This is the great statement from the President of Our Country. On Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 1:38 PM, Dominic Tweedie <[email protected]>wrote:
> > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON SAPA WIRES > > > *STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT JG ZUMA ON POLITICAL CONDUCT AND SOCIAL COHESION* > > > * 10 April 2010* > > > Ladies and gentlemen of the media, > > At the meeting of the ANC’s National Executive Committee last month, we > spoke out strongly about the need for discipline among the members of the > organisation and more generally for all to respect the rules of political > engagement. > As the organisation’s leadership we were drawing the line, and that there > would be consequences for anyone who crossed that line. > > Matters relating to the conduct and statements of the ANC Youth League > which are totally alien to the culture of the ANC have made it necessary for > us to emphasise a few fundamental principles today. > > This is an appropriate moment to do so, particularly since it is the > anniversary of the brutal assassination of one of the outstanding heroes of > our struggle, Comrade Chris Hani. > > On this anniversary, we recommit ourselves to uphold the values and > traditions to which he and scores of the country’s national heroes dedicated > their lives. > > We commit ourselves to continue working tirelessly to build a non-racial, > non-sexist, united and democratic South Africa, founded on the positive > values that are enshrined in the Constitution. > > We urge all South Africans to work with us in achieving these goals. > > But ANC cadres must lead in this process. > > We also wish to underscore the following important points: > > * FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA* > > The country’s Constitution enshrines the principle of freedom of the media. > > An independent and free media is one of the cornerstones of democracy. > > It is an important barometer of the extent to which the people are freely > able to express themselves. > > While in a democracy there will inevitably be times of contestation between > the media and other sections of society, the fundamental principles should > be adhered to at all times. > > We must accord journalists the freedom to do their work unhindered. > > We should engage them professionally and with dignity. > > Should there be a need to take issue with anything that is being reported, > it should be done in a manner that promotes frank and open engagement. > > The manner in which a BBC journalist was treated at an ANC Youth League > press conference is regrettable and unacceptable, regardless of any alleged > provocation on his part. > > * RESPECT FOR THE LAW* > > We place a high premium on order, stability and the rule of law in the > country. > > That is why the ruling party took the step this week of calling for > restraint from all its structures and members. > > Anyone who then goes against that statement is undermining the leadership > authority of the ANC, and that cannot be accepted. > > When the ANC has made such a statement, it is totally out of order for us > to continue as if such a statement was not made. > > Certainly there must be consequences for such behaviour. > > We have done this because of the need to respect a high court ruling > relating to a particular liberation song. > > We also recognise that this song, in the current environment, could be > misunderstood by those not familiar with the context and content of our > struggle. > > In making this call, we do not intend in any way to diminish the proud > history of struggle against apartheid. > > We do recognise that we have a responsibility to act in a way that reduces > the potential for tension, and encourages unity. > > Our Constitution enshrines the independence of the judiciary and the rule > of law. > > We must recognise the role of the judiciary as the final arbiter in > disputes in society. > > The dignity and decorum of the institution must always be protected and > defended. > > There are procedures that one should follow to challenge court decisions. > > Defiance of these procedures should not be tolerated. > > It would make mockery of our judicial system. > > It should be noted that to appeal a court decision is not to defy it. > > * ZIMBABWE* > > South Africa is a respected member of the international community. > > The country has certain responsibilities and obligations in the regional > and broader international spheres. > > One of these is to facilitate the implementation of the Global Peace > Agreement in Zimbabwe. > > We undertake this task with the necessary seriousness and sensitivity, and > have to ensure impartiality at all times. > > We will continue to facilitate the resolution of the impasse in Zimbabwe > and to treat all parties with respect. > > We cannot and will not side with any one of the parties to the exclusion of > others. > > We received a report from the last round of talks held last week. > > We will work with the parties again to take the process forward. > > * 2010 WORLD CUP* > > The 21st of April will mark the 50 days until the start of the 2010 FIFA > World Cup. > > Initial research indicates that South Africa is likely to receive 450 000 > international fans between June 11 and July 11. > > South Africa remains ready to receive visitors from all walks of life and > from all parts of the globe. > > We are now putting final touches to our plans on security, logistics, > hospitality, transport and others. > > We urge international soccer fans to continue buying tickets and to prepare > themselves to enjoy South African hospitality and experience the first > African World Cup ever. > > *SOCIAL COHESION AND UNITY* > > Recent events have raised concerns in some quarters about social cohesion. > > Some people have spoken of heightened racial tension. > > We should not be dismissive of such concerns, and should be prepared to > engage in dialogue to address them. > > But we must acknowledge that South Africans remain united in their support > for the Constitution, the values it enshrines, and the democratic > institutions it has established. > > South Africans are clearly committed to work together to address the legacy > of our divided past. > > Our history tells us that there is no challenge we cannot overcome. > > Among other things this requires responsible leadership. > > The ANC Youth League is not an independent body. > > It exists within the umbrella policy and discipline of the ANC. > > The organisation will deal with these matters internally as it deems fit. > > We reiterate that leaders should think before they speak, as their > utterances have wider implications for the country. > > * I thank you.* > > > Issued by: > African National Congress > 54 Sauer Street > Johannesburg > 2001 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Ancmedia mailing list > > Please do not reply to this message. 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