User Rating: 0 / 5

>>Speech by President Jacob Zuma on Reburial of Klaas and Trooi Pienaar
Welcome and introductory remarks by the acting Premier of the Northern Cape Province, Ms GRIZELDA CJIEKELLA, on the occation of the re-burial of Klass and Trooi Pienaar held on Sunday, 12 AUGUST 2012 AT THE KURUMAN CEMETERY
___________________________________

His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma
His Excellency, the Austrian Deputy Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Martin Gartner
His Excellency, Mr Xolisa Mabhongo, South African Ambassador to Austria
Mr Paul Mashatile, Minister of Arts and Culture
Dr Joe Phaahla, Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
The Acting MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Dawid Rooi
The Executive Mayor of John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Mrs S Mosikatsi
The Chairperson of the National Khoi-San Council, Mr Cecil Le Fleur
The Honourable Khoi-San Traditional Healer, Mr P Vaalbooi
The Honourable Khoi-San, Religious Leader, Ouma Katrina Esel
Municipal Councillors and Leaders
The Director-General of the Northern Cape Province, Advocate Justice Bekebeke and officials from the three spheres of government
Members of Faith-Based Organisations
Members of the Media Fraternity
Youth Formations
Members of the Community
Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the People of the Northern Cape and the Provincial Government, I extend my profound gratitude to the First Citizen of our Republic, His Excellency, Mr Jacob Zuma, for availing his goodself at this auspicious and symbolic funeral service of two human beings whose corpses were stolen from our Motherland and whose remains were recently repatriated.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to also thank the National Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile for the foresight of his Department in engineering this event which, in more ways than one, is of national significance.

Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is also fitting to appreciatively acknowledge the descendants of Klaas and Trooi Pienaar, many of whom are in our midst today. I thank every one of you for your assistance and co-operation in facilitating the repatriation of the remains of your forebears to our Motherland.

Allow me to also thank His Excellency, the Austrian Deputy Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Martin Gartner, and his South African counterpart, His Excellency, Mr Xolisa Mabhongo for the key roles they have played in this matter.

Our collective gratitude is also extended to the political principals and officials from all three spheres of government for making this Funeral a reality.

Moreover, and importantly so, I thank the community of Kuruman for being here today.

Mr President, at this point, allow me to quote from the memoirs of one Pregs Govender, activist, author, vociferous advocate of women’s rights and a former Member of Parliament:

“The worst experience had sent me spiralling. Yet it had also deepened the journey within and awakened love from which courage flowed. Memory had surfaced, and beyond it, a glimpse of the truth that none of us are fixed in heroic or despotic moments of history. Life, as it waxes and wanes, always provides opportunities for our humanity to emerge.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, as I look around, and by your very expressions, I can feel our humanity emerging.

Our humanity has truly emerged: In spite of the Pienaar’s being exhumed for dubious “scientific” reasons.

Our humanity has truly emerged: In spite of the Pienaar’s flesh being boiled off their corpses and their skeletal remains being the subject of foreign curiosity in the National History Museum in Vienna, Austria, for more than a hundred years.

Our humanity has truly emerged: The Pienaar’s return to our common Motherland, not as objects of curiosity in a foreign museum, but as human remains to be interred in the earth of Kuruman: Never to depart, never to be violated, and by the Grace of Almighty God, never ever to be forgotten from the our collective memory and our collective psyche as a community and as a nation.

Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have good reason to believe that our humanity will emerge further. As I stand before you, 150 skulls, 80 full skeletons, various hair samples and 1000 metres of film of our forebears dating back more than 100 years are housed in museums in Europe.

In this regard, it is our sincere wish as the people of the Northern Cape that all these remains are brought back home. There is no other way. There can be no other way. And it must be done speedily. Their souls are crying out to rest in the land of their birth. As Government, this is the least we can do - but do it we certainly will.

Mr President, the funeral we are about to witness, is not only a victory for our country or the Continent of Africa: it is indeed a victory for humanity at large. Of this I have no doubt.

And as we approach Heritage Month, we are certain that the repatriation of the remains of our people to their Motherland will be expedited with compassion and dignity.

As we rehumanise, and as our humanity re-emerges, we must always be on the watch that the dubious self-serving motives of people never recur, for today our humanity has really emerged. May it last forever.

