In honour of the Mandela International Day of Goodwill, Members of Parliament went across the greater Cape Town area to dedicate the 67 minutes of their communal gesture to alleviate the plight of those who are unfortunate and vulnerable in our society.

This year, Members of Parliament chose four Cape Town schools in Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Kraaifontein, to pay their tribute to Mandela’s gesture of goodwill that made him one the leading icons of human rights culture in the 21st century. The Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms Silvia Lucas, led the delegation to Cavalleria Primary School in Kraaifontein, where Members of Parliament donated school shoes, a compu-jector from the MTN Foundation, as well as sanitary pads.  

In her address, she specified that “to me it is important for children to know what this day is all about. That it’s a special day dedicated to honouring the sacrifices that Mandela made to create not only a better South Africa, but a better world”.

According to her, it’s is easy to water down the significance of this day, but “as much as we remind people about its importance, we also in the same breath remind ourselves as public representatives that we must use this day to make a difference to other people’s lives”.

Hence, she pointed out, we are here today. “We are here today to make a difference in the lives of these young people, to ensure that they get taught in a safe and conducive environment.”

But also, we have chosen to come to a primary school because of Mandela’s unconditional love for children. “There is no better way of emulating Mandela’s values that he held dear in his heart, than to alleviate the plight of young children. That he would have loved and appreciated.”

She also mentioned that the Members of Parliament present in this event have committed themselves to adopting the school, and to attend to the socio-economic challenges such as ganterism, crime and drug abuse that are endemic in its immediate environment.

And the importance of education lay in the deep recesses of his heart. “As he often said, ‘education could change a life of misery into a better life’.”

The Acting Principal of Cavalleria Primary School, Ms Luzaan Jacobs, commended Parliament for choosing her school to relay its gesture of goodwill. And to her, this was symbolic of “the good gesture of sharing and caring that Mandela embodied throughout his life”.

“How best to honour his legacy than to do so to children,” she asked rhetorically. “What parliamentarians have done today is in keeping with the values and principles of Mandela. Again, how best to relay a gesture of caring than to do so to children. This is where his passion lay. And we give thanks to his giving heart, that brought you here today.”

The representative of the MTN Foundation, Mr Charles Smith, said Mandela Day forms part of MTN’s Corporate Social Investment drive that seeks to alleviate the plight of poor communities where the company operates. And this year they were pleased to form a collaboration with Parliament to accomplish this undertaking.   

A member of the Community Police Forum in Kraaifontein, Mr John Smith, appealed to parliamentarians to do something about the prevalence of crime in their area. And pleaded that they should come often to witness this situation first-hand, to see what criminals have subjected this community to.  

“It’s sad that we are observing the legacy of a freedom fighter and an icon of our liberation struggle when we, the community of this area are under siege from crime, gangsterism and underdevelopment,” said Ms Tania Bowers, of the Kraaifontein Economic Development.

“The prevalence of crime, poor health, and poor skills levels have crippled this community’s ability to push back the frontiers of under-development that is faced with,” she said.

It’s not a mistake that you are here today, she added: “You are here today on this day because Mandela championed social cohesion and development through education.”

And we often ask why crime is so rife in communities, she continued. “We forget that we have not invested enough in the holistic development of our youth to address the socio-economic conditions that they are confronted with. This is exemplified by the lack of libraries and recreational facilities in this area, that would take our youth off the streets.”

If these issues are not addressed, we’re fighting a battle we won’t win, she vowed. “I hope our plight will resonate with your conscience as public representatives. And we hope you will do all in your power to change the plight of this community.”

Giving a vote of thanks, one of the teachers thanked the parliamentarians for choosing their school, but urged that “every day of our lives should be Mandela Day. It should not be a once-off thing. But a commitment that informs our daily lives”.

Speaking to the Chief Whip of the National Council of Provinces on the side lines of this event, he stated unequivocally that “this day signifies something great. The celebration of Mandela’s legacy is a daunting task for us as public representatives, for it’s hard to follow on his value system”.

“Nonetheless, we are called upon on this day to be steadfast in championing the cause of the poor and the vulnerable,” he said. “We heard speaker here decrying the prevalence of crime in this area. And how crime has an effect on the number of children who leave school at an early age, and how that subjects them to a life of misery and compromises their future prospects.”

Touched by this, he committed that “as Members of Parliament, we would ensure that this school operates in an environment that is conducive for the culture of learning and teaching – and that there is a sustained campaign “to heed the call for an intervention on our part to fight crime, gangsterism and drug abuse in these communities”.   

By Abel Mputing 
18 July 2019