Programme Director: Mr Likho Bottoman
Mrs Viola Motsumi, MPL; MEC for Education,
Cllr Shiela Mabale-Huma: Executive Mayor: Rustenburg Local Municipality,
Cllr Matlakala Nondzaba: Executive Mayor: Bojanala Platinum District Municipality,
Schools Democracy and Civic Education Commissioner: Judge Dhaya
Pillay,
School Governing Body Chairperson: Mr Wele Moteane,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to be here with you today to celebrate Freedom Month and Schools Democracy Education Programme 2023 Launch.
The past 29 years have been a journey of transformation for South Africa, marked by significant progress towards building a society that is free, democratic, and equal.
The country’s constitutional democratic dispensation ushered in on April 27, 1994, has provided a solid foundation for achieving these ideals.
South Africa’s freedom since 1994 has been critical in transforming our society as we continue to address the challenges of inequality, poverty, and unemployment.
This freedom has enabled the country to overcome the atrocities of apartheid, rebuild itself, and establish a society that values the rights and dignity of every individual.
As we celebrate this important month, we are reminded of the sacrifices made by our forefathers to secure our freedom and democracy.
Their tireless efforts and determination have laid the groundwork for us to continue building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.
As we look towards the grandest milestone in 2024, the 30th anniversary of freedom and democracy, we must continue to work together to consolidate and safeguard the gains we have made as a nation.
This means addressing the challenges hindering our progress towards national unity and social cohesion.
It also means nurturing our democracy through civic education and empowering young South Africans with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for active citizenship.
As President Nelson Mandela said, true freedom is not just about casting off our chains but living in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
Let us continue to honour his legacy by working towards a society that is truly free and democratic for all.
Programme director, part of our task is to ensure equality and justice by fostering the rule of law.
Maintaining the rule of law and fighting corruption cannot be overstated.
Corruption robs the poor of basic services and resources they desperately need to improve their lives.
We must recommit to the prudent use of public resources, which will go a long way in deepening the rebuilding of our justice institutions.
This means we must hold accountable those who steal taxpayers’ money and ensure they face the full consequences of their actions.
We cannot allow the culture of corruption to prevail, as it not only undermines our democracy but also hinders our efforts to achieve sustainable development.
By finding and punishing those who engage in corrupt practices, we can help to promote good governance, accountability and transparency and ensure that public resources are used for the common good.
We have come a long way as a nation since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Still, we acknowledge that much more work needs to be done, particularly in addressing inequality, poverty, and unemployment.
As we celebrate Freedom Month, we must strive towards national unity and social cohesion.
This month offers us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made thus far in transforming our society and the challenges we still face.
We cannot forget the past or the sacrifices patriots made to ensure our democracy and freedom.
We must honour our history and remember the selfless patriots who paved the way for a democratic and free South Africa.
During Freedom Month, the Department of Basic Education has chosen to host a series of sector-specific community engagements to commemorate and dub this month as Schools Democracy Month.
These events will occur in Bojanala District: on 13 April in Rustenburg, Tshwane West District on 18 April, and Johannesburg Central District on 21 April.
The Independent Electoral Commission and the DBE and Provincial Education Departments will collaborate to promote electoral democracy literacy to young South Africans in public schools nationwide.
Schools Democracy Week, which will take place from 24 to 30 April 2023, aims to empower South African youth with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for active citizenship.
It seeks to encourage them to take up their civic responsibility to register and vote in elections, a critical step in nurturing our young democracy through civic education.
During Schools Democracy Week, participating schools will receive civic and democracy education content and materials to set up mock voting stations with ballot boxes, voting booths, and dummy ballot papers to strengthen the learning experience.
The DBE website has an Electoral Democracy Toolkit available.
Through these lessons and co-curricular activities, learners will learn about democracy, their rights and responsibilities as voters, how to register to vote, and how to vote.
Critically we will teach them how to think critically about democratic issues and make the best use of social media as part of their participation in our democracy.
We will also use this opportunity to promote the Adolescents and Youth Programme, which aims to support the democratic gains and freedom related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), for all adolescents, including girls, boys, young women and young men.
It will highlight the sector’s gains through Comprehensive Sexuality Education and the progressive policy development and practice in the DBE HIV Policy and the Policy for the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools.
The emergent work on School-related Gender-based Violence
(SRGBV) and the socio-educational inclusion of children with diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) in Schools will be included to highlight democratic gains and freedoms pertaining to sexual and gender identity in the basic education sector.
We acknowledge the hard work of all Race and Values provincial coordinators who have worked with the IEC coordinators since 2013 to provide democracy education to schools.
Materials and classroom activities are taught during the Life Orientation subject in school or linked to co-curricular activities.
These lessons focus on Democracy and Human Rights, looking at principles, processes and procedures for democratic participation, responsible citizenship, and the role of media in a democratic society.
As we commemorate Freedom Month and Schools Democracy Month, we are reminded of the incredible journey that South Africa has undertaken to achieve democracy and freedom.
It is a journey marked by countless sacrifices, struggles, and victories.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the heroes and heroines of our struggle, who fought tirelessly to bring about a free and democratic South Africa.
