Freedom You Can Use

Note to editors: The following speech was delivered by DA Leader Helen Zille during the opening of the DA's Federal Congress in Johannesburg today.

Welcome to all delegates here today and to everyone at home watching on television. We hope you feel part of this, our fifth Federal Congress.

Sinamkela ngezandla ezishushu.

Baie hartlik welkom.

Ekurhuleni, where we are today, means 'place of peace' in Tsonga. 

And so I would like to wish peace on all of you as we move to the close of a challenging year and into the future. Ikamva elizayo eliqaqambileyo. Ek is vol hoop vir die toekoms.

This Congress is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come and how to overcome the challenges ahead.

It is wonderful to say here today that we are stronger and more united than ever before. 

This doesn't mean that we always agree with each other. Nokuba asiboni ngasonye, kodwa siyamamelana.

It is always good to listen to other points of view.

It is also necessary so that we can make the best choices for our future. 

This open approach is how we learn from each other.

Isandla sihlamba esinye!

Our internal elections are fiercely contested but we all accept the outcome. We want our leaders to succeed because that helps our party to succeed.

Ons hou mekaar se arms omhoog.

That is why we are the only party that has grown in every national election.

It is because of you. Dis oor julle bydraes. Kungenxa yenu!

You are the footsoldiers in our campaign to build one nation with one future.  A peaceful blue army active in every corner of our country. 

From Musina to Maatjiesfontein; from Qunu to Qwa Qwa; from Bultfontein to Bushbuckridge; from Soshanguve to Chatsworth; van Onverwag na Springbok; from Tswaing to Zwelethemba to KwaMashu; from Lenasia to Atlantis and everywhere in between. Konke - in die verste uithoeke van ons land.

Some of you live in places where wearing your blue t-shirt can mean threats and intimidation. But you never give up. You wear our logo with pride.

You tell people that it symbolises the morning sun rising over the rainbow nation. Ukuvela kwelanga kwisizwe somnyama. You tell people that a new day is dawning in South Africa. Xelela abantu imini iyaqala.

We have come together, despite our divided past, because we share the same values.

We share a commitment to the Constitution.  Ons wil ‘n regstaat in Suid-Afrika verskans.

We understand that the best way to beat poverty and overcome the legacy of apartheid is through inclusive economic growth that creates jobs.

We share an unshakeable belief in non-racialism. 

We all have a burning desire for genuine reconciliation amongst all our people.

And we know that to bring real and lasting change, we must win a national election. 

Because we can only implement our policies when we are the government. We cannot do so in opposition.

When I travel around the country, people say to me: Helen, please bring DA government here. I reply: YOU must bring DA government here.  There are DA candidates in every election. Sikhona. Siyaphila. Ons is hier ons lewe en ons werk dat die biesies bewe.

We have branches everywhere.

We are working for change in every community.

And more and more people are working with us to bring change.

The blue wave is rolling across our land. Amaza aluhlaza anqumla umhlaba.

And nowhere is that clearer than right here in Gauteng. 

Just a couple of weeks ago we grew our support by 350% in a by-election in Hammanskraal, a ward where we never won many votes before. We have seen similar results across our country, from Fordsburg to Philippi, from Mbombela to Matatiele and in Seshego and in Soweto. Congratulations to all our tireless activists who brought in so many votes.

More and more people are voting for us because they know that they can trust us. Abantu bayakholelwa kuthi .

They know that we care about every South African.

That is why we are building a new majority to govern South Africa!

When I was elected leader five years ago, I pledged to create a platform for new faces and new voices to emerge as leaders in the DA.  

Together we are achieving this goal. 

We can see this in our branches, in our structures, in the provinces, and in Parliament.

We can see it in our emerging young leaders at every level.

We are a party for all the South African people. A rainbow party for a rainbow nation.

Fellow Democrats, our party may be stronger, more determined and more diverse than ever before, but the country we love is struggling.  Isizwe sethu esisithandayo siyatotoba. Khumbulani: Unyawo alunampumlo.

We are holding our Federal Congress at a significant moment in South Africa's history.

Many people believe our country is moving in the wrong direction. We have been through a traumatic few months. Some people are losing hope for the future.

Apartheid may be over, but South Africa is still a country of insiders and outsiders. 

We see it on our mines, on our farms and in our towns.

The insiders are the people with education, jobs, homes and opportunities to build a better life for themselves and their children. 

The outsiders are the people who never had a chance to succeed in life. 

They were oppressed by apartheid and remain so today.

Our first democratic election in 1994 brought them the promise of freedom.

But Freedom means little if you cannot find a job.

Freedom means even less if our children have no textbooks.

