Remarks by Premier Nomvula Mokonyane at the Moral Regeneration Movement
Conference, Birchwood Conference Centre, Boksburg, 29 July 2012
The Honourable Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe
Chief Executive Officer of the Moral Regeneration Movement Mme Zandile Mdhladhla
MRM Board of Directors’ members Fr. Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Mme Ntombazana
Botha, Mr Sipho Tshabalala and Ms Chana Majake
All board members present here
Distinguished Leaders of various formations in our communities
Honourable Delegates from all corners of our country present here
Ladies and Gentlemen
Honourable Deputy President, the CEO of the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM),
Mrs Mdhladhla, has given me a difficult task to introduce you to this august gathering.
At the surface of it, it seems an easy task to execute because one would assume that
given your background, both in the liberation movement, labour movement as well as
your current portfolio in Government, almost every delegate present here today knows
and understands you.
That however is the simplistic approach which I believe would not do justice because it
does not articulate the details of the enormous tasks that the Deputy President has to
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carry out as the second commander-in-chief of South Africa and the Leader of
Government Business.
The Deputy President is also the second in command as the Deputy President of our
glorious movement, the African National Congress which is marking a century of selfless
struggle to build democracy, promote equality, non-racialism and non sexism in our
country in order to bring lasting unity and change.
Honourable Deputy President
We are approaching the end of July, an important month in which our Government and
all the citizens of South Africa chose to dedicate to our freedom struggle icon, the first
President of a democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
When we talk morality, most of us would argue that we are talking about the values that
are represented by our former President Nelson Mandela and that are enshrined in our
constitution. This is what all of us should strive to achieve in our country, by tirelessly
working to build a just, democratic and united society which upholds the rights of all the
country’s people.
As we know, the MRM can be traced back to the late 1990s, when President Mandela
met with religious leaders. He said at the time, “Our hopes and dreams, at times, seem
to be overcome by cynicism, self-centredness and fear. This spiritual malaise sows itself
as a lack of good spirit, as pessimism, or lack of hope and faith. And from it emerge the
problems of greed and cruelty, of laziness and egotism, of personal and family failure. It
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both helps fuel the problems of crime and corruption and hinders our efforts to deal with
them”.
The National MRM was launched in April 2002 by the then Deputy President of the
Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma.
The Gauteng Chapter was launched
subsequently by a wide range of civil society formations, including civic, women’s and
faith-based organisations together with local authorities and the provincial government.
The approach at the time was to mobilise all sectors of society to cultivate positive
values such as Ubuntu, respect for human rights as well as building national pride.
Within the public service, the emphasis was, in addition, on promoting the Batho Pele
principles and good governance.
Within the current term of office, moral regeneration and social cohesion remain
inextricably linked to the broader political outcomes we seek to achieve as a province
and a country in giving effect to the rights enshrined in our constitution. Our priorities are
focused on public education, health care, safety, rural development and food security
and inclusive growth and job creation.
The systematic deprivation and abuse of human rights and human dignity by the
apartheid system left deep scars and divisions across our communities that take
generations to heal.
Our moral regeneration efforts must therefore include:
 Firstly, intensifying our efforts to improve the material conditions and the quality
of life of our people.
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 Secondly, promoting social cohesion, positive values and an ethical society and
 Thirdly, developing a shared vision of the future around which to mobilise the
efforts of all our people. As part of Gauteng Vision 2055, we have embarked on a
widespread process of consultation with all sectors of society as part of the
development of this shared vision and campaign, building on the ideals and
dreams represented in the Freedom Charter and South Africa’s Constitution.
It is in this context, honourable Deputy President, that the Gauteng Provincial
Government has sought to mobilise all our people around efforts to build the values of
morality and respect in our communities and to protect the most vulnerable in our
society.
Honourable Deputy President
Our communities are currently faced with a myriad of social challenges. Among them is
the apparent lack of morality which manifests itself in many ways such as disrespect for
others including the elderly, lack of respect for life and other people’s dignity and the
crime that some elements are using as a tool to control and terrorise our communities.
These are just some of the problems that we are facing and these have been
acknowledged by all those concerned about the future of country as areas that need to
be tackled with great determination.
Our Government has since 1994 put in place numerous laws and initiated programmes
that seek to create a just, tolerant and moral society. These include laws that are meant
to protect women and children.
In Gauteng, we have realised that Government alone cannot succeed in dealing with the
problem of moral degeneration unless it has the buy-in of people. We have established
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partnerships with various organisations in communities in a bid to find solutions to these
challenges and rectify the situation.
Honourable delegates
I am sure you will also agree that the levels of violence in our communities are
unacceptable. We have also seen here in Gauteng recently, shocking reports about
gender-based violence directed at women and children. In some instances, this has also
affected people with disabilities, including those that are mentally challenged.
As Government, we are playing our role, we are clamping down on criminals as shown in
the decline in many categories of crime. But what is needed now is active citizenry and
for civil society to play a greater role in contributing to moral regeneration and the
development of caring and ethical communities.
This begins with reclaiming the streets from criminals and the rogue elements that
peddle drugs in our communities. Let us respect and love each other, stand together to
protect the weakest members of our society and let us instil good values among our
children from an early age.
Mrs Mdhladhla, the MRM needs to assist us to mobilise our communities to actively
participate in social cohesion initiatives, to root out the scourge of violence against
women and children; to ensure that every learner is in school and to stop drug abuse.
We need to work hard to ensure that all our people are safe, ensure that we live together
in harmony and ensure that we respect human life as well as the rights of people
especially women and children. Women and children should not lock themselves behind
closed doors because they are afraid of the men who live in their neighbourhoods.
It is through such actions that we will succeed in healing our country which for many
decades saw its moral fibre being slowly eaten away under the rule of the apartheid
government.
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As noted by the delegates who attended the Social Cohesion Summit in Soweto
recently, if we work together, we can create a caring and proud society. This is also in
line with the call by MRM which implores all South Africans to work together to explore
ways to live the values that will help us sustain and consolidate our democracy so that
our children can have peace, prosperity and enjoy a better life.
Dankie Ngiyabonga.
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