Programme Directors : MEC Nkomonye & Speaker Capa
Kumkani wamaMpondo : Zanozuko!!!
DM Mafu and all MECs
Ingquza Hill Municipality Mayor and all Mayors present
MPs, MPLs and all CLLRs
Iinkosi zezwe lakuthi
Veterans : tatu Holweni
Iindwendwe zonke
Academics and Teachers
Families zonke zamaxhoba
Iintatheliu
Artists
Molweni eSphaqeni maMpondo,
Programme Director, it has been 61 years since amaMpondo people took a stand and valiantly fought for their rights and for their land against sellout traditional leaders and an unjust, vile, repugnant and racist government in what was to be known as a Pondo Revolt. June is a special month in the calendar of our country, this is a month we celebrate the role played by our youth in the struggle for liberation in our country. Kwaba bantu sibakhumbula apha namhlanje kwakukho abantu abatsha abazinekela emzabalazweni ebutshane babo .
Imbali ke isixelela ukuba amaMpondo ngamagorha athi apho atshinceke khona alwe, kwaye ukulwa kwawo alwela ukuxina khehle.
Kwaqhuza uthuli abantu besilwa kunye nalorhulumente wobandlululo kunye nabo bonke ababesenzisana naye lorhulumente , yiye lento funeka isikhumbuzo esizayo funeka siyiqwaleseke nzulu into yokuhlwanjwa kwezikhali kuba igazi liyateta, belele nje basateta , kuba ke bona bavalwa amehlo ngabasindayo , ngoku bona bavula thina amehlo.
Many lives were lost in that revolt, and many more people were executed by the apartheid regime for their participation in that revolt. Igazi labantu bonke ababulawa ngalomhla wesithandathu ngo 1960, nabanye abaxhonywayo ngurhulumente wegcinezelo lifana negazi legorha lomzabalazo uSolomon Mahlangu, owathi igazi lakhe liyokuncenceshela umthi oyakuthwala iziqhamo zenkululeko yethu sonke.
Ukuzenza kwabo amadini zange kwaba lilize. We are free today partly because here in Pondoland there were brave men and women who confronted the apartheid regime and resisted its unjust laws and paid the highest price for their courageous actions. Their act of defiance and bravery would later be emulated by many generations across the country including the 1976 generation which we will be celebrating during this month of June.
Siwatyala intlonipho enkulu amagorha namagorhakazi ePondo revolt kuba azenza udondolo lokuva ubunzulu besiziba sorhulumente wobandlululo. All the generations that fought against the apartheid regime after the Pondo revolt knew the brutality they had to expect from the regime because it unleashed unashamedly on this day in 1960 here in the land of the Pondo people. Yiyo lonto emva konyaka kwaphalala igazi lamaMpondo apha, ngo 1961 i ANC yaseka uMkhonto Wesizwe ukuze ubengumkhosi wokukhusela abantu abamnyama nowokukhulula eli lizwe lethu kurhulumente wengcinezelo. The establishiment of uMkhonto WeSizwe attracted many young people from rural and township areas of our province who left the country to receive military training so that they could come back and free our oppressed masses.
Today is not a day of mourning. We are here to celebrate the lives of heroes and heroines who laid their lives for us to be free. We are celebrating selfless and courageous people who very scarce to find in our communities these days. Akhona ke amagama amanye amaqhawe ayi esisawakhangelayo ebekufanele ukuba nawo azobekwa apha, sizakuwafuna ke de siwafumane kuba sileli pondo silanda nabo baswelekela kumanye amazwe
Ukuba ndingama apha phambi kwenu ndithi ilizwe lethu likumhlaba obanzi ekufanele libekuwo, ndingaba ndithetha amampunge. The democratically elected government of the ANC has made a great deal of progress since 1994 to affirm the rights of our people and to develop the areas they live in.
Unfortunately, when we assumed power, we took over a country of a few haves and millions of have nots. We inherited a broken country with huge infrastructure backlogs that require billions of rands to eradicate. Kaloku urhulumente wegcinezelo wayengababoneli ntweni abantu bakuthi. Wayengahoyanga kubakhela iizindlu, iindlela, iizikolo, iizibhedlele, ubafakela umbane namanzi okusela acocekileyo.
Into awayeyifuna kukuba abantu bakuthi babone kungekho bomi bungcono kwezindawo bahlala kuzo, bashiye amakhaya wabo bathathe i joyini baye e Goli bayokusebenzela imivuzo ephantsi. Lonto yawaphazamisa amakhaya amaninzi kwanyanzeleka ooMama badlale indima ka Tata no Mama ngaxeshanye kuba ooTata babese Goli bebuya kanye ngonyaka.
Fast forward 27 years into the future and the difference progress is there for all to see. Bakhona ke abangafuni ubona kwanto eyenziweyo ngoku ibajongileyo phambi kwabo.
Even though we have made progress in ensuring that our people have a right to vote, have access to basic services such as water in many villages, electricity, they access the law, they have decent houses, they have access to education and healthcare services, there is a lot that still needs to be done to truly give meaning to freedom that the martyrs of the Pondo revolt fought for.
Undoing the legacy of over 300 years of colonialism and apartheid cannot be done in just 27 years. That impossible.
Our progress is hampered also by a few people who use the positions of responsibility they occupy for their own benefit. Ininzi lonto kakhulu kwimibutho yopolitiko, ikhona kwiNkosi, ikhona ebahlalini ikhona nakwebezoshishino. Siyayikhalimela lonto kuba ilibazisa uphuhliso lwendawo abahlala kuzo abantu bakuthi, nokukhulula abantu kwindlala, nentswela misebenzi.