Freedom means nothing if it gives politicians licence to steal people's money.

Freedom loses its value if people live in constant fear of criminals in their homes and on the streets.

Freedom is hollow if people who suffered under apartheid remain trapped in poverty. 

Fellow Democrats, freedom means nothing unless it is Freedom You Can Use to build a better life. Vryheid het min betekenis as dit nie gebruik kan word om ‘n beter lewe na te streef nie.

A few weeks ago I was reading some letters that school children in Limpopo wrote to President Zuma. 

Many of them asked the President for textbooks. Some of them asked for proper classrooms and teachers. Others asked the President to stop corruption and to give more resources to the police.

All of these letters touched my heart. But there was one that really stayed with me.

Lerato Khumalo from Marota Primary School wrote to tell the President that when it rains she cannot cross the river to get to school. 

She asked him please to build a bridge at Gamabelane so that she can get to school when it rains. 

A bridge over a river. That brings freedom you can use. 

 Apho silawula khona, sakha ibhulorho. 

Every opportunity we create is a bridge from the past to the future; from apartheid to real freedom.

We are not there yet. There are still many people who cannot yet use their freedom. They do not have the education they need to open the door of opportunity.

Many of them are unemployed. Some live in informal settlements without services like water and electricity. Poverty is painfully real. Intlupheko ibuhlungu. And the gap between the rich and the poor is much too wide.

We are working every day to close this gap, to educate our kids and create jobs so we can beat poverty.

It is work in progress, but the most important thing is to move a little bit closer to this goal every day.

This makes a big difference over time. As that delightful saying goes, bietjie bietjie maak baie.

If every day, somebody gets a little more freedom they then use to build a better life, we can transform our society.

It can happen. It is happening where the DA governs. Iyenzeka apho kulawula iDA.

There is a myth that Cape Town is more unequal than other South African cities. This is not true. Dis eenvoudig nie waar nie.

Last year, the United Nations published a report called the "State of World Cities". It shows that there is a smaller gap between the rich and poor in Cape Town than in any other South African City.

The City of Cape Town gives nearly 2-million people free basic services every day. Across the whole province, 90% of people have flush toilets, 99% have piped water, and 93% have access to electricity. 

There is a long way to go but we are closing the gap between the rich and the poor. We will not stop working until everybody in South Africa has freedom they can use.

We can only do this by delivering opportunity for all. Sinika amathuba kuwonke wonke. When a government does its job properly, it offers people a bridge to start their journey out of poverty.

Like the staff and pupils of Matthew Goniwe Memorial High School in Khayelitsha.

Three years ago the school's matric pass rate was 45.5%. 

Learners had no uniforms and took drugs during school hours. Teachers often left at lunchtime and learners arrived late and left early. Learners even tried to burn the school down.

Then, in 2009 Ntomboxolo Mqumbisa was appointed Principal of Matthew Goniwe High. 

She introduced a culture of discipline at the school. She did not accept excuses for poor performance.

Weak teachers were given support to improve. Those that still didn't were called to account. 

Mrs Mqumbisa kept the school open in the afternoons and evenings, over weekends and during school holidays for extra tuition. She understood that many learners could not study at their homes because their circumstances.

She made it compulsory for learners with poor results to study at school after hours. 

At first, Mrs Mqumbisa's reforms were resisted. She even received death threats. But, over time, when people began to feel the positive difference, they began to support their new Principal. Intaka yakha ngoboya benye.

Local companies also had confidence in her and helped to upgrade classrooms and bathrooms and provided extra computers, calculators and an intercom system.

Matthew Goniwe and four other schools in Khayelitsha remained open at night from 6pm to 6am during the Matric exams so that learners have a safe, quiet place to study and sleep. Uluntu luyaxhasana.

The learners also ate a nourishing meal when they arrived in the evening.

The selfless dedication shown by Principal Mqumbisa, her staff, and education officials has resulted in Matthew Goniwe High surpassing all expectations, achieving an 86.9% pass rate in 2010, and a 90% pass rate in 2011. 

This year their target is 95%. Ndifuna ukumnika igama elitsha umQumbisa nguNcumisa.

Recently I spoke to Thando Somina, one of the grade 12 learners. He lives with his mother and younger sister in a tiny shack in Site B in Khayelitsha. He does not know his father.  His mother is unemployed. They sometimes go without food because they have no money.

Thando is determined to change his family's circumstances. He told me that he realised in primary school that education was the best way to do so. His dedication to his studies drew the attention of Mr Francois Lubbe, a committed education official, who gave Thando the guidance he needed. As Thando said to me: Mr Lubbe showed me a father figure; something that was missing in my life. 

