Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane says Heritage Day must not be reduced to a braai day but must focus on restoring dignity and confronting moral decay, crime, gender-based violence and corruption.
Mabuyane was speaking on Thursday during the provincial Heritage Day celebrations held at the AmaMpondomise Kingdom Kroza Great Place in Qumbu, where kings, hundreds of religious and traditional leaders, and community members converged.
“The celebration of Heritage Day is about restoring our dignity.
“Our sense of origin of who we are, where we are and where we are heading,” Mabuyane said.
“It’s important we use it as a platform to teach the generations that must inherit what is good.
“Our forebears taught us a lot about our culture and it’s important we keep our culture.”
But the premier said the day should also force communities to confront the social ills affecting the province.
“We are faced with moral decay that is characterising itself through gender-based violence [GBV] and femicide and how generally a boy child is handling a girl child.
“This Heritage Day must not be a braai day. It must be about how do we mould our family unit,” he said.
Mabuyane said the government could not tackle these problems alone and called on traditional and religious leaders, families and communities to play their part.
“We’ve got to find solutions to this moral decay.
“Government alone won’t be able to solve the problems.
“It’s bad what is happening — the killing of women, the raping of women.
“We must uproot these out of our communities.”
He also paid tribute to two police officers killed in the area while assisting a victim of crime.
“Those police officers were patriots who [stood] up at any given time, being on or off duty.
“We have lost those gallant fighters,” Mabuyane said.
He warned communities against harbouring criminals and possessing illegal firearms.
“If you keep illegal firearms, you must know that police are after you and if you discharge your gun against police, you will definitely meet your heaven sooner than you thought,” he said.
“I appeal to traditional leaders, let’s clean our communities.
“Our families must not hide thugs because they are our sons. A criminal is a criminal, whether it’s your son.
“Our people are living in fear through extortion.”
Turning to governance, Mabuyane warned officials against corruption, referring to the recent arrests of Kumkani Mhlontlo municipal officials.
“In this Kumkani Mhlontlo municipality where we see officials being nabbed by police, that is the message to all in government involved in wrong things undermining development,” he said.
Mabuyane also welcomed the Makhanda high court judgment dismissing an application seeking to bar the ANC from contesting elections in the province.
He said the party had internal processes to resolve disputes and supported the decision to approach the Constitutional Court over the Electoral Court matter involving Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns.
“We have got to represent the people of Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns.
“It’s painful, it’s unprecedented, it undermines democracy and the right our people fought for,” he said.
“Those people deserve a right to choose the government of their own choice.”
AmaMpondomise King Zwelozuko Matiwane welcomed government support, while Nkosi Gwazinamba Matanzima called on traditional leaders to take a leading role in combating GBV.
Nkosi Mnoneleli Ranuga said the celebration marked an important moment in the restoration of AmaMpondomise identity.
OR Tambo deputy mayor Thandekile Sabisa said SA’s diversity should be celebrated.
“There is a story South Africa tells the world — not merely through politics or landscapes, but through its people,” Sabisa said.
“What makes a rainbow beautiful?
“A rainbow is beautiful because its colours are different. If we remove one colour, the rainbow is incomplete.
“Our diversity is not something to tolerate reluctantly, but to celebrate deliberately.”
A memorial lecture on King Mhlontlo was held on Wednesday as part of the Heritage Day programme.