Speech by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman
Patricia de Lille, at the opening of the Ikamva Labantu
Early Childhood Learning Centre in Khayelitsha.
20 April 2012
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning, goeiemore, molweni,
The City of Cape Town has always believed in a special sort of relationship
with its citizens.
We view our role as one of partnership; a force that helps people achieve
everything that is within their potential.
Yet we are not necessarily equal forces.
On the one hand, you have an entire government and the resources at its
disposal.
On the other hand you have an individual, one amongst many.
But we know from our administration that the two are evenly matched.
They are evenly matched because they need each other to achieve the
future that we are all dreaming of.
A future based on opportunity, where everyone has dignity.
We all know that the work of government is achieved through individuals.
And individuals, especially those who need the most help, can truly reach
greater heights with a government that is looking out for their best
interests.
That is the spirit of Cape Town: a positive relationship to move us all
forward.
Guided by this principle, we know that the individuals must be given the
chance and the opportunity to thrive in life.
They must be able to take advantage of all that is presented to them.
And to do that, we must place the mental, physical and emotional
development of the individual, at the heart of our plans.
It is this realisation that has made us prioritise social development and
early childhood development in this administration.
The constitutional imperative for local government to be the driver of
social development is not just an empty phrase.
It is a deep recognition that that layer of government that interacts with
people the most, gives them the space to grow.
But we must also be smart with our objectives and principles, to give life
to the Constitution.
We know that throughout the city, people work tirelessly to help raise our
children and give them a proper start in life.
We know that while this city works, so do the people who help keep our
communities together by making sure that our children are being looked
after.
Of course, I am speaking about the Early Childhood Development (ECD)
centres and the good people who run them.
While ECDs rise in what are often the poorest parts of the city, they
reflect something else apart from difficult times.
They reflect a dynamic society that adapts to accommodate shortfalls
where they occur, sometimes through great difficulty.
A society that adapts to look out for our children.
A society that gives our children the space to grow and develop.
A society and a city that cares.
That is a society, and a city, worth having.
And so, this administration sees another relationship developing.
A relationship where ECD staff members are trained in best practice to
truly help our children.
That relationship, and its importance for our children, is the significance
of the centre we are opening here today.
I want to thank Ikamva Labantu for all of their hard work and for their
investment in those who help us raise the future.
Organisations like Ikamva Labantu are our partners in building a better
Cape Town, one for all of its citizens.
Working with our partners, our government will foster the relationships
that our city needs to take us forward.
And when we cultivate those larger relationships, we honour the most
important relationship of all: our relationship with our people and with our
children.