South African History Online

Speech by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa at the naming of the Albertina Sisulu Freeway

30 August 2007

Programme Director
Mama Albertina Sisulu and her family
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe
MEC's Executive Mayors
Members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
Councillors
Honoured Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

We are gathered her as the people of Gauteng to honour our mother, our leader, a stalwart and a hero of our liberation struggle. Thank you Mama for allowing us to use your name in honour of many of our mothers, the unsung heroines, whose efforts often go unnoticed. We are grateful to you and your family for allowing us to bestow this honour on you.

We are greatly move by your note to me in accepting this honour where you said: "You know, my child, at my age I expect nothing. I only live to see all of you do well and represent your aspirations well. I have watched the immeasurable progress made by the province and my heart wells with pride every time as I take credit for this because this has been made possible by all of you who are my children."

Siyabulela kakhulu mama, kuba imizamo yethu iyabonakala. Sizimisele ukusebenza ngamandla ukufezekisa iminqweno yabantu belizwe lethu yokuba baphile impilo engcono.

These words resonate with what you said in 1991, in an interview with Reiner List that, "But to us really, apart from what is happening, we think the country's future is bright. Because starting from so many hundreds of years back when the people were fighting, now at this level we feel that we are near the goal. That is why we are hopeful. Really, we have always been optimistic that the end of this country will end up being what the people want it to be. To be a non-racial democratic South Africa. I think we are getting to that."

This was optimism expressed at a moment when there was doubt all around us with evil forces trying to derail our liberation. Thanks to that optimism today we have democracy in our country.

Umama Sisulu belongs to a select group of women who withstood pain, suffering and hardship so that we may enjoy freedom and democracy today. In the face of harassment, detention, house arrest, imprisonment and forced separation from her husband and some of her children, she remained strong - steadfast in the resolve that freedom will come in our lifetime. Indeed we are grateful that she lived long enough to see freedom and to see us take the first step in transforming this country into a non-racial, non-sexist, just society she struggled for.

Today, as we rename the R21 and R24 to Albertina Sisulu Freeway, we have to reflect on the values and principles she stands for. Umama Sisulu stands for justice, equality, ethical conduct and above all she stands for unity. It was through her and her comrades in the women's movement that the world began to appreciate the reality that black women in apartheid South Africa bore triple oppression - as blacks, as workers and women.

Therefore the road we are renaming after her today is symbolic of the unity and equality Mama Sisulu stands for. This road links the administrative capital of our country, Tshwane with two other important metropolitan cities in our province, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. From it you are able to reach the OR Tambo International Airport and connect with the world as well as other roads taking you to other parts of the province and the country.

Today we are only renaming the R21 and R24 from Ekurhuleni to Tshwane. We are finalising processes to rename the remaining portions including Commissioner Street and Main Reef Road right up to Randfontein.

We are aware that there are opponents of change who are using name changes to divide society and to advance a racist agenda. These people, such as those who are opposing the naming of Tshwane, seek to preserve the sectarian dominance of their culture, history and heritage to the exclusion of everybody else's.

Through their attitude they convey a message that says black people, their history, culture and heritage is not worth anything and should not be elevated to any prominent level outside of informal settlements and tribal areas. This tells us that the task of building non-racialism is not yet complete and we must work hard to finish this task. Unity and equality can not be achieved in an environment where others see themselves as more equal than others.

We are aware of the remaining tasks to lift the burdens of oppression on women at the workplace and in society in general. We know that we can not proclaim to be fully liberated and to have achieved gender equality when many if our women continue to live in poverty, on the periphery of society where they are subjected to brutal violence and rape.

We have no option but to address gender equality and gender based violence if we are to succeed in growing the economy of the province and ensure even and equal development opportunities for all.

Mama kuyinyaniso ukuthi sinenkqubela. We are making progress but to fail will be a betrayal of the ideals you stand for and for which you were persecuted in the past.

We are pleased that despite challenges, Gauteng is becoming a better place to live in. Many women are taking advantage of the opportunities that are opening up and they are contributing to growing the economy, reducing poverty and underdevelopment.

We are seeing significant increases in the intake of women into the formal sectors of our economy and into leadership positions, particularly in the public sector where gender representation has improved significantly.

We have also made a conscious decision to integrate women's emancipation, empowerment, equality and poverty eradication in out initiative to build Gauteng as a globally competitive region, in our economic growth and social development strategies.

As government, we will continue to promote the economic empowerment of women and to provide them with easy access to resources such as finance and ensure that we fast-track skills development at all levels.

Today, as we name this road we make a commitment that as the people of Gauteng, leaders n government, civil society and business that we will work together to remove the remaining obstacles to equality, justice, full gender emancipation.

I am certain Mama Sisulu - knowing your passion for children and education - that it will give you pleasure to know that one of the areas we have prioritised in this term of government is the improvement of the education of the African child.

While we have made important strides in redressing the inequalities inherent in the education system of the past, we have not yet succeeded in ensuring that the quality of education of the African child is up to scratch. The African girl continues to carry the highest risk of not attaining full education because of poverty, violence and the impact of HIV and Aids.

When parents fall sick, the responsibility to look after them often falls on a girl in the family. When these parents pass away, a girl must head the home and look after her siblings.

This situation undermines all efforts to bring about equality, justice and non-sexism. It traps girls on conditions of perpetual poverty and inequality. It robs the country of potential human capital that we need to grow the economy, create unemployment and ensure our nation prospers.

We have therefore agreed as the government of Gauteng to address this situation as matter of urgency. Children in child-headed homes need support from government, members of the extended family and elders in society to deal with the trauma of losing parents.

They also need ongoing guidance and emotional support to help them avoid adopting anti-social and high-risk behaviour such as drug abuse, violence and crime.

I think that we need to look closely at the manner in which we bring up and socialise boys in our society. Most of the violence we see is perpetrated by males on female and this commonly happens in relationships. We need a plan and strategy to educate and mobilise boys behind out campaign of no violence against women and children.

As we come to the end of the national Women's Month and we prepare the start of Heritage Month, we salute Mama Albertina Sisulu for placing women's emancipation at the centre of the liberation struggle. We also thank her for giving us the heritage of freedom and democracy.

We hope that when you celebrate your 89th birthday on October 21, you will remember this early birthday gift from us, your children, the people of Gauteng.

Uyinkokheli ethe ngokuzikhwebula exintweni selizwe limagad'ahlabayo yahlahl'indlela eya enkululekweni. Usisikhukhukazi esithe kwakuvela inkqwithela nezilingo kulendlelasatwesaamaphiko aso baze bazifihla abantwana belizwe de zagqiitha ezongozi.

Mfazi ndini obele lide elabonwa yintokaMqhayi; elincancise intshona, umntla, impuma kunye nomzantsi, lingathethe bala lamntu. Zonke izizwe zixhamlile kwesisisulu, gxebe kulomsele wolwazi, wokuziphata, wondiliseko. Uyinkokheli efanele ukuhlonithswa, ithiwe wambu ngomweba wobugorha. Nditsho umama uAlbertina Sisulu mna. Inkosikazi eyabona likhaya lakwaXhamela, ngeliso lika tata uWalter Sisulu.

Tswelepapele utshware thipa ka bohaleng! Malibongwe. Igama lamakhosikazi.

Thank you.

Source:

http://www. anc.org.za