Abazali mabathathe uxanduva lwabantwana babo. 

Geen regering kan voergoed vir onverantwoordelike ouers.

Another person who is using her freedom is 22 year old Akhona Mtontela who lives in Midvaal municipality, in Gauteng. This is one of the 27 municipalities around South Africa where the DA governs because we won the local government election there.

In 2010, after completing a course in early childhood development, Akhona opened a day care centre. 

She dreamt of growing her business but did not have the skills or experience to do so. So she went to her local library.

She saw it as a bridge to information and opportunity. There she found information about the Midvaal Council's leadership programme, run in partnership with the Oliphant Institute of Leadership and the North West University. She enrolled and did courses in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Life Skills, Leadership, and HIV/Aids prevention. 

Her day care centre has grown and she now employs five people. 

She says this is because of the business management skills she learnt in the leadership programme.

Akhona now plans to study further, either in social work or business management.  When you open one door in life, and walk through it, another one will open. Xa iingcango zivula ebomini, udlule, uvulela nabanye.  That is the story of progress.

Thando and Akhona are role models. 

They are people who recognise opportunities, take responsibility for using them, and work hard to achieve their dreams.

They made the effort to get onto the right path in life.  They also know it will take time and effort. They won't give up. Abanikezeli.

Because they are determined to beat poverty and improve their lives. And one day, they want to raise families in better circumstances than their own. They know that if they want a better tomorrow, they must work hard today.

Getting a good education is the first step. The second is being able to use that education to get a job.

A job is freedom you can use.

Where the DA governs, and training improves, more businesses invest and create jobs. 

Almost half of the young people who were with Akhona on her leadership course now have jobs. And almost 70% of the 2000 young people who were supported by the Western Cape's Work and Skills programme also now have long term employment.

Some people have opportunities, but don't use them.

Their freedom has little meaning. No-one else can use your freedom for you. Akukho Mntu onokusebenzisa ithuba lakho.

Throughout our lives we make choices. And sometimes we make mistakes.  

The only people who never make mistakes are those who are too afraid to take risks, and that is life's biggest mistake. If we learn from our mistakes we create new opportunities.

The same applies to a political party. 

Our goal is to become the government of South Africa so that everyone has freedom they can use to build a better life. 

We know if we keep on, we will get there. And sooner than many people think.

It will not be easy.  We respect the power of past loyalties. We understand how much we owe to those who struggled for our freedom. We know how hard it will be to live up to their legacy. That is why we say: honour your past, but own your future.

Abantu bayabona silawula ngendlela ukwakha ikamva. 

We are bringing people together to build one nation with one future.  We are determined to break down the barriers that still divide us. We must earn people's trust. We can never assume it or demand it.

Reconciliation, redress, delivery and diversity are not just words to us, they are the values that everybody in our party must live by. 

Otherwise you have no place in the DA. It is as simple as that. Dis so eenvoudig soos dit.

We must work tirelessly to bring together all South Africans who share the same values.   

People who oppose racism in all its forms.

People who believe in real freedom; who defend the right of people to disagree with them and to challenge them; who believe the state must enable citizens to live a life they value, not turn them into passive dependents.

People who want to protect press freedom, freedom to own property and freedom to join a union of their choice. People who oppose corruption.

People who care about their fellow citizens and work towards overcoming poverty and reducing inequality. 

These are the people who will take our nation forward. These are the people we must bring together in the non-racial centre of South African politics.

If we bring together all the people who share these values, we will be the majority in South Africa. We can become the government and build a better life for all.

But people who do not share these values do not belong in the DA.

The DA is NOT a party for racists.

It is NOT a party for sexists, xenophobes or homophobes.

It is NOT a party for people who think that life was better under apartheid.

And it is not a white party. Or a black party. Or a brown party. Ngumbutho ka wonke wonke.

It is a South African party, for all the people, united in the pursuit of a better life for everyone.

We would not be standing here today, if it wasn't for the brave and courageous leaders who helped build a democratic South Africa.

We must never forget what they did for our country.

But honouring them through public holidays, street names and celebrations is not enough.

We need to ensure that we fulfil the vision these leaders had for our country. They laid the foundation. We must build on that so that our children, and their children, can have a secure future.  

There is an Ashanti proverb that says "When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him."

The decisions we make and the actions we take today are what future generations will look back on.

We need to ensure that in the years ahead, they will be able to look back with pride because our generation of leaders also showed courage and foresight and rise to the challenge..

We are here today to make them proud, the future generations who will live to see South Africa emerge one of the world's great democracies.  

It is up to us. We can, we must and we will.

Ngiyabonga. Baie dankie.

Issued by the DA, November 24 2012

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