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