I Thank You

User Rating: 2 / 5

MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER OF THE NORTHERN CAPE, MS HAZEL JENKINS, ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE OUTCOME OF THE RESEARCH ON THE FOETAL ALOHOL PREVENTION PROJECT 8 FEBRUARY 2012

Pogramme director
Members of the Media
Introduction
FASD PREVENTION PROJECT IN DE AAR

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is caused by women who consume alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol is harmful (teratogenic) to the developing organs of the unborn baby. The baby’s brain is especially susceptible to the damaging effects of alcohol, therefore a child with FASD will always present with brain damage. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most severe form of Foetal and Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Children with FAS are smaller in size compared to their peers and for their age, they experience learning disabilities (due to the brain damage) and interpersonal relationship problems. This is a life-long, irreversible condition, but 100% preventable if only women can abstain from the use of alcohol during the entire pregnancy.

South Africa, and specifically the Northern Cape, has the highest reported Foetal Alcohol Specimen Disorder Prevalence Rates in the world.

In De Aar, the FASD Prevalence Rate used to be 120/1000 (12%). Due to a comprehensive FASD Prevention Programme undertaken by the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research since 2002, this rate has dropped by 30%. This is the first ever reported drop in a FASD community prevalence rate in the world.

The Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) only conducts programmes on invitation and was invited, by the Northern Cape Department of Health and the community, to assess the FASD problem in De Aar and to assist with the management thereof.

The FASD Prevention Project in De Aar commenced in 2002 with a FASD Prevalence Study amongst Grade 1 learners involving all the schools in De Aar. This provided the baseline information. It was followed by an intensive community awareness drive, whereby FARR strived to involve all possible stakeholders like the Departments of Social Development, Health, Education, etc., other NGO’s, community and church leaders and the community at large. The community awareness programme comprised an extensive media campaign; training of professionals and community members and door-to-door dissemination of information. Critical to this programme was a responsible trading campaign with licensed taverners by the Department of Social Development and partner in De Aar. FARR’s aim was to strengthen and complement the existing structures in this community and to capacitate the various role-players so as to ensure maximum impact and sustainability.

For the past 3 years the main focus has been to assist the pregnant women in this area to have healthy, substance abuse free pregnancies so as to ensure that they give birth to healthier and FAS-free babies. Coupled to this programme is a project aimed at stimulating children already diagnosed with FAS symptoms to reach their maximum potential.

This Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Programme© closely links with the Department of Health and the World Health Organization’s Saving Mothers Saving Babies Programmes and the findings can therefore easy transferable to other communities in the Province. The preliminary findings of this intervention indicate that there will be a further substantial decrease in the FASD rate in De Aar.

We extend our gratitude and wish to acknowledge the contribution made by the private sector that funded the project until 2010. Since 2010 FARR has received supplementary funding from the Department of Social Development to the tune of R 380 000 to strengthen the intervention and to align it to the needs of the community and the objectives of the Department.

This De Aar FASD Prevention Project model is now being implemented in the Western Cape Province and the World Health Organization has also shown interest in taking this model to other countries in Africa and abroad.

A Psychologist at Wits University has just completed her doctorate degree on aspects of this project and another doctorate is soon to be finished. Two more postgraduate students are in the process of completing their doctorate degrees on this project.

FARR has recently applied to the Department of Social Development for assistance to conduct a similar study and project in Galeshewe and Roodepan (Kimberley) commencing in 2012. The application has been granted. This will include a FASD Prevalence Study, bringing the Province closer to a Provincial FASD Prevalence Rate, thereby assuring that the Northern Cape will be the first province to determine its FAS prevalence rate. This is vital for all service providers, especially government departments, to plan appropriate service delivery, focussing on high-risk areas, allocation of scarce resources, training of staff and the monitoring of impact of various Substance Abuse Prevention Programmes.

Conclusion

Important to note is that FAS is the only disability that is 100% preventable through the responsible behaviour by mothers by abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy. There are no safe alcohol limits established so this should be strongly heeded to. It is of vital importance that men as well as communities take the responsibility in supporting mothers during pregnancy.

I thank you.

User Rating: 0 / 5

Programme Director
MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Ms Nontobeko Vilakazi
Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shivuri
Members of the South African Police Services
Government officials
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

The Northern Cape Provincial Government notes the crime statistics presented by the South African Police Services. I want to commend the team for a very clear and concise presentation on the eagerly awaited statistics.

We are all aware that crime does not only impact on the safety and wellbeing of our people but it seriously threatens the economic development of our Province as a whole. The release of the crime statistics therefore provides a barometer to measure whether we are on the right track to ensure the safety, security and development of or people. It also provides us with crucial statistics and indicators on where we need to improve to ensure that we serve protect and develop not only our people, but communities in general.

Proactive Crime prevention therefore lays a solid foundation in the eradication and fight against crime and criminality. Active community involvement in the fight against crime and the promotion of peace and stability is of cardinal importance. The success in building safer communities requires a partnership approach between government, communities, businesses and non-governmental organisations to work together in a coordinated way to develop and implement strategies to address the short and long term causes of crime. Well-planned interventions can prevent crime and victimisation, promote community safety and make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of vibrant communities.

