Pietermaritzburg – Today South Africa and the rest of the world commemorate the arrest of former President Nelson Mandela.
Madiba, as the late Mandela is affectionately known, was arrested on the 5th of August 1962 in Howick, outside Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Nelson Mandela Capture Site and Museum which was renovated by the government has become a destination for tourists from across the country and the globe.
“We extend an invitation to the people of this country to visit this place and reconnect with Madiba,” KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma said on Saturday.
“Madiba remains a global brand very few can compete with. He touched the hearts of many people across the globe and brought hope to the less privileged and the oppressed.
“As we commemorate this day, I have asked all categories of staff in the department to pause for a few minutes and think deeply about their contribution towards the creation of a prosperous KwaZulu-Natal.”
MEC Duma said it was Madiba, as the first President of a democratic South Africa who spearheaded the transformation of the Public Service.
He ensured that the new democratic government embarked on a process designed to fundamentally reshape the public service to fulfill its role in the new dispensation.
“As we commemorate this day, all of us as elected public representatives and all government employees have a responsibility to take forward the dream of Madiba,” said MEC Duma.
He said Mandela used the State as an instrument to transform the lives of the people.
“Importantly, it is when we all understand that ours is a modern government founded on the will of the people,” said MEC Duma.
“It is the people who must taste the fruits of democracy which Mandela fought for.”
MEC Duma added: “On this significant day we must reaffirm the lesson of our centuries of struggle led by Madiba, that there can be no prosperity in our land unless all enjoy access to economic opportunities.
“Myself and all categories of staff in the department and its entities, we rededicate ourselves to the total emancipation of the people of this province.
“We undertake to use the department and all entities as engines that drive socio-economic development.”
This is part of the entrepreneurship revolution with people in the townships and rural areas being assisted to take charge of the economy and the future, the MEC said.
“On this historic day, we pledge to double our efforts to lift ordinary members of society out of abject poverty,” MEC Duma said.
“I understand that all of us have been assigned to the positions of trust over the resources destined to alleviate the suffering of the population.
“In this regard, we will double our efforts to create a province in which all can experience an improved quality of life and enjoy equal access to economic opportunities.”
