a three times life-size statue of Dr Pixley ka Seme in Daggakraal. He was one of the presidents of the ANC.
We are happy to announce that the Nomoya Masilela Museum in Bethal has been completed. We are in the process of preparing for the official opening. This museum will also play an important role in ensuring that community members get access to books and literature that depict our history, since most of our history was distorted during the past regime.
During this celebration month we, as a province, will be embarking on a campaign to visit the sites, which have been identified, where most of our liberators fell. To be exact, on 22 September we will visit The Hill, the mountain the Minister has just referred to, and also visit the families and the graves of the victims of the Lowveld Massacre, which took place 25 years ago in KaNyamazane. This will form part of honouring the role they played in the struggle for liberation for this country.
During the recent MuniMEC meeting that was held at the Nkangala Municipality on 6 September, all the MECs for culture and sport were requested to embark on a campaign to clean the graves of the fallen heroes and heroines of the struggle.
This year will also mark the 25th anniversary of the tragedy at Mbuzini, where President Samora Machel of Mozambique, and ministers and officials of the Mozambique government perished in a tragic plane crash. This event will be commemorated by both countries. The commemoration of this anniversary by both countries seeks to foster the relationship the countries have and the struggles they went through as countries seeking liberation.
In conclusion, Deputy Chairperson, it is crucial to celebrate our heritage as all South Africans, since it defines who we are and the type of society we want to achieve. The celebration of these events reminds all of us of the role played by our heroes and heroines in paving the way forward for democracy in this country. I thank you. [Applause.]