ADDRESS BY THE PREMIER OF THE NORTHERN CAPE, MRS HAZEL JENKINS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MITTAH SEPEREPERE CONVENTION CENTER, 15 FEBRUARY 2012 in KIMBERLEY.

Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Mayors and Councillors
Esteemed Members of the Business Community
Distinguished Guests
Fellow Citizens of the Northern Cape
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is indeed a great pleasure to celebrate with you the official opening of the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre and to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you in this beautiful Capital City of the Northern Cape, Kimberley.

We welcome the family of Ma Mittah Seperepere who are our special guests today. We value your presence in our midst.

This is a celebration of exceptional achievement and a celebration of new opportunities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Northern Cape Provincial Government is a Government aspiring for a better life for all its citizens in terms of bringing rich cultural events to the people, creating jobs, building communities as well as attracting businesses and investment to the province.

We have consistently positioned ourselves as a tourist destination of choice. With this new offering of the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre, we will cement our place as a destination of choice for visitors and business people alike.

The Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre will act as the hub where these events will take place, attracting young and old, the rich and previously marginalized as we consolidate our gains as a Province and a Nation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this magnificent Convention Centre will undoubtedly contribute to economic growth and job creation, through attracting national and international conferences and events to our Capital City. This will also bolster our tourism industry and will surely serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development.

The Convention Centre is named after Ma Mittah Seperepere, a struggle stalwart who witnessed the fierce resistance of the Majeng community when the apartheid government culled their livestock. Ma Seperepere was held in solitary confinement, served with a banning order and later had to flee the country she so dearly loved.

Ma Seperepere was elected secretary of and worked in the ANC Women’s League, under the leadership of Mary Letele, Monica Matshediso, Rebecca Keshebang, Kenosi Besnaar, Mittah Sekaenyane Boikanyo and others.

During the ANC’s active operation and mobilization in Kimberley, Schmidtsdrift and Majeng, these brave women organised themselves to work side by side with their men folk in the struggle for the advancement and liberation of our Country.

Together, we will strive to achieve Ma Mittah Seperepere’s vision to be the venue of choice for local, national and international conferences, meetings and related activities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to inform you that this facility will bring opportunities to the youth especially in terms of social and cultural development. The facility has been designed to be multi-functional and can provide a large flat floor area suitable for events such as: ballroom dancing, boxing, the martial arts, gymnastics, etc.

It would also be the ideal venue for religious gatherings, mass choir performances and graduation and other ceremonies.

The facility will have the potential for future expansion and is a tourist attraction in its own right.

As a meeting venue of international standards, the centre will most certainly attract conventions from around the world. In particular, it can help us attract our share of the numerous conferences that are held in Africa each year.

Programme Director, the Convention Centre was recently marketed and promoted at an event called ‘Meetings Africa’ Known as Africa’s business tourism lekgotla.“Meetings Africa” is a business tourism marketing platform which aims to expose local and international buyers to a range of services and products in South Africa especially with regard to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE).

The Convention Centre therefore brings significant new opportunities for our province as a whole. Tourism, with its potential for job-creation and foreign exchange earnings, is one of the priority sectors of the economy of our country. This centre thus adds strength to the Tourism industry's infrastructure.

It is remarkable that even before the official launch of this facility, the demand to host events was already exceptionally high. The expression of interest was overwhelming and we have already hosted the following events:

7th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium’ held at the Convention Centre and Protea Hotel on 10 to 14 October 2011.
The Blind Parliament Biannual Conference hosted by the African National Council for the Blind from 20 to 22 October 2011.
The New Apostolic Church International Combined Church Service.
The opening ceremony of the Maloof Money Cup skateboarding competition.

Ladies and Gentlemen we can state with pride that the Mittah Seperepere Convention facility will further enrich our cultural experience and ignite our creative spirit as we now have a platform and a stage to showcase the performing arts. But above all the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre will contribute towards the essence of our theme “unity in diversity”.

Though the residents of this city will derive the most immediate benefits, especially those engaged in tourism activities, the effects will spread much wider. The impact will be felt in the province's tourism industry and further afield as communities and their families take the opportunity to visit our Province's many attractions.

To the local community, I wish to say that this Convention Centre was built to benefit you the most, and we would like you to know that there is a new landmark in the City that can cater for all your needs.

The Northern Cape’s greatest asset and opportunity vests in its people. Its rich history is part of Africa's unique experience, and its diversity of cultures and
traditions, should be shown to the world.

I now call on all of you to join hands- to work together with government, business and the community, in order to make a success of this magnificent international conference centre.

It is in this spirit that I am confident that this centre will grow from strength to strength.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it now gives me great pleasure indeed to declare the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre officially open.


I thank you

Ke aleboga

Baie dankie

Enkosi