SPEECH BY PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA TO A MAY DAY RALLY

Umtata, 1 May 1997

Comrade Chairperson:

Today, as we meet in Umtata, we join millions across the world to celebrate
May Day. Workers everywhere are remembering their struggles and their victories
and mobilising for a better future. Amongst their achievements is our freedom,
which they helped us win.

It is only a few days since we celebrated Freedom Day. That was the day in
which our human dignity was restored. The day on which we took our destiny into
our own hands and declared that we were ready to govern ourselves.

When South Africans went to the polls that day to vote for freedom and a
better life, the majority put their trust in the ANC. They mandated their first
democratic government to build our society anew in order to improve the quality
of life of all South Africans, especially the poor. That is the goal of the
Reconstruction and Development Programme, developed by the Alliance, and it
remains our goal to this day.

In celebrating May Day, as workers and citizens, it is right that we should
take stock of how far, as a movement in government, we have fulfilled our
mandate.

When we came to power, many communities particularly in rural areas, had no
water, electricity, houses, jobs and social security. Health was not accessible
to most of our people. The country knew no respect for workers rights and basic
conditions of employment. Our economy had been in decline or stagnant for many
years. We were a nation divided against one another. Parts of our country were
embroiled in violence.

As we meet today, we have as a nation made progress on all these fronts. We
can all take pride in the fact that already the lives of millions have begun to
change.

For them, there is no longer a need to walk kilometres for water or share
wells with animals. For them electricity is no longer something that passed by
their homes over pylons, but a source of light and energy for warmth and
cooking. Free health care for pregnant women and young children and access to
primary health care have transformed people's lives. Or children can now learn
at school because their stomachs are no longer gnawing with hunger. Political
violence is a thing of the past everywhere except a few areas in KwaZulu/Natal.

We celebrate these achievements knowing that we have only made a start in
addressing the immense needs of our people. The legacy of a history of
colonialism and apartheid will not be undone immediately. It will take time to
complete the task and to reach all those in need. This process may not have
reached you as an individual yet, or come to your community. But the foundation
has been laid.

Our first three years of freedom have demonstrated that our goals are
achievable. Above all, South Africans have shown that by joining hands across
all sectors of society and working together, even the most difficult problem can
be overcome. And they have shown that South Africa's workers are a powerful and
creative force for transformation.

As we proceed with our programmes of action, government counts on the active
participation of organised workers, in NEDLAC; in partnership with government;
and in the work-place.

Comrades;

One of the greatest achievements of our young democracy is to ensure that the
rights and interests of workers are protected as never before. Our new
constitution consolidates the gains of years of struggle by organised workers.

New laws and policies are restoring the dignity of workers. They are creating
a framework for substantial improvements in working conditions. The Labour
Relations Act has brought a major advance in workers' interests and now the
Basic Conditions of Employment Bill proposes further significant improvements.
That is why the National Executive Committee of the ANC has endorsed the
principles underpinning that bill.

Many of you, we know, are unhappy with aspects of the bill. These are issues
to be dealt with in the Alliance, in negotiations in Nedlac and through the
parliamentary process. But we are sure that there is consensus in the whole of
the Alliance that the major aspects of the bill advance the interests of
workers, especially the least organised and most vulnerable sectors of the
work-force.

The economy is on a path to sustained growth. But we need to speed up that
growth, to create the jobs and the resources that will improve the quality of
life. That is the objective of the government's strategy for growth, employment
and redistribution.

The challenge we face as an Alliance, as workers, and as a nation is to keep
the economy on that path. The signs are that we are on track. But in one respect
there is an urgent need for further action. I want to take this opportunity to
call on workers to join hands with us to help ensure that growth in the economy
translates into more employment. This call applies especially to the business
community who should approach investments taking into account the need to create
jobs.

Employed workers share responsibility with government and employers to
develop programmes for employment creation. That is why we have accepted the
proposal of the Labour Market Commission to convene a job summit. The value of
its work will be strengthened by the extent to which the Alliance can develop a
common approach.

The same principles of consultation and negotiation amongst parties seeking
common objectives will ensure that the public sector is restructured in a way
that best promotes our shared objectives, including employment. Any
restructuring, whether of parastatals or the civil service, will be done within
the National Framework Agreement and the agreement reached in the Central
Bargaining Chamber.

But we must renew the civil service, in order to improve on delivery of basic
services to our people. Amongst other things, this will be promoted by a civil
service that is more representative of our country's population, particularly at
middle and senior management level.

For all these things, we require the contribution of workers.

Friends and compatriots;

Each of our provinces has its own challenges and problems. Up to the
elections of 1994, the mismanagement and neglect of this area by the apartheid
government and its bantustan surrogates left one of the worst legacies of
poverty. Overcoming it will require a range of measures.

The infrastructure development programme for the Eastern Cape is being
accelerated as a result of the work of the Presidential Project team that was
especially established for that purpose.

Amongst the major development initiatives that are taking shape to tap the
enormous potential of our regions, is the Wild Coast initiative. It promises to
unlock great opportunities for tourism and forestry. In approaching this
project, government is committed to fully consulting all interested communities
and ensuring that they benefit.

Tackling the poverty that apartheid created is also one of the keys to
bringing an end to the violent crime that has afflicted Tsolo, Qumbu and
Mqanduli. The Provincial Government is working on special development projects
to improve socio-economic conditions in these areas.

In the meanwhile, we cannot allow a few individuals to hold our freedom to
ransom. Joint police-army operations have stabilised the areas significantly. We
are pleased to note the recent seizure of weapons by the security forces, with
the help of communities. As members of the Alliance in these areas we must find
ways of helping the police apprehend the criminal elements. Only the active
involvement of communities will guarantee the success of our crime-prevention
strategies.

The key to solving our problems is unity - as nation and as an alliance - and
strong organisation. There is no reason why we should have weak ANC branches in
an area where COSATU is strong, or weak COSATU structures where the ANC is
strong. As members of an Alliance it is our duty to strengthen one another.

From time to time - and the last few weeks have been no exception - there is
speculation about the state of the Alliance and its future.

The fact of the matter is that we are organisations in alliance because we
share goals and especially an agenda for reconstruction and development.
Precisely because we are also independent organisations, differences do arise
over how to achieve our shared goals, and they are dealt with in open and frank
debate.

What makes us an alliance is how we resolve our differences. That is why the
recent summit mandated leading comrades from the ANC, COSATU and SACP to jointly
prepare a position on the Alliance's approach to transformation.

It is also in the nature of an Alliance that when we do resolve differences
we may have to adopt positions that some of us do not fully agree with. And it
is in the nature of government that government, with its broader mandate, may be
obliged to take decisions which do not suit each member of the Alliance - as
there will be times when COSATU embarks on an action that the ANC does not fully
agree with.

But we are convinced that these are matters of tactics about how we achieve
our common goals. Differences of this kind are natural from time to time and
they should not detract from the fact of our common strategic objectives, to
build a better life for all.

Comrades;

A strong and active Alliance, from national level to grassroots, will advance
reconstruction and development and help banish poverty from our land. That is
why the leadership of the Alliance will soon be visiting regions in order to
mobilise for rebuilding our country.

We are confident that we will find our people ready to strengthen the
alliance forged in struggle and make it a force for building anew.

In our first three years of democracy, the foundation for a better life has
been laid. The call now is: Forward ever!