Joe Slovo Memorial Lecture, 6 January 2010
Mayibuye Centre, Galeshewe- Kimberley
ANC Treasurer-General, Cde Mathew Phosa
Joe Slovo was a great South African and one of the key co-architects of
the “New South Africa”. Slovo was an active and creative participant in
the negotiations between the ANC, the NP and other parties that led to
the first democratic elections in 1994.
He was also a member of the first Mandela cabinet with the
responsibility for Housing. Like many other South Africans, he gave up
promising and lucrative alternatives to establish a democratic order in
South Africa.
As a white person, he set an example that leadership and participation
in charge has no race, nor culture or preferred language.
It simply takes guts, good ideas and hard work to create a better life
for all.
Slovo and other black and white patriots created a platform for the
rest of us as a basis for moving forward as well as to enable us to
govern by the principles that others had live and died for.
The question that uppermost in my mind is how do we honour Slovo and
other leaders who suffered much more than we did.
Whilst we cannot honour him in our life, we can honour him with the way
we live. I have a few ideas on how we can do so:
We must attempt to steer our economy to create jobs, and not to shed it.
We must look at all avenues to assist companies who want to create new
opportunities for job seekers and entrepreneurs.
We must fight corruption in both the public and private sector with old
and new tools without any mercy.
We must start thinking now about how we use the 2010 infrastructure
after the World Cup is over.
We must find ways of creating more opportunities for partnership for
our own companies in the region and on the continent.
We must make BEE, and its’ benefits more practical, reciprocal, and
less bureaucratic.
We must plan for the upswing during this period of cautious optimism
after the downswing.
To this we need leadership and leaders that are:
Accountable
Transparent
Honest
In touch with the people
Not consumed by greed
Willing to listen, and
Willing to lead strongly when necessary.
Issued by:
Jackson Mthembu
National Spokesperson
African National Congress
Chief Albert Luthuli House
54 Sauer Street
Johannesburg
2001
06 January 2010
Enquiries:
Ishmael Mnisi 082 333 5550
Brian Sokutu 071 671 6899
--
Posted By DomzaNet to Communist University on 1/06/2010 07:24:00 PM
--
You are subscribed. This footer can help you.
Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this
message.
You can visit the group WEB SITE at
http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options,
pages, files and membership.
To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You
don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put
anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this
address (repeat): [email protected] .