Yet, as we celebrate our democracy and freedom, we cannot ignore our nation’s challenges, such as high levels of crimes, substance abuse and gender-based violence threatening our progress towards national unity and social cohesion.
Our duty as leaders is to ensure that we consolidate and safeguard our democratic gains and work towards a more just and equitable society for all, a Better Life of All as it were.
In his presidential campaign speech at the University of Hartford on October 18, 1960, John F. Kennedy said: “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”
This quote by John F. Kennedy speaks to the critical importance of an informed electorate in maintaining a healthy democracy.
Every citizen has a civic duty to educate themselves on the issues and candidates and to exercise their right to vote.
The ignorance of even one voter can have far-reaching consequences, leading to unsavoury characters managing our public affairs.
In this way, the ignorance of one voter can impair the security of all.
To ensure a thriving democracy, citizens must actively learn about the issues and engage in civil discourse with those with differing views.
This means seeking information from various reputable sources, engaging in respectful dialogue with others, and staying up-to-date on current events.
Only when every citizen is informed and engaged can we truly have a government that represents the will of the people and works towards the betterment of society.
Otherwise, as the French philosopher and writer Joseph de Maistre once opined, “we will get the government that we deserve.”
I thank you.
Source: Government of South Africa
Country: South Africa
Date: 26-April-23
Source: Government of South Africa
National Development Agency signs Development Cooperation Agreement with German Cooperative Raiffeisen Confederation
26 April 2023, Johannesburg – South Africa is the latest Southern African Development Community (SADC) partner country to enter into an international development cooperation agreement with the German Cooperative Raiffeisen Confederation (abbreviated DGRV in German), an Apex Cooperatives Body in Germany with over 20 million members. GCRC has ties with more than 30 other countries, to provide consultancy and aid to develop cooperative systems and structures aiming at a sustainable development of the cooperative sector. The agreement will be implemented through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Development Agency (NDA), an agency of government tasked with contributing towards the eradication of poverty and its causes in South Africa.
The NDA in discharging its mandate on poverty eradication, adopted the use of cooperative model to create sustainable livelihoods and economic activities for the poor at community level. The main aim of this approach is to create community owned enterprises that benefit members and their families. DGRV’s mission within SADC in South Africa is to use its more than 150 years of cooperatives tradition and experience, to contribute towards supporting and increasing the number of cooperatively organised groups in different sectors, that are actively participating in economic activity, income generation, job creation and poverty alleviation, through working with recognised representative organisations, the government and other stakeholders.
Within the MoU, both parties acknowledge their distinct and complementary roles, and commitment to jointly embarking on supporting and facilitating the development of community-based cooperatives at local government level, as guided by outlined district development models. These specific programmes and projects will be determined and agreed to jointly by parties on a case by case basis and in the event the parties embark on a project, it will be on the basis of a specific work programme plan and/ or Service Level Agreement that will be measured and evaluated periodically.
The overall objective is to facilitate sustainable economic participation for the poor, thus providing pathways for those excluded in participating in the economy to be at the centre of the means of production within poor communities. The cooperatives will be provided the necessary training, technical and financial support to implement integrated community programmes that promote financial and economic inclusivity for township and village economic vibrancy. Throughout, the Steering Committee will monitor, evaluate and compile impact assessment reports to measure the projects, and more importantly, the percentage of cooperatives that grow as a result of support received from implementation of this MoU.
“Currently our economy can only absorb high skilled persons, leaving behind a huge capable population, the cooperative model is the only solution to address the high unemployment rate. The empowerment of cooperatives will stimulate the economy – cooperatives are able to produce quality consumables at a lower cost to compete in markets, resulting in them creating sustainable income for themselves to survive and lessen the load on dependency for government assistance,” says Mr Bongani Magongo, Acting Chief Executive Officer of NDA.
“We are excited to enter into this partnership with the NDA which will bring about resilient and active communities who come to own a stake in the economy through the cooperative model. We believe NDA is the correct partner, through shared frameworks and ideologies, to bring to life the cooperative model which allows for involvement and ownership by communities to take control of their capabilities and livelihoods,” says Mr Veit Gesenhues, DGRV Southern Region Director.
In closing, the NDA Board Chairperson, Ms Nozabelo Ruth Bhengu welcomed the signing and remarked that it is a significant moment for the NDA, sector and country. “This partnership is in line with the NDA’s turnaround strategy to get more people in jobs and active within the mainstream economy. South Africa remains highly unequal, poverty is a result of the economy not being shared equally. It is our fundamental task to ensure inclusion of the previously isolated to participate and derive sustainable livelihoods within the existing economy. DGRV’s vast experience will assist the NDA to execute this mandate and make a remarkable difference in reaching poverty eradication goals.”
Picture caption: Mr Veit Gesenhues, DGRV Southern Region Director; NDA Board Chairperson, Ms Nozabelo Ruth Bhengu and Mr Bongani Magongo, Acting Chief Executive Officer of NDA sign the MoU
Source: Government of South Africa