Remarks by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Ms Sylvia Lucas, on the occasion of the Vodacom National Food Security Programme in honour of International Mandela Day on 23 July 2014 at the Pitso Jantjie School at 10h00.

Programme Director
Managing Executive of Vodacom Central Region, Mr Jorge Mendes
Principal of the Pitso Jantjie School, Mr Booysens
The Executive Mayor and Mayor’s and Councillors
Educators and Learners
Distinguished Guests
Parents
Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel honoured and privileged to once again be part of such an important occasion – the handover of food parcels to our learners in keeping with the spirit and rich legacy of giving back to our community, a selfless spirit which was embraced and underpinned in the persona and character of Tata Nelson Mandela.

Everyone of us should make a difference in our society by giving back to the needy and less fortunate. Tata Madiba dedicated his entire life to the cause of freedom, justice and equality for the people of South Africa and the world.

As part of celebrating Tata Mandela‘s legacy and in recognition of his contribution to global peace and freedom,

our government has joined forces around a successful campaign to galvanise communities and the private sector across the length and breadth of the country to heed the global call to action through engaging in selfless and positive acts within their neighbourhoods and communities.

What we are witnessing here today underpins the values of selflessness, compassion, generosity and love for one another by dedicating our time doing something good for our communities. Tata Mandela spent almost all his life courageously and selflessly serving humanity.

As a nation, we must cultivate a lifestyle of ubuntu and related good virtues of compassion, generosity, love, caring, peace, unity, forgiveness, tolerance, selflessness and respect - as epitomised by Madiba. Acts of nobility, which are urged during the Nelson Mandela Month, must be practised in our daily lives.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Tata Nelson Mandela took it upon himself to give up his career and freedom and dedicated his life to the fight against apartheid and social injustice. South Africa and indeed the world are fortunate to have had a person like Nelson Mandela who has sown the seeds of change for the better of humankind.

It is a campaign that regenerates the spirit of volunteerism; it is a call for individuals to take responsibility and change the world to a better place, one small step at a time, just like the former President did. Volunteerism entails giving time, energy and skills in aid of a good cause. A true patriot should be a volunteer in any community structure and in this way our country would surely go to greater heights.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mandela Day was to renew our commitments and resolve to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment, to end violence against women and children, to continue to advance gender equality all over the world, and to comprehensively address conflicts and wars.

We can do everything we can to make sure that no child dies of malnutrition when the world produces enough; none goes to sleep without food or water; none denigrates another’s dignity; none is discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion and none is treated unfairly.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Food Security is a vital part of the development journey for learners and we would like to challenge others to take a leaf out of Vodacom's book to ensure the future of our youth is guaranteed.

To achieve the development of vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities, we have no choice but to work with non-governmental organisations to contribute towards food security.

In the Northern Cape, we have said, over and over again, that government working alone and in isolation will never adequately address all the complex challenges that face us as a province. We need to work as a collective if we want to overcome the burden of poverty, suffering and joblessness.

If all of us walk the same path as Tata Madiba, our world will certainly be a better place. Take charge: whether it’s supporting a charity or serving your local community in any way will certainly make a lasting difference in the life of an ordinary person.

As the Northern Cape Provincial Government, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to VODACOM for their laudable efforts to contribute to the less fortunate and making a difference in the lives of our learners.  We are grateful to Vodacom to continue to be a valued partner in taking Tata's legacy forward.

We all owe it to Madiba to continue to improve the lives of the citizenry in a spirit of love and selflessness.

I Thank You