ADDRESS BY ANC PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, TO THE ANC PRESIDENTIAL RELIGIOUS SUMMIT, ESSELEN PARK, JOHANNESBURG, NOVEMBER 27 2008

Members of the religious fraternity from all over the country,
Fellow South Africans,

Welcome to this crucial session that will tackle matters that affect our nation.

We felt it prudent to consult with you ahead of the crucial session this weekend during which we will dedicate three days to our Manifesto, which will guide government policy for the next five years.

We meet under a cloud of sadness given the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, which claimed more than 100 lives. India and South Africa have a historical bond of friendship and solidarity.

What happens in India also affects many South Africans who have relatives and friends in that country. We extend our condolences, and wish the Indian government well in its efforts to deal with this horrific aggression against innocent civilians.

There can be no justification for such senseless violence. Our government will no doubt monitor the situation and advise us on the way forward.

Ladies and gentlemen, nation building and achieving social cohesion are some of the most important responsibilities of the ruling party. Central to the two tasks is the need to re-affirm and recommit to the moral vision and the value system of our nation as outlined in various historical documents and the Constitution of our land.

The ANC has always valued the interaction with faith communities because its history and moral vision are rooted in the religious sector.

The late President of the ANC Oliver Reginald Tambo correctly observed that:

"The African National Congress has a long history of association with the church. Our founders were churchmen and women. Throughout the years that link has never been broken".

Our icon and founding president of the democratic Republic, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, traces the relationship between the ANC and the church to the 1870s when the Ethiopian Church Movement was formed as a response to the rapid land dispossession from the 1800s.

The African clergy sought to free themselves from the fetters of the missionaries by establishing African Independent Churches that came to be known as Ethiopian Churches.

The leaders and products of these churches were among the founders of the various Native Congresses, which were formed during the first decade of the twentieth century. These congresses culminated in the formation of the South African National Native Congress (SANNAC) in 1912, which was, renamed African National Congress in 1923.

It is in this sense that Nelson Mandela traces the seeds of the formation of the ANC to the Ethiopian Movement. The founders of the Congress Movement also received spiritual support and guidance from Zionist and Apostolic churches founded during the beginning of the twentieth century.

The founding president of the ANC, Dr John Langalibalele Dube was a priest and self-confessed Ethiopian Christian.  Rev. Henry Reed Ngcayiya, the first chaplain general of the ANC and Charlotte Maxeke, a lay preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, were among the founders of the ANC.

We must note also that in 1906 Sefako M. Makgatho, who became the President of the ANC in 1917, founded the United Native Congress Church. When agreement was reached to form the ANC in 1912, the founders sang "God of truth fulfill your promise" (Lizalise idinga lakho Thixo wenyaniso).

The ANC National Anthem, which is shared by other countries in Southern Africa, composed by Rev Tiyo Soga, is a prayer.

The historical association of the ANC and the Church can therefore not be doubted. The ANC practically derived its moral vision from the church.

Rev. ZR Mahabane, third President of the ANC articulated what became the ANC moral vision in his speech titled "We are not political children" in 1912.

He observed that African people were landless, voteless, homeless, and hopeless and had been deprived their humanity and the right to decide their future.

He maintained that in such circumstances the ANC had to strive to restore the humanity (Ubuntu/Botho) of the African people as a prerequisite for the restoration of the humanity of the people of South Africa as a whole.

The 1923 and 1943 ANC Bill of Rights were informed by the moral vision developed by religious leaders who were also political leaders. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the ANC derived its moral value system from the church.

The ANC's moral vision found its final definition in the Freedom Charter, which was adopted under the stewardship of its President Chief Albert Luthuli who was a preacher in the United Congregational Church.

The Interim Constitution of 1993 traced its moral values directly to the spiritual philosophy of Ubuntu.

Although the 1996 Constitution dropped this concept it rooted its values in human dignity (Ubuntu/Botho) and its inherent values of equality, freedom and justice for all.

These shared values are captured in both the preamble and founding provisions of the 1996 Constitution. Our Constitution is, therefore a value based supreme law of the land which:

• Provides for reconciliation and the creation of a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.
• Lays the foundation for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and in which every citizen is equally protected by the law.
• Promotes the improvement of the quality of life of all citizens and freeing the potential of each person and
• Builds a united and democratic South Africa, able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.

This Constitution embodies the values of a just and caring society that the ANC seeks to build.

The supremacy of the Constitution means that any law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid, and the obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled.

The ANC seeks to build a caring society based on Ubuntu values and principles. Our value system, based on ubuntu, promotes social cohesion and nation building by transcending our cultural, religious, racial, gender and class differences.

It requires us to understand and embrace one another and to value our cultural differences rather than be afraid of them.

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, from the poorest of the poor to the powerful people in our society.

This is because the right to be treated with dignity is not something that you earn, but is basic to all human beings.

One of the resolutions of the 52nd ANC National Conference held in Polokwane last year calls on the ANC led-government to integrate Ubuntu principles into public policy.

The purpose is to comprehensively correct the distortions and imbalances not only in our heritage landscape but also in our social, economic and industrial relations.

Our Strategy and Tactics document also underlines the central role of ubuntu. It states:

"The dark night of white minority political domination is receding into a distant memory. Yet we are only at the beginning of a long journey to a truly united, democratic and prosperous South Africa in which the value of all citizens is measured by their humanity (Ubuntu/Botho), without regard to race, gender, and social status".

The challenge is how do we then inculcate these values in our society, starting with our children? We want to use education as a tool to cultivate moral and social values among the youth and encourage them to lead healthy lifestyles.

