South African History Online

Speech during a visit to the Harvey Cohen School for the Mentally
Handicapped

Eldorado Park, Tuesday 13 April 1999

Mr Braam
Mrs Cornelius
Ladies and gentlemen
And most importantly the
children here with us today.

Every child is a gift given to us by God. A child is a gift so valuable that
we should cherish each and every one and help them develop, so that they grow
into active, well adjusted and happy adults.

The Society For The Mentally Handicapped has over the past thirty years made
a very important contribution to our society. It could not have been an easy
task to develop a cirriculum for the mentally challenged child.

During the reign of a government that did not regard all children as of equal
value. The men and women who pioneered this school were truly heroic, and for
this our society owes them a great deal.

Our new democratic constitution guarantees the rights of each and every
individual. For the first time ever the rights of the disabled have been
guaranteed by the law. New laws prohibit discrimination in the workplace. This
makes the work of places such as the Harvey Cohen Centre even more important
than before. We must try to provide every person in our society with the
training that will enable them to contribute to society to their full potential.

The rights and dignity of each person in our society, and especially those
who cannot speak for themselves, must be protected with zeal by those us who
can.

It is a great honour for me to be able to make this small contribution to the
Harvey Cohen School. I know that it costs R900 000 per year to run the school,
and I hope that we can encourage other business people to make contributions to
keep this centre alive.

Today all of our children can grow together, no longer seaprated by the walls
of apartheid. Together let us ensure that we build ont hese advances.

The Harvey Cohen Centre is a shining example of the power that lies within
our communities to develop organisations that directly benefit all. The struggle
for a better future for all requires not just material transformation, but also
changes in the way we think and the way we relate to each other - that is what
we mean when we speak of an RDP of the Soul.

These young people whom this school serves, need all of us to become active
partners in shaping their futures. In helping children from many different
cultural backgrounds, the school is part the effort of the people of South
Africa to develop as a single and united nation, and to overcome the legacy of
apartheid.

I salute you all, I say to all of you young people here today: I love each
one of you, and I believe that each one of you is a valuable asset to our
society.