Anti Apartheid Activists

"Oh––isn’t it lovely? That’s the one I want when we are rich!’ Her eyes were bright, her lips parted"

"In the name of civilization, the dignity and worth of the African people has been grossly underrated, their progress retarded and aspirations frustrated, and the whole life undermined. They are compelled to live in appalling conditions of squalor, filth and isolation..."

"A man's a man to the extent that he asserts himself. There's no assertion in your mine boy. There is confusion and bewilderment and acceptance. Nothing more."

"A woman finds a man and the whole world is a new place. And the fighting stiffness that was ever in her body, goes. And the hardness of her head stops and she does not think any more with her head but feels with her heart. Yes, it is ever so. And with a man it is so too. His shoulders square and a smile is not far from his lips and there is a new certainty in him. Yes. It has ever been so and it will ever be so when a man and a woman love. **Page 123"

"Entering is stepping into a new Dark Age. The sea had once been here. In its retreat it had left a white, unyielding sand, grown dirty with time. It had left almost a desert."

"He (Roderiques) was hungry and homeless. So I fed him. He told me something had gone wrong and he had to leave the Roman school. He said he had no people."

"It is not enough to destroy, you must build as well. Build up a stock of faith in your breast in native Zuma, mine boy, who has no social conscience, who cannot read or write and cannot understand his wanting what you want. **Page 69."

"The natives did not like locations, and besides, they were all full, so the white man had started townships in the outlying district of Johannesburg in the hope of killing Vrededorp and Malay Camp."

"Dear God! Has earth a fairer land? Can there be one as fair? And if there can, can I feel for it as for this? And can my heart ever ache for the people of another with the purity it does for the people of this? The whites here sing a love song to the land, from within. Would they have me sing it from without? A little self-conscious and ashamed at the intensity of my emotions. New feelings, elusive and uncontrollable, played on my heart and mind. A need different from all the other needs I had ever known moved me to longing. And I did not know what I longed for."

"So many people who consider themselves progressives have their own weird notions about the native, but they all have one thing in common. They want to decide who the good native is and they want to do good things for him. [...] They want to think for him and he must accept their thoughts. And they like him to depend on them."

"The press did not make us, the press cannot break us."

"If I am allowed to elaborate on the important aspect of peace, security and stability, it is common knowledge that the on-going debate about the need for social, economic and political reforms in Africa centres on issues of peace, security and development. These are viewed as necessary conditions for social stability and the promotion of human security."

"The maintenance of peace and stability in the country is imperative for socio economic development. Where there is no peace and stability, surely, there will be no meaningful development. Therefore, we must ensure the smooth transition, from generation to generation, to build on past successes, and progress to new generation."

"It is important for us to preserve and promote our cultural values, traditional norms and heritage is in order to mould our national identity. In this regard, I believe that as an African country, we must encourage our children to appreciate and develop interest in our cultural values and traditional norms."

"I also urge our youth to reject tribalism and the social evils of alcohol and drug abuse, violence against women and children as well as to remain focused on pursuits that are aimed at building a better future for themselves and our country. Furthermore, the youth are the backbone and future leaders of our continent. They should therefore study hard and equip themselves with relevant skills and knowledge so that we can produce our own medical doctors, agriculturalists, engineers, geologists and other technical personnel who will play a meaningful role in the socio-economic development of our country in order for us to eradicate hunger, ignorance and diseases from the face of our continent."

"The best way in which we can address social and economic inequalities in our country is by ensuring that all our people, especially the youth, are provided with quality education."

"A united people, striving to achieve a common good for all members of the society, will always emerge victorious."

"History has taught us how the enemies of peace, freedom and social progress have caused division, political instability and economic sabotage in some sisterly countries on the African continent and embarked upon maneuvers and machinations in order to mislead and converts some of our fellow African compatriots and turns them against their own people with the view to reverse the gains of our freedom and independence."

"As you are all aware, the achievement of freedom and independence of our continent was only a critical point of departure but not the destination. For this reason, our youth should become active participants in the socio-economic development of our continent in order to take it to the advanced level of development. We should therefore continue to educate our youth and equip them with relevant technical skills, knowledge, cultural norms and values. In this way, we will be able to achieve our strategic objectives, namely the eradication of poverty, disease, ignorance and under-development."

"Taking the destiny of our country in our own hands meant, among other things, making a great effort to forge a national identity based on a common resolve and unity of purpose and action as well as set for ourselves higher standards of equality, justice and opportunity for all our people irrespective of colour, race, ethnic or place of origin."

"However, I am always conscious that despites our tireless and time tested work towards reconciliation, unity of action and purpose, national reconciliation as well as peace and stability that shaped Namibia into the democratic, peaceful and stable country it has become, the accolades bestowed upon some of us belong to our collective national efforts."

"Production is the basis for wealth creation and economic growth. In turn, wealth creation and economic growth are the bases for employment creation and poverty eradication. For the purpose of improving the welfare of our people, it is therefore imperative that as a nation we must promote productivity and competitiveness as critical elements in wealth creation and economic growth. The critical challenge facing our country, however, is how to overcome constraints to wealth creation and economic growth. This means that we should address such constraints head on. Some critical constraints to productivity and growth are, among others, knowledge and skills deficit and lack of capacity for marketing and market development. Indeed, knowledge and skills are keys to productivity and competitiveness. Our primary resource is therefore our people. Knowledgeable citizens are able to invent new products and skilled workers are competent to produce quality products. It is for this reason that we have prioritized education and training as the key to economic growth, social development, employment creation, productivity and competitiveness."

