Pretoria - South Africa had made significant strides since the dawn of democracy in 1994, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.
“We reiterate that South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994. We thank all South Africans, as well as our friends from all over Africa and the world, for their contribution to making our country the success that it has been since 1994,” said Zuma at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.
Zuma made the remarks at a ceremony to present awards to numerous recipients of the 2016 national orders.
“We have gathered to honour men and women from this country and abroad who have demonstrated exceptional service to humanity. The national orders are the highest honour that our country bestows on citizens and foreign nationals,” said Zuma.
“We confer the Order of Mendi, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to distinguished persons who have demonstrated that it takes ordinary men and women to make our country and the world a better place.”
He said it was significant that the ceremony took place a day after the country’s Freedom Day commemorations, on which South Africans “closed the chapter on institutionalised racism and repression, and began a journey towards a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa”.
Zuma said the recipients of this year’s National Orders had each contributed in some way to the attainment of equality, freedom and democracy.
“By the power vested in me in terms of Section 84 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, I now confer the Order of Mendi, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to the distinguished persons indicated.”
“They shall henceforth be honoured as esteemed Members of the Orders,” Zuma said before he bestowed the awards to the recipients or their representatives.
In absentia, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria was awarded the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo.
“The President receives the award in gold for her exceptional contribution to the fight for democracy and freedom in her country and globally,” said Zuma.
“She has sent a special message apologising for her inability to accept this award in person, due to matters of state.”
The Order of the Companions of OR Tambo is awarded to foreign dignitaries who actively promote freedom, justice, human rights and democracy, through active support and expression of solidarity for the struggle against apartheid colonialism.
The National Orders are the highest awards that a country, through its president, bestows on its citizens and eminent foreign nationals.
Here is a list of those receiving National Orders on Thursday:
The Order of Mendi for Bravery: The death of Hermanus Loots – perhaps better known by his Umkhonto we Sizwe nom de guerre, James Stuart – in January was a loss for our country. His wisdom and experience within the liberation movement and as a fine negotiator were highly valued. So was his breadth of understanding of how to operate on an international platform. Among his more difficult tasks was taking on his own beloved ANC in the 1980s when he was appointed to chair a commission after MK recruits went into mutiny in the camps in Angola. Loots’s frank assessment, that their behaviour was not due to apartheid agents’ involvement, and that it had come out of their own frustrations with their leadership, was lauded for its independence.He went on to become an MP in Nelson Mandela’s administration, before moving into business, including being appointed as the non-executive board chairman of Chancellor House Holdings, a privately held investment company linked to the ANC.
Others to receive Mendi medals include Maqashu Mdingi, Ulysses Modise, Sello Motau (aka Paul Dikeledi), Wilson Ndaliso Boy Ngcayiya (aka Bogart Soze), Joseph “Mpisi” Nduli, Sam Ntuli, Major- General Jackie Refiloe Sedibe, Dr Sizakele Sigxashe and Major-General Peter Lesego Tshikare.
The Order of Ikhamanga recognises excellence in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.
Sylvia Glasser, also called “Magogo”, fearlessly traversed apartheid laws by having black and white dancers perform together. She established South Africa’s most well-known – and, likely, beloved – dance company, Moving Into Dance, out of her own home and saw it grow into a 40-year-old legend.Among the dancers she trained were two of the world’s most applauded contemporary dancers: Vincent Mantsoe, who went on to work in France, and Gregory Maqoma, whose Vuyani Dance Theatre attracted global attention to his quiet brilliance.
Others to receive the Order include Laurika Rauch, Thomas Hasani Chauke, Marguerite Poland,Benedict Wallet Vilakazi and Professor Rosina Mamokgethi Phakeng.
The Order of the Baobab recognises community service, business and economy, science, medicine and technological innovation.
Professor Helen Rees, who has already been honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE), has made such a significant contribution to South African life and longevity that it is impossible to properly describe her impact.Unassuming and softly-spoken, she has lifted South Africa’s links between poverty and illness, particularly HIV, onto the world’s most important stages, always with the ideal of finding medical solutions that will have a sustainable effect to change the future for people living in villages and disadvantaged communities in our country.
The Order will also be bestowed on Marina Maponya.
The Order of Luthuli recognises important contributions to the struggle for democracy, human rights, justice and peace.
Suliman “Babla” Saloojee’s participation and key role in anti-apartheid activism ultimately led to his torture and murder at the hands of security policemen, who, it is believed, killed him and then threw him out of the seventh floor window of the notorious Gray’s Building, the Special Branch headquarters, in Joburg in 1964. Babla was the fourth person to die in police custody.
Other recipients include Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Brian Bishop, Msizi Harrison Dube, Reverend Dr Simon Gqubule, Mac Maharaj, Mary Thipe, Amy Thornton, John Zikhali and Cleopas Madoda Nsibande.
The Order of Mapungubwe recognises achievements that have impacted internationally
Zwelakhe Sisulu was not only the cherished son of Struggle royalty, he was also an exceptionally courageous journalist and editor, who saw no reason to hold back in telling the true stories of apartheid’s savagery. This led to repeated periods of imprisonment and long detentions, which only seemed to spur him on.Sisulu later became Nelson Mandela’s press secretary – a role which elevated him in the early 1990s. But especially his black media colleagues also remember a man who fought for improvements within their profession.
The Order of the Companions of OR Tambo recognises eminent foreigners for friendship shown to South Africa
Her Excellency President Michelle Bachelet has been the president of Chile since 2014. Her ideological roots, in socialism, have made her a role model for freedom fighters. But the profound example she set in fighting for democratic rights wherever she was afforded the opportunity, and despite her personal sacrifice, have turned her into a hero for people all over the developing world.
Others to receive the order are: Noureddine Djoudi, who provided a revolutionary impetus to the liberation movement out of his own experience of the Algerian struggle, and Maria Kint.Kint has links with Glasser, as she worked with Moving Into Dance, but is today still regarded as a prime facilitator of arts and culture as a means of promoting liberation. A citizen of the Netherlands, she was also honoured as a Knight in the Order Of Oranje Nassau by His Majesty King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands in 2014. – Janet Smith
African News Agency and The Star