Address+by+ANC+Deputy+President+Jacob+Zuma+to+SADTU+Congress



=Address by ANC Deputy President, Comrade Jacob Zuma=

Gallagher Estate, 01 September 2006.
President of SADTU, Comrade Willie Madisha, Deputy President of SADTU, Comrade Edwin Pillay, General Secretary of SADTU, Comrade Thulas Nxesi,

- I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Cde Thulas on being elected President of Education International in 2004 – the umbrella body of all teacher unions in the world that has a membership of more than 25million members. His election shows the calibre of leaders in SADTU.

Deputy General Secretary of SADTU, Solly Mabusela, National Treasurer of SADTU, John Maluleke, Members of SADTU National Executive Committee, Members of the ANC National Executive Committee, Members of the SACP Central Committee, Members of COSATU National Executive Committee, Comrades and friends and delegates to the SADTU Congress, International guests,

I greet you all on behalf of the African National Congress, the entire leadership and membership of the ANC. Allow me to also express my special tribute to all SADTU members on the occasion of your celebrating the 16th Anniversary since the formation of your mighty union.

We meet here today 12 years since the liberation of our people on April 27, 1994, when for the first time in the history our country, our people went to the vote in democratic elections which were convincingly won by the ANC in alliance with its partners COSATU and the SACP. Those elections ushered in a new era and a new dispensation in our country.

When looking back at that democratic breakthrough that was ushered in by the installation of a democratic government, we have to ask ourselves whether we have achieved the goals of our revolution as reflected in the Freedom Charter as adopted by our people in Kliptown fifty one (51) years ago, particularly in the area of education.

In this context, it is important to recall what the Freedom Charter says with regard to the educational vision under the clause: “**The Doors of Learning and Culture Shall be Opened!”** :
 * //The Freedom Charter and educational vision://**


 * “The aim of education shall be to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace;
 * Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children;
 * Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state allowances and scholarships awarded on the basis of merit;
 * Adult illiteracy shall be ended by a mass state education plan;
 * Teachers shall have all the rights of other citizens;
 * The colour bar in cultural life, in sport and in education shall be abolished.”

Comrades, thirty (30) years ago, on June 16, 1976, - 20 years after the adoption of the Freedom Charter - on a day that has become known as the Soweto Students Uprising (or the National Youth Day) the students of our country embarked on a historic struggle, in protest against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in their schools.

That day without a doubt was a historic landmark in the struggle for equal education, non-sexism, non-racism, democracy and freedom in our country. June 16, 1976, was also fundamentally about achieving the goals of “equal, compulsory and free education” that the Freedom Charter spoke about in 1955.

There is therefore a close correlation between what the students of Soweto fought and died for, and the vision that was expressed by the Freedom Charter. The objectives of the students and those of the Freedom Charter finally became a reality when our country was liberated in 1994.

When we meet here today, we must use the Freedom Charter as our yardstick to assess whether we have made progress around education matters or not, we must be guided by the objectives as outlined in the Freedom Charter, whether we have achieved our goals or not.

What this clause of the Freedom Charter expresses is the important role of education in bringing about nation building, patriotism and love of one’s country and its people.

It begins to explain and clarify the role of educators in the process of building a new nation like ours, it also challenges the teachers and those involved in the teaching process to be the conveyors of good values and good principles, based on the love of one’s people and one’s country. Education therefore has a significant role in inculcating the values that our country should have and aspire to: “to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace”.

This is the most profound statement about the role that a teacher can play in a democratic dispensation.

The question that I am posing to you as teachers of our children is how best are you doing this national task as expressed in our Freedom Charter? What is it that you are doing to fulfil your task in nation building? In essence what this says to us and to teachers specifically is that you have a responsibility and a huge role in nation building.

Education is a concrete element of nation building. Whilst many generalise about the task of nation building in our country, you are very specific and in the forefront of the project. You have children before you to teach and mould. While we have parliamentarians who make the laws and business people playing an important role in the economy, yours is a very specific task of imparting and increasing knowledge in our society. No country can prosper without education.

This leads me to another important task that the Freedom Charter speaks about, when it says: “**Adult illiteracy shall be ended by a mass state education plan”.** I am sure that this is clear to all of us involved in education that we are required to play a role in the initiatives to end illiteracy in our country.
 * //Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)://**

It defines a role that we have to play in **Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET).** Are we doing enough to promote adult education in achieving this goal of the Freedom Charter? I would be glad if in the process of your conference you can find time to deliberate around these issues as they are central to the development of our country.

Today, education remains central to our NDR. In selecting your congress theme you are recognizing this: “Empowering educators to reposition SADTU for peoples’ education and working class power.”