As a means of addressing this, the South African Police Services in conjunction with communities, launched the Northern Cape Community Policing Strategy during September this year in De Aar.  The Community Policing Strategy is the culmination of both high level and grass roots community engagements that focus on improving policing through the involvement of community members. It is built on the premise that we can only provide a crime free province by prioritizing the safety and security needs of our communities. This will be done through active community policing, crime prevention activities and consultation. Closer collaboration and responses will also be forged with all Departments in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster and other organs of state.

A central component of the strategy will be outreach work, especially at schools and places where young people are, where we can arm our youth to build resistance to delinquency and an awareness of danger. Programmes will include awareness campaigns on elderly abuse, human trafficking, substance abuse, bullying and Gender Based Violence.

As Government we acknowledge the relationship between poverty, inequality, unemployment and crime and its impact on safety outcomes. According to the White Paper on Safety and Security (2016), there is substantial evidence that those who live in poverty are more vulnerable to be either perpetrators or victims of crime. Our programmes as this Administration together with SAPS will include:

• Dialogues on alcohol abuse as a root cause of contact crime;
• Youth Dialogues on the role of youth in the prevention of crime;
• A Women’s Manyano on awareness of women abuse and sexual offences;
• Weekends of Sobriety campaigns to encourage communities to drink responsibly and
• Sport against Crime as an alternative to substance abuse.  

I do not wish to repeat what has been presented here today, only to state that as the Executive and save to say, the entire community of the Northern Cape; we are concerned that crime and criminality still finds a home to flourish in our province.

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been proven on many an occasion that at the centre of crime, whether serious or petty, is the issue of drugs and other mind altering substances. The drug trade has grown in leaps and bounds the past few years and this has the potential to completely destroy the future of our young people. At this rate there is a diminished possibility of young people becoming the leaders they are destined to be. For this reason the Provincial Crime Prevention Strategy will prioritise programmes including community safety partnerships, anti-substance abuse, prevention of violence against vulnerable groups, prevention of fraud and corruption and an improved criminal justice system. Provincial Government is coordinating the effective implementation of these programmes through different structures such as the Provincial Substance Abuse Forum, Provincial Development Committee and Provincial Joint teams. I want to implore you to double our efforts in the fight against drug dealers and the easy accessibility to these damaging substances.

We also call upon our communities and especially the young people to be weary of the pitfalls of substance abuse. We plead with our people to report not only drug dealers in their communities but to take hands with the police and the community policing forums and make our communities crime free, drug free and prosperous communities where all can live, learn and work in safety. Similarly so I want to request that the South African Police Services deal extremely harsh with members of the force who are found to be in cahoots with these unscrupulous merchants of pain and suffering. We are killing a generation and as peace officers the punishment should be so much more extreme if found to be wandering to the dark side of crime.

As this sixth Administration, we articulated a vision of a modern, growing and successful Province. We therefore want to call on SAPS to work closer with other stakeholders in curbing the illegal entry of undocumented foreign nationals. We noted in this presentation again that some foreign nationals are complicit in crimes committed in our Province and this will have a direct link to the growth and development of our province. If we start with doing the small things right we will inculcate a culture of excellence in our police officers tasked with protecting and serving the people. It will also go a long way instilling public confidence in the police and to boost investor confidence.

We also note the rise in community protests more specifically during the run up to the past elections. We recognise the right of people to air their grievances and to protest but this must be done within the confines of the law and should not be used as an opportunity to break the law. The police must act and act decisively and within their mandate to protect the property of the state and people and also ensure the safety of our citizens. Your efforts will not be criticised as long as this is done within the confines of the law.  

I want to conclude by making a plea to community members to join hands with Government, in the fight against crime. The building of a safe and secure Northern Cape will always be the cornerstone of the work that this Provincial Government along with the South African Police Services will carry out daily. It is driven by our deep conviction that no citizen can ever fully enjoy and realise their freedoms, unless such freedoms are underpinned by the constitutionally guaranteed right to safety and a safe environment. Families, especially women and children, must be allowed to strive in an environment unhindered by the scourge of crime that robs them of their right to live in peace, safety and harmony with one another.

We encourage and support SAPS to continue to occupy the central space in efforts to provide leadership to communities in the fight against crime. Let us remain committed and resolute to put an end to violence and crime. For us to build a modern, growing and successful Province of the Northern Cape we need all hands on deck to realise safe, secure and prosperous communities. Please keep on doing what you do best and may the hard work each and every police officer puts in every day ensure that we see a drastic improvement in our fight against crime when we meet again.

I thank you