Congratulatory message to the NUMSA Shopstewards' graduation ceremony in Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University held on 28 June 2013.
Honourable Professor Haynes,
Your esteemed academic staff and management,
Representatives of MERSETA,
Cde Dinga Sikwebu,
NUMSA shop stewards who are achievers today,
Family members,
Invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to greet you this beautiful morning when children of peasants are receiving certificates from an institution of higher learning, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
This institution has a name in honour of our icon, Nelson Mandela, who once said the following wise words about education;
"Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another"
As he spends yet another day in hospital, we borrow from his wisdom to celebrate with you, your great achievements today.
Education is indeed a great engine of personal development.
I will come back to this later in my message.
I want to thank a number of people and institutions for this important milestone in the 26 years of NUMSA’s existence and 100 years of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Professor Haynes, you are a visionary. I vividly remember a meeting I had with you to discuss an opportunity to allow us as young adults who are employed to access university education, many of us for the first time. I must also thank Cde Azwel Banda for arranging the meeting for me and you that culminated into what is taking place today.
Cde Dinga Sikwebu, thank you for your passion for adult education that ensured that discussions with Professor Haynes bear the kind of fruits that we are seeing today.
Cde Xolani Tshayane, thank you for being on the same wavelength with me from the first day I called you to explain what we were attempting to do and achieve with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
MERSETA management and the Board, thank you for continuing to be the SETA that delivers on its mandate. I request that Ms Nzimande and Mr. Patel be informed that as NUMSA, an important stakeholder in the skills revolution in our country, are proud of the leadership they are providing in skills revolution in our sector.
THE MADIBA MESSAGE TO YOU
Let me repeat the important quotation by our icon,
"Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another"
I have chosen this omnipotent quote by Cde Madiba to congratulate you, for being the first recipients of this university qualification. It is possible that because of your family circumstances you had accepted that you will be an operator in your company for the rest of your life.
I want you to internalise the following by saying it after me;
“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation”
Dear comrades, you might be the first from your family to obtain a university qualification, it must not be the last qualification you are getting. I want each and every one of you to declare that this is not the last university qualification you are getting, it is just the beginning, because you have proven it that age is just the number.
I want you to take a decision here and now that you are joining millions of our people who have taken a decision to consider learning as a lifelong process that must take place on the time. May you declare that you and education will be separated by death only. Please say it, Me and Education; TILL DEATH
DO US APART!
In 1994, through the efforts of Madiba, Sisulu, Tambo, Luthuli, Vuyisile Mini, Calata, Govan Mbeki and many others, we achieved political freedom but economic freedom still eludes us despite many attempts by our government to use Black Economic Empowerment legislation to deliver economic freedom. NUMSA is vehemently opposed to BEE because whether broad based or narrow based, it acts as a buffer between the real owners of the economy, white monopoly capital and the masses of our people by providing a few black faces that must give false hope to the masses that one day they will also achieve economic freedom.
On top of that, lack of technical knowledge of running companies by our people that is encouraged by BEE legislation and the compliance mindset by the companies makes it impossible that economic freedom can be achieved in our lifetime.
The path you have taken to embark on this course will be a catalyst that must see a breed of managers with class conscious that will be ready soon to run big companies in our country now or when they are finally nationalised on behalf of the people.
Last but not least, I want to reiterate my appreciation to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University for this great partnership that must grow from strength to strength. I want to reiterate my heartfelt gratitude to MERSETA for the generous contribution towards ensuring that one day metalworkers who entered a factory as a cleaner or an operator can be a head of the factory.
I want to congratulate the 22 graduates for the sterling work that they undertook for the duration of the course to achieve success that we are celebrating today.
On behalf of the entire membership of 320 000 members of NUMSA and the National Office Bearers I conclude by saying, the ball is in your court, the sky is the limit, go further and make your families very proud and forgive you for many hours and days you spent away from home pursuing this important qualification.
Congratulations
I thank you.
Cedric Gina
28 June 2013.