That is why ABET is so important. Many older workers and rural people never had the opportunity of an education; some of the younger people in recent history – who are referred to by some as the “lost generation” - missed out because they were in the frontline of resistance to the Apartheid regime; others younger still, received poor education which left them poorly-educated. Today, it is estimated that there are some 12 million functionally illiterate adults in South Africa. Yet ABET remains a marginalised area in terms of budget, and in terms of the commitment of teachers to implement it. When you marginalise ABET, you marginalise the working class and the poor.

We should learn from the example of Mozambique where the Portuguese deprived our brothers and sisters of education. The ruling party, Frelimo, adopted a policy of a massive plan which saw almost every adult going to night school to educate themselves. This dramatically improved the literacy rate. It can be done.

It is not the fault of those 12 million in our country who are functionally illiterate and we have do do everything possible to right the wrongs of our oppressors.

Also critical is the issue of ensuring that workers are empowered with life long learning skills, that they are empowered with skills that will make them to be versatile and relevant for the economic demands of our country. The skills of reading, writing and counting are all crucial as well as cognitive skills for people to know what is right or wrong and for people to be able to use their minds critically in dealing with the challenges that confront them.
 * //Life long learning://**

Comrades, today South Africa stands at a crossroads, stands at a threshold. The very direction and content of our National Democratic Revolution is under scrutiny. Education transformation hangs in the balance and the role of SADTU – as part of the COSATU tradition of revolutionary trade unionism – is crucial. As educators organized in SADTU you have so much to contribute. Let me list some of the areas that you are expected to pronounce upon:

As educators you speak to the education issues. In your congress theme you raise again the concept of Peoples’ Education. You are opening – or re-opening - a major debate in our movement. You are asking the question – how far have we come since 1994? How far have we achieved the goals of a Peoples’ Education? Have we been able to concretize the demands of the Freedom Charter for free and equal education for all? And if not, what must be done to get back on track? Ask these questions. Open up the debate. As educators, it is correct for you to do so. So ask these questions.

The struggle against Bantu education was central to our struggle against oppression in this country. Many sacrificed an education to fight for liberation. I know something about that from personal experience, I was partly tutored and educated by the struggle itself.
 * //Peoples’ Education://**


 * As workers, you have to engage with COSATU’s 2015 Plan. You have to ask what is the role of the teachers? How do we build SADTU to become a mighty education and teachers union which goes beyond the current confines of a craft union? Where do we fit in as workers of the mind? How do we strengthen the working class voice in the National Democratic Revolution? How do we develop and implement a programme which prioritises the demands and needs of the working class and the poor?
 * Your General Secretary has been widely quoted in the media in the lead up to the congress saying that SADTU ‘refuses to be relegated to the role of a bread and butter union’. Whilst SADTU and COSATU are of course concerned about the immediate needs of the members, their concerns are not limited to these immediate economic issues.

COSATU and SADTU were part of – and leaders in - that struggle for national liberation which ended Apartheid. But we know that the struggle of the unions and the working class did not end in 1994. The social and economic demands of the working class and the poor for fundamental change have to be progressively addressed as we deepen and defend the gains of our revolution.

As SADTU leaders you are going to have to debate these issues. The questions raised in SADTU’s discussion paper: //Labour and the NDR// can add to the debate:


 * On the functioning of the Alliance,
 * On the growing ideological and class differences in the Alliance,
 * On possible restructuring of the Alliance,
 * On the nature of the South African state and the direction of the NDR.

I believe that to raise and discuss these issues is pertinent and the correct thing to do. If questions are raised from either the ANC, COSATU or the SACP does not spell out a crisis within the Alliance. It is correct to discuss and examine how we handle ourselves and our relationship a decade after freedom. It is a legitimate thing to do and we must all understand the debate in that context. It does not mean we intend to part ways.

The Alliance is a unique political entity which keeps in its sights the interests of the poor. We cannot do away with such an important vehicle for transformation. When we produce discussion papers, it is do check and debate these issues. The three partners of the Alliance needed one another during the struggle against apartheid, and the struggle cemented our relationship. I believe we need each other today, probably more than ever. That is why the Alliance must be strengthened and defended.

Again, we wish you well in your deliberations, which we believe will feed into the COSATU congress later this month, and into the ANC and SACP congresses beyond. In the time available I will attempt to address some of the issues that we are facing in the movement:

I believe – at a strategic level - that the ANC and the Alliance remains the only vehicle for taking forward the South African revolution. We need to constantly review how we improve the functioning of the Alliance.
 * //The Alliance and the National Democratic Revolution://**

We need to be very clear that whilst the Alliance partners have always looked to the ANC for leadership, the Party and COSATU remain equal and independent partners in this Alliance.

COSATU – with nearly 2 million members – has an overriding obligation and duty to represent the interests of organized labour. If you fail to do this, you will lose the trust and support of your members – and this does not help the Alliance in any way. As unions you must retain this independence. South Africa does not need conveyor belt trade unionism where worker leaders are subordinate to the dictates of political masters.

