I greet you in the name of peace.
Decades ago, this city welcomed a young man who would go on to have an immeasurable impact on South Africa and the rest of the world.
Little did the powers that be know that when this young royal landed in Johannesburg, from the Eastern Cape, he and his gang of fiery revolutionaries would shake up the country and inspire a decades long walk to freedom.
Despite the best efforts of the apartheid government to stifle this long walk to freedom, including using some of the most brutal tactics one could think of, this young man simply grew emboldened to demand the franchise, through the one man-one vote mantra.
So the apartheid government threw him and his friends in jail, hoping to dim the fire in him that saw him capture the hearts and minds of a people who had been beaten down into submission.
Some today argue that the apartheid government was successful because the person who emerged out of the gates of Victor Verster prison in February 1990, was not the firebrand they had heard so much about.
To each his own, but I truly do not believe that Nelson Mandela came out of prison any less committed to the ideals of freedom, human rights and economic emancipation.
Perhaps he came out of prison with a different perspective on issues.
But the one thing he can never be faulted for is his belief that one should have a strong sense of community and willingness to serve, particularly those on the margins of society.
These are the people I commonly refer to as the forgotten people. They had been allowed to fall through the cracks while society has simply moved on.
Not a single one of us here can claim to not know at least one person or one family that can be classified as being part of this large section of South African society.
In each and every city or province, they are there in their multitudes.
These are the people that Madiba asked us repeatedly to share the little or plenty that we have with.
They are not strangers to us. They are me; they are you.
They are us.
And we are here today to remember them.
We should see this as our combined responsibility as residents of the various communities that make up South Africa.
As the first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela had the difficult task of uniting a nation that had been divided for many years along racial, tribal and class lines. But he insisted that it was imperative to build a united community of South Africa, underpinned by a spirit of reconciliation and compassion for the underprivileged.
He led us towards a path of bridging the divide between warring communities. He implored us to look at those less fortunate and see ourselves in them.
He believed that, once we reach that level of common humanity, we would not allow a single child to go to bed without having has a meal.
Unfortunately, and rather tragically, we have not always heeded Madiba’s teachings.
As we woke up this morning, preparing to enjoy today’s festivities, across the country many children woke up after having gone to bed hungry.
Many of these children, who themselves need guidance, love and support like any other child, are instead heading up households.
They are forced to make decisions best left to adults. They are forced, on a daily basis, to decide which meal will be enjoyed and which will be missed. And if there is nothing to eat at all, they have to find creative excuses to explain away the grumbling stomachs of their younger siblings.
South Africa is the most unequal society in the world.
We have extravagant wealth existing side by side with crushing poverty.
Here in Johannesburg, the so-called richest square mile in Africa stands only a few meters from the most humiliating poverty in Alexandra Township.
But we don’t seem to think anything wrong with this state of affairs because shiny new glass buildings continue to go up in Sandton while Alex remains congested and underdeveloped.
Our Inner City is a grimy concrete jungle of hijacked and abandoned buildings taken over by criminal syndicates.
This unacceptable situation points to a people who have forgotten themselves; a people who have lost touch with their humanity and sense of social justice.
It speaks of a people who perhaps do not appreciate the value or meaning of charity.
But in you today, I see a ray of sunshine.
I am optimistic that, slowly but surely, we are regaining our understanding of charity and a sense of community.
It used to be that, when one thought of charity, images of wealthy, elegantly dressed men and women, throwing their money around during expensive dinners, came to mind.
That is still the case in some quarters but things are changing.
More and more we see people giving their time and actively getting involved in changing the lives of ordinary people.
Just like you here today, people are getting their hands dirty and showing up.
Make no mistake, money is important but so is presence and time spent getting to know the issues our people are battling with.
So I thank each of you; I thank you for making service to people fashionable again.
I thank you for bringing back the spirit of uBuntu-Botho.
In this year of the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, I implore you to remember his teaching of the basic principle of humanity as espoused in the mantra ‘I am because you are’.
As you prepare to rev up those engines, I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Travel safely and enjoy your journey.
I thank you.
Media Queries:
Olebogeng Molatlhwa
Office of the Executive Mayor
City of Johannesburg
084 371 3243