We want our children to respect the next person on the basis of their humanity, and not based on their status in life.

Already our curriculum strives to ensure that the entire education system promotes human values. In 2002 the Department of Education produced a document titled Manifesto on values, Education and Democracy.

The education manifesto highlights ten values from the Constitution. The values include:

Democracy
Social justice
Equality
Non-racialism and non-sexism
An open society
Responsibility and accountability
Respect
The rule of law, and
Reconciliation.

To promote these values, amongst all our people, we need to work together in all provinces in a structured way.

The provincial inter-faith forums should play a leading role in promoting moral regeneration and in the promotion of values to help us build the caring society we envisage.

We also see a critical role for religious bodies in providing social education and to help us build a caring society. From their inception religious institutions played both a spiritual support and developmental roles. A parish would have a;

House of worship
A Library
Community hall
Community gardens
Workshops for creative industries
Health clinics and
a school.

Many church institutions have under-utilised facilities which can be used for social education in partnership with government and the private sector. Social education could address, in particular, moral regeneration and social development.

Most importantly, we urge the faith communities to partner with us to achieve moral regeneration for sustainable development. Together with faith-based organisations, we engaged in the struggle to eradicate racialism, sexism, gender, and inequality and class oppression.

We have also worked together post-1994 on reconstruction and development.

The religious sector has worked with us to raise awareness about poverty alleviation mechanisms such as social grants. You have assisted those affected by HIV and AIDS and other illnesses, and have alerted government to the plight of poor and vulnerable children. Help us ensure that our Manifesto has effective social transformation mechanisms.

You have always been there to help victims of crime in our communities, comforting the affected, assisting orphans.

Help us put together an anti-crime plan that would send a message to criminals that crime will not be tolerated in our country.

Our shared values and history make it possible for the religious institutions; private sector and ANC led government to form ongoing partnerships.

We have made education a priority, and would like to work with you to achieve skills development. In communities where the morality of the youth has been eroded, skills development programmes do not succeed because the learners lack discipline, motivation and the love for education.

We would like you to help us to build the character of our youth and prepare them for skills, education and a brighter future.

We plan an overhaul of our education system, to ensure that teachers come to school and teach effectively. We must ensure that they are well trained and are evaluated to ensure quality education, that we improve maths, science and technology.

We must make ours a highly skilled and educated nation that can lead the socio-economic development of our country. Join us in implementing our Education Roadmap; it will succeed if supported by the wide religious network in our country.

Help us rediscover our humanity in spite of the change in our changed social and economic settings. For example, senior citizens who are custodians of our history, cultural, moral and social values are now normally confined to old age homes.

They are no longer accessible to children and the youth who should be learning from them.

In African communities we say that it takes a village to raise a child. The principal educators in our communities are older persons. They educate both the parents and their offspring. Help us reinculcate these values of honouring our elders.

It is often said that the moral basis of any society or of human beings is that they must fear or respect something beyond their existence. For example, the fear and respect for God, ancestors and other human beings is an important source of moral values for many in broader society.

Those who do not believe in God or ancestors can still derive their moral values from respect for the worth and dignity of others. Thus moral and ethical values are binding on all and sundry regardless of their beliefs.

In building our value-based caring society, we have to start in the home and society by protecting women, children, older persons and other vulnerable persons in our communities.

We are currently marking the Campaign of No Violence Against Women and Children. To build a caring society we must improve the status of women. Unequal power relations between men and women in our society are amongst the key causes of domestic violence.

It means we must improve women's access to skills, decent jobs, housing and other social services.

Lack of access keeps many women tied to abusive relationships. We must improve access to justice for women so that they can take action successfully against abusers and those meting out violence.

We must also involve men and boys more and more in the fight against domestic violence. Creating an "us and them" scenario will not enable us to beat the scourge.

Men and boys are part of the solution in the fight against women and child abuse. We are in this battle together with women and girls.

Building a caring society also means that we must become actively involved in the fight against AIDS, and to support those who are infected and affected by the pandemic. We will in a few days' time mark World Aids Day.

Together with the SA National AIDS Council and the social partners in NEDLAC including government, business, labour and community, and each and every citizen in our
country, we can make a difference in the fight against AIDS.

We know that HIV can be prevented and that treatment works. We know that mothers with HIV can remain healthy and their babies can be born free of HIV. And we know that infection rates are relatively low for people under nineteen years old.

Therefore, if we act together, we can beat HIV and AIDS within the next 10 years. We must act on the knowledge we have and prevent the disease.

We know what we should do, and should do it. We must unite to fight HIV and AIDS. We must support those who are infected and affected by the virus.

We must destroy the stigma around AIDS, we must not make those infected or affected to feel they are lesser human beings. There is a lot of work to be done, but there is renewed commitment from the ruling party and from Government to tackle AIDS head on.

From now onwards, HIV and AIDS should not be conditions that you speak about in hushed tones. We must be open, speak about this and work hard to prevent infections, provide treatment and social support. The ruling party cares and will do its best to make a difference.

As you know, NEDLAC parties have agreed to a 15-minute work stoppage on World Aids Day. Let us support his call and show our commitment to creating an HIV-free society.

Compatriots, it is important that we are able to meet today to chart the way forward on moral regeneration for sustainable development.

Let us use the Summit to re-affirm the partnership for social transformation formed by faith communities and the ANC under our Icon, Nelson Mandela. We must use this partnership to build a caring society based on our shared values.

Without values and a moral compass, societies would fall astray. We await your wise counsel on how we can go about making our Manifesto one that will truly help us build a caring society for all our people.

I thank you.

Issued by the African National Congress November 27 2008