Apha kuthi singumbutho olawulayo sikwiphulo lokuhlaziya amalungu nenkokheli ukuze ziyazi ukuba i ANC yingqwelo yokusebenzela abantu hayi iziqu zethu ne ntsapho zethu. Lento yenzeka kwi ANC yamalungu neenkokheli ezine minwe nemiqala emide ngumkhuba omtsha bantu bakuthi. I ANC ibikhokhelwe ngu Tata uMandela wasilumkisa ngokuba lemikhuba izobakhona. Liyinene elithi ilizwe lomntu omdala aliweli phantsi.
Kwenzeka kanye lento wasilumkisa ngayo uMadiba yokuba sibone amalungu ombutho ade axolele ukujinga iliso xa efuna izikhundla ze ANC kuba azibona izikhundla ze ANC njengesitixo sokungena eburhulumenteni apho kunobeka khona imali. URhulumente wonke uqala kokazwelonke, owephondo, nokaMasipala ayondawo yobusela, yindawo yokuphucula ubomi babantu.
Just like some traditional leaders collaborated with our oppressors and accepted bribes during the dark days of colonialism and apartheid, there are a few corrupt individuals in the ANC but we are going through a process of renewal so that we rid the ANC of all these foreign elements.
Ndithetha nje apha namhlanje nonke niyayazi ukuba lomsebenzi wokucoca umbutho wabantu kunye norhulumente okhokhelwe yi ANC uyaqhuba. Asizuyeka ke noba singathukwa sifaniswe nantoni na. Iyeza eliphilisayo kakade azange labamnandi likrakra.
The ANC is not corrupt, but some individuals in the ANC are corrupt. Ithi ke lonto sidinga abantu abanyanisekileyo ukuze bathathe ezi policies ze ANC and implement them so that our people will get the services they need.
Nje ngoba kuzokhethwa abantu abazogqatswa babengo ceba, funeka sonyuleni abantu abangazuhamba bedlala bethunyiwe. Sifuna iinkokheli ezizoya apho kufele khona ithole. Sifuna abantu abanyanisekileyo, abanentobeko, abanentembeko, nabazosebenzela abantu ngokuzinikela.
Our beautiful country is at a crossroads and we need to invoke the spirit of the brave men and women who fiercely fought against injustices of the past such as the stealing of our land through the barrel of a gun.
We need brave men and women who will put people first because if we don’t, we run the risk of people rising up again against self-serving people.
One Pondo Revolt was enough and never again shall we see another because our traditional leaders are fighting for their subjects. That is what should be happening instead of Chiefs lining their own pockets. Apho kufumaneka ukuba a traditional leader has abused his or her powers, umthetho uzodlala indima yawo.
The Provincial Government and the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders will not tolerate that.
Abantwana begazi ke kufuneka babengathi bayaqinisekisa ukusincedisa ekumiliseleni umthetho ingakumbi xa amakhwenkwe amaninzi azokuya entabeni kulenyanga. Lomhlaba waseMampondweni ke udume ngokusweleka kwabakhwetha kunye nokwaluswa kwamakhwenkwe amancinci.
Mayiphele lonto. Sifuna amakhwenkwe azothatha this important passage to manhood to come back better men to make positive contributions to society when they come back from the mountain.
Mampondo enye yengxaki ebeka ichaphaza kwisizwe samaMpondo nephondo lethu kukudlwengulwa ko Mama nabantwana. Izolo besise Lusikisiki siyokhalimela lomkhuba. Into yokuthwala abantwana abancinci benziwe abafazi ayikho mthethweni. Umntu othwala umntana omncinci amenze umfazi nomzali ovumele lonto bazokuthothoza eziseleni kuba bazobekwa ityala lokurhweba ngomntu nelokudlwengula. Ningathi khange nisilumkise ngalonto. Into yokuthwala yintlonti ekudala isenziwa apha inyhasha amalungelo abantwana. Andifuni nova umntu ozakuthi lisiko into yokuthwala kuba isiko yinto ekuzakufa umntu xa engalenzanga. Akhomntu ozakufa xa engathwalanga mntana. Amadoda alapha mawayeke ubona abafazi kwintsana, wawaye kontanga babo.
In conclusion, let me urge all of you to continue to play your part in the fight against Covid-19. Number of infections is going up again now. Very soon our province will be in the 3rd wave.
Qho uphuma endlini isifonyo masithi nca emntwini sogqume umlomo kunye nempumlo.
Kufuneka sithi gqolo sihlamba izandla ngamanzi ne sepha okanye sifake lento yamakhumtsha kuthwa yi sanitiser. Enyinto ebalulekileyo kukuba sithi qelele ebantwini, lanto ke kuthwa yi social distancing.
If we do these three non-clinical measures religiously, the war against this virus which has taken so many of our loved ones from us, will be half won.
As you know, phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine programme is in full swing. Si busy ngoku sigonya amaxhego namaxhegwazana aneminyaka ayi 60 ukubheka phambili. Xa sigqiba le phase sikuyo sizongena kwisigaba sesithathu, nesona sizoba sesona sikhulu apho sothi sinike wonke ubani oneminyaka eyi 18 nangaphezulu.
But before we get to phase 3, let us all register our elderly for the current phase so that they will get the defence they need against the virus.
Taking health services, tarring roads, ensuring there is running water, building safe schools with proper sanitation, and other crucial services is how we should, and must honour the heroes of the Pondo Revolt.
Ndiyabulela ngondiboleka iindlebe.
