WELCOME MESSAGE BY DR ZWELI MKHIZE : THE HOURABLE PREMIER OF KWAZULU-NATAL2013-05-17
It is a special honour and privilege for KwaZulu-Natal Province to host delegates from the whole continent and the diaspora a few months before we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the South African democracy.
The 15th African Renaissance Festival is special because it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the road we have travelled over the years until we ushered in a democratic government which represents the will of the people.
Importantly, we wish to remind delegates that it is here in KwaZulu-Natal where Madiba voted in the first democratic elections. Tata Madiba is not only our first President of a democratic South Africa but is a world icon who has inspired multitudes in and outside our borders.
This is the man whose sacrifices, resilience and commitment to human liberty saw him spend almost two thirds of his life fighting for freedom, one third of which was in prison.
Madiba, Rev John Dube, Johnny Makhathini, Walter Sisulu and many more remain the bond that connects the people of this country with many of our brothers and sisters in the whole continent and the Diaspora.
It is not possible to talk about these leaders and other South African leaders and the revolution that shook the world without remembering the contribution of African giants such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Muwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Agostino Neto of Angola, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Ahmed Ben Bella of Algeria, Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Amilcar Cabral of the island of Principe, Guinea-Bissau, and Cabo Verde, Patrice Lumumba of Congo-Kinshasa - today the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other African leaders, too many to mention.
It is with pride that we host you in this province at the time when the ruling party, the African National Congress marks 101 years of self-less service to the cause of the liberation of South Africa.spora.
We want to therefore take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you delegates from African countries for the support over the years. We pay tribute to your governments and all the people from the African continent who stood in solidarity with us as we waged a struggle for justice and equality.
Many of you put your personal lives at risk by harbouring members of the ANC, its leaders and members of Umkhonto Wesizwe, the military wing of the ANC.
Today we are proud to say through your efforts, a prosperous environment has been created for South African children to grow up and make their presence felt across the world.
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WELCOME MESSAGE BY DR ZWELI MKHIZE : THE HOURABLE PREMIER OF KWAZULU-NATAL
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