"Without concrete and sustained peace and stability, Africa's economic growth and poverty eradication will remain unfulfilled dreams. They will make our promises empty and a betrayal to the African masses. We must act collectively to nurture their hopes and make their dreams come true."

"It is well known that Africa is one of the richest regions of the world. For example, the Southern Africa region contains a variety of resources, including natural gas, coal, uranium, diamonds, gold, platinum, perennial rivers etc. These resources must be harnessed to improve the standards of living of all our people. For that to happen, we should embark upon strategies which promote manufacturing and add value to our natural resources. In that manner we will not only be able to create wealth but will also be able to enhance economic growth and improve the competitiveness of our economies in the international markets."

"Our common destiny, as Africans, is defined by peace, security, development and prosperity; free from poverty, disease, underdevelopment and conflicts. We want a continent whose citizens occupy a pride of place among the people of the world. We want a continent that has reclaimed its pre-eminence as a centre of technological innovation, scientific excellence and cultural advancement."

"When the Founding Fathers were calling for African Unity, they were calling for economic emancipation, co-operation and integration of the entire African continent; because they fully understood that political freedom would remain insufficient and meaningless unless it was accompanied by genuine economic independence."

"Taking the destiny of this country in our own hands means, among other things, making the great effort to forge national identity and unity. Our collective security and prosperity depends on our unity of purpose and action, Unity is a precondition for peace and development. Without peace, it is not possible for the best and talented citizens of our country to realise their potential."

"Our nation blazed the trail to freedom. It has arisen to its' feet. As from today, we are masters of this vast land of our ancestors. The destiny of this country is now fully in our own hands. We should, therefore, look forward to the future with confidence and hope."

"Our achievement of Independence imposes upon us a heavy responsibility, not only to defend our hard-won liberty, but also to set ourselves higher standards of equality, justice and opportunity for all, without regard to race, creed or colour. These are the standards from which all who seek to emulate us shall draw inspiration."

"The world has enormous resources to fight and defeat poverty, hunger and under- development. We must insist, in this process of dialogue, on a realistic balance between the total world spending on war and weapons technology, on the one hand, and the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and Targets, on the other. What is required is political will and compassion on the part of world leaders."

"For the Namibia people, the realization of our most cherished goal, namely the independence of our country and the freedom of our people, is fitting tribute to the heroism and tenacity with which our people fought for this long-awaited day. We have been sustained in our difficult struggle by the powerful force of conviction in the righteousness and justness of our cause."

"We cannot ignore the ever widening income gap between the rich and the poor, between the industrialised North and the developing South. This situation represents a dangerous time bomb which the world can ill-afford to let take its own course. Our planet earth is too small to perpetuate the unacceptable co-existence of abject poverty and abundance of prosperity within its fold. We will only deal with this situation effectively, when we promote mutually beneficial commercial trade between the North and South within the framework of North-South and South-South Cooperation."

"For the Namibian people and for myself, this day, March 21 1990, is the most memorable and indeed the most emotional moment in the annals of our history. This solemn hour is the moment, which our people have been waiting for, for more than a century. The is the day for which tens of thousands of Namibian patriots laid down their lives, shed their precious blood, suffered imprisonment and difficult life in exile. Today, our hearts are filled with great joy and jubilation because our deepest and longest yearning has been realized."

"I intend to undertake certain causes that are dear to my heart and be ready to assist national, regional and international efforts, especially in the areas of poverty eradication, people with disabilities, food production through agriculture and infrastructure development."

"We feel small to say thanks all the time."

"Let us be brave: we have heard of men shaking in their trousers, but who ever heard of a woman shaking in her skirt?"

"My mother firmly believed our tears shall be wiped away in the next world. I believed we should start enjoying life here."

"She spoke the language of the worker, and she was herself an ordinary factory worker. When she said what she stood for, she evoked emotions no other person could evoke;Winnie Madikizela-Mandela"

"She can toss an audience on her little finger, get men grunting with shame and a feeling of smallness;Ezekiel Mphahlele"

"While people with disabilities continue to be unemployed and underemployed, it remains important to promote and support the empowerment of persons with disabilities to reduce economic vulnerability"

"Disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime. It may be permanent, temporary or episodic in nature."

"People with disabilities should not be excluded from their constitutional rights due to disability. The National Disability Rights Policy, namely, the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, aligns with the National Development Plan and the Strategic Priorities of the Sixth Administration in calling for economic transformation and job creation."

"Young couples also need guidance in creating these safe spaces and healthy marriages. That will alleviate GBV and domestic violence. We can do it. It’s not as bad as it looks"

"I am not saying I have solutions but merely seeing signs of a psychologically affected community that needs to shift to a new way of doing things, and doing away with stereotypes that promote violence, the bullying of individuals and infringing on their human rights."

"A typical example is that the average woman wakes up every morning to nurture a newborn, raises the child in hardships, putting herself aside to ensure the child's growth and development. And then get abused when she brings and nurtures life. What is the problem?"

"Commemorating Disability Awareness Month offers an opportunity for all of us to remove social barriers and perceptions while improving the quality of life of people with disabilities through concrete action of empowering persons with disabilities through resourceful, sustainable and safe environments"

"We need to liberate women and create safe spaces that offer them economic freedom and independence because had it not been for women, many homes would have collapsed. They’re strong mentally and very strategic thinkers who raise children single-handedly"

"If I turn out bad, please blame Aziz because he taught me how to do and handle matters the best way I can."

"The history and story of liberation is incomplete without Aziz’s contribution. It is no coincidence that he wrote in his biography that his life experience cannot be separated from the ANC and SACP."

"Very little is going to support women in South Africa. Ugandans are so serious about that policy, such that all annual budgets go through their human rights entities to be approved"