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Picture taken from www.blog.investide.co.za

 Let's always commemorate Human Rights Day using sport as a tool to unite our people. 

As the political sidelines were busy re-reading and reminding each other of the painful past in the process of uniting the country, where the group areas act and other segregational laws were being abolished for a better South Africa, sport was positioned critically, taking its cue to help the country in this healing process.

The national reconciliation process needed sport, which was divided along racial lines, to also unite be admitted to and participate in international organisations.

That process saw us celebrate the success of the Springboks winning the World Cup in 1995. We celebrated the likes of Francois Pienaar, Joel Stransky and Chester Williams Williams. We celebrated Bafana Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations victory in 1996.

We announced our arrival on the world stage with these magnificent victories in the two major sporting codes in the country.

Those victories on the world and African stages represented our country to the global political sphere.

Siyabonga, re a leboga, thank you, dankie to all those sport administrators who sacrificed so much for our sporting codes to prosper. Who can forget our netball and cricket teams who continued to shine as we moved to transform the sport in general.

We celebrate the story of the sports journalists of that time. When those Sowetan sport journalists sat down and influenced the name of the football team, it showed what pen and paper can achieve in society.

We celebrate the role each one of us played to transform our society.

That is why we celebrate when the likes of Sam Ramsamy, Molefi Oliphant, Oregan Hoskins, Irvin Khoza, Gideon Sam, Danny Jordaan and many more of our administrators keep making names for themselves and the country by contributing to the world of sport. We gain from their expertise by serving in these important international boards.

Sport is a strategic vehicle to transform our society and March 21 is an important calendar date in the country.

Today, in celebrating international women's month and commemorating Human Rights Day, we thank all those who supported Banyana Banyana and the Smoothies (women's hockey team) during the running of coaching clinics in Mamelodi and Soweto.

Let's always commemorate Human Rights Day using sport as a tool to unite our people.

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Sat May 18 21:40:49 SAST 2013 ::

Mar 22, 2012

Vongsta

Fikile Mbalula wang charmer bathong..............His a GREAT SPEAKER ...............
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Mar 22, 2012

x-thandish

Mr Mbalula

if the youth knew how hard it was back then..
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Mar 23, 2012

Pip'lenyoni

One thing I would like to see Mr Mbalula doing, is ACTION especialy with Hiring qualified ex players in any sport code and invest in school sports big time.
Organising tournaments is part of development but not the entire development. Secondly if owning a pair of boots is still a luxury in our country, I see a bleak future. Lip service. Lip service and Lip service.!!!!!
It started with (The late) Mr Steve Tshwete, then came Mr Ngconde Balfour and now the younger minister with similar promises and no action.
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Mar 23, 2012

Monkgonnyo

Yah! Leaderdhip has spoken, Cde Vutha we still need Sports Officers @ the level of the Local Municipalities to help wit de development of young talent, Talents of this young people are doomed by usage of alchohol and drug abuse becouse there are no stracture that can develop and mentor their talents.
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Mar 26, 2012

Dzel

People laid their lives on the line so we can enjoy our freedoms but you guys busy pissing all that away. How can you thank liberation heroes on one hand and defend the Malema who represents everything that is wrong with South African politics; that is contradiction in terms Mbalula. Please give us more credit than this, the only way you can honour liberation heroes is by following the example set through selfless sacrifice and real service to communities they represented.

I am sure many of the very same people you are thanking are turning in their graves looking at what the party has become, it is a real shame that the party limped into a 100 years of existence led by probably the worst leadership ever. One gets the feeling it is only going to get worse from here. that my friend is the legacy you and your fellow comrades are leaving behind. When a black man is forced into being a political nomad or forced into voting for a white political party then you know things are really bad, pity the ANC wants to pretend otherwise.

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