The tripartite alliance was based on principles of mutual respect and recognition of the role and importance of each component of the alliance, the alliance was mutually beneficial. It was not the case of the ANC using its alliance partners when it was convenient and necessary for it, or alliance partners using the ANC when it was convenient for them.

This also involved the ANC playing an instrumental role in ensuring that the workers movement was strengthened at all times. We took it upon ourselves to ensure that we encouraged even instructed our members to play a role in building the trade union movement, dedicating time and resources of the movement. When President OR Tambo declared 1980 the year of the worker, he was calling on all ANC members to build the unions and strengthen the alliance.

If the Tripartite Alliance is to remain a vibrant and leading force in this society **– and I believe it must –** we all have to work hard to make the Alliance work. This means respecting each other and putting in place the processes and mechanisms to make it work:


 * We are going to have to manage the tensions in the Alliance – not in an authoritarian manner, but by consulting each other, meeting regularly and hammering out the issues,
 * We are going to have to jointly develop policy and positions which represent the best thinking of the movement as a whole, and,
 * We are going to have to develop modalities which recognise the different parts of the Alliance whilst forging maximum unity.

Comrades there is nothing wrong with dissent and debate – we thrive on it. It is our culture and defines how we have grown to be strong. We start by recognizing the ideological, class and political differences that exist and then – as comrades – we debate. This is what we did in the heat of the struggle against the Apartheid state. We can certainly do this in the post 1994 democratic state. This is how we grow stronger.
 * //Promoting open debate in the Alliance://**

This means that we need to reject bureaucratic methods of suppressing debate. We have to guard against over-centralisation of power. We come from a tradition of democratic centralism, but we need to emphasise that the **‘democratic’** is as important as the **‘centralism’** in this formulation. In other words, we debate and we debate, and once we have a decision **we act as one in unity**.

When we debate as comrades, we are seeking consensus – so that positions and policies become the property of the movement not of any one individual.

This spirit and approach should not be confused with a liberal free-for-all. There must be rules to debate by. We do not smear comrades. We do not vilify them in the media from the safety of ‘anonymous sources’. We see the way that the enemy uses the media against the Unions and the Alliance. We have to reject this kind of behaviour unequivocally.

I need to thank the members of SADTU, COSATU and the working people for the unwavering support you have given me in the challenges I have been facing and still face. I need to thank those leaders who have fought to ensure that I receive a fair trial. It has been a difficult period personally, and this support has been very welcome. But you should now that politicians do come across difficulties. Your support has enabled me to handle all those which have come my way.

Given the impact of HIV and Aids in the education sector in our country, we cannot afford any mixed messages or ambiguity when it comes to the scourge of HIV and Aids – the lives of all our people are at stake here.
 * //HIV/Aids://**

I believe that the greatest challenge that our country faces today is that of combating the spread of HIV and AIDS, through joint awareness campaigns. The application of the ABC strategy of Abstinence, Being faithful, and the use of condoms and practicing safe and protected sex should be central message that we send to our people. We should also encourage our people to get tested so that they know their status and can adopt healthy living lifestyles depending on their status.

The issue of treatment and its availability to those who need it is also critical. We must ensure that we support calls to ensure that such treatment is accessible and to monitor its correct distribution. This also poses a challenge to SADTU members to encourage your members to play a crucial role as voluntary home based care-givers to those affected by HIV and AIDS so that we ensure that people who take their medication are consistent, they do not default and also impress upon them the importance of nutrition in the process. I believe there is no contradiction between treatment and nutrition, but how we put across these remedies.

Again allow me to wish you well in your deliberations. As leaders of the educators of our country, you have to represent your members and you have to fight for their interests.
 * //Concluding remarks://**

But beyond this, the working class and poor of this country are looking to you to give a clear direction on the unfinished business of securing Peoples’ Education.

I also believe that we need to step up our efforts in keeping the NDR on course, and not be distracted by forces which may be driven by hidden or personal interests. As delegates, you must continue to ask yourselves, what did we struggle for? Have we achieved the goals of the NDR? How do we move forward? Above all, you have to recommit yourselves to the goals of the South African revolution and build SADTU as a mighty bulwark for democracy, Peoples’ Education and working class power. I wish you well in your conference and hope that SADTU will emerge from it much stronger in all aspects, not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of vision, direction and commitment to the strategic goals of our revolution.

We need to remember that all revolutions do get confronted with challenges that are always difficult to overcome – challenges which test our unity, resilience and commitment to our revolutionary goals which must always be above our personal interests.

We should also remember that the working class will always be the most reliable force to act in defence of the revolutionary ideals.


 * //I thank you.//**


 * Amandla!! Awethu!!**

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