REMARKS BY: DR MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP,
INKOSI OF THE BUTHELEZI CLAN
CHAIRPERSON: THE ZULULAND DISTRICT HOUSE OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS
CHAIRPERSON: THE HOUSE OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS [KWAZULU NATAL]
AND UNDUNANKULU KA ZULU
 

Mahlabathini: October 26, 2006

If there is any event that I look forward to each year, it is the annual show. For me it is always a barometer of whether we as people of this district are still alive and kicking. For people to be alive and kicking, they have to eat. That is the first thing before one thinks of doing anything. In fact no one can do anything on an empty stomach. It is for this reason that today's function is so important in my life. I do not remember just how many of these Agricultural shows I have actually attended in my lifetime. As a child growing up at the Palace, I attended Agricultural Shows and School Shows in Nongoma where I grew up. So these events have been part of my life for that long.

When I took over the position of Inkosi of the Buthelezi clan in this district, I was from that time in my early 20's associated with this Show.

Even under normal circumstances, agricultural activities are essential for man's survival. No human being or nation, can survive if it does not involve the people in agricultural activities. Farming is the very first industry and it is where all nations must first excel themselves, in order to successfully diversify into other industries.

For us the poorest section of the South African nation, agricultural activities are vital for us for other reasons.

In spite of the fact that we are the most industrialised nation on the Continent of Africa, it still shames us that we are ravaged by diseases of malnutrition. One would have thought that as we get more "modernised", such diseases should be conspicuous by their absence. And yet the contrary is true because our people have become less and less involved in agricultural activities. In the past our people had guaranteed food security which our communities do not have today. As a result we have become a starving nation. Before our political emancipation in all our rural areas in all the Provinces, our people tilled the land that they have, and cultivated crops to feed their families. As a child I still remember that our people often sold some of their produce to the trading stations in rural areas.

When it was summer, one could see by the green fields on which crops were grown in virtually all rural areas. That is not the case today. Our people have developed the mentality of being cash dependent. Before Sanctions and Disinvestment blighted the economy, there were available jobs for quite a big portion of young people that were catapulted each year, into the labour market. That is how we became cash dependent and as this happened many of our people tended to disregard agricultural activities. But it has not been deliberately done in each and every case. When I was in the national Cabinet, I tried to emphasize the importance of assisting our people with tractors in order to enable those who wanted to pursue agricultural activities to do so.

On this issue we often supported each other in Cabinet with the late Princess Stella Sigcau, the former Minister of Public Works. But this did not ring a bell until I left Cabinet. We were very encouraged this year when the District Mayor of the Zululand Municipal District, Ms Zanele Magwaza, made available 40 tractors to various Traditional Councils within the Zululand Municipal District. One is, therefore, hopeful that we are soon going to see a re-birth of agricultural activities once again, in this Municipal District.

Producing food for our consumption is no longer just a matter of choice.  With the emergence of the pandemic of HIV/Aids and the more recent emergence of the XDR TB, nutrition has become extremely important for us as a nation.  People suffering from these diseases need good nutrition, apart from whatever therapy may be available to them.

That is why today is so important to me. In all the years that I noticed agricultural activities receding, I was encouraged that people in our district have at each show, demonstrated that these essential agricultural activities have not been completely abandoned. That is what has kept my hope to keep on going, that we still have hope that these essential agricultural activities can still be intensified and if that happens, we still have the hope of surviving, in spite of all the serious pandemics that are at present ravaging our nation.

Just like in previous years, I am full of admiration for all our people who each year are able to bring in exhibits to the show, particularly fresh produce. We realise that these crops are cultivated under extremely trying circumstances, as our people are poor. Seed costs money. Fertilizer costs money. Tools cost money. And we know that people who bring in these impressive fresh produce exhibits, have no access to facilities such as the Land Bank, for example. In rich developed countries, farming activities are heavily subsidised by the State. We are not in exactly that position as yet in our country to a great extent. I state this being quite aware that emerging black farmers are assisted by government. I am speaking about people at this lower level of agricultural activities. We do appreciate the assistance that the Show Society gets for our people and what the government Extension Officers do to assist those of our people who do participate in these agricultural activities at this level. We each year hope that others who are not doing so will emulate the example of those who do, and if more people participate in the activities which result in us being able to feed ourselves, then we can have hope that our nation is on its way to somewhere.

This is, of course, both an agricultural as well as an industrial show. I must also thank those of our people who appreciate that as long as we have two hands, we do not need to starve to death. I have throughout my life preached the gospel of self-help and self-reliance. I have always told my people throughout my public life to follow the philosophy of self-help and self-reliance.

There are many crafts that we as a people produced with our hands in the past, some of which are today disappearing. These crafts have markets and as long as we produce them, we can always earn some cash, in order to buy food and to educate our children. It is again heartening to see that there are people amongst us, who have not abandoned the production of these beautiful crafts.

There are things which we have also learnt from other nations, whether it is things we produce through sewing, knitting or western cooking. I always marvel each year that I attend our shows to see how advanced our people are, also in these areas of development some of which are of foreign origin.

All the people who have exhibited here today challenge the rest of us who are not participating in these activities. They show us up, as irresponsible and lazy, for it is not through any magic that they have produced all the exhibits that we see displayed here today. It is only through determination and sheer industriousness that they have achieved all that they have achieved.

I wish not only to congratulate them, but I wish to encourage them to continue doing what they are doing, and to encourage others to follow their very good examples. We must not take what we see here lightly. Our survival as a nation that can one day take its place amongst the developed nations of the world, depends entirely on us doubling, tripling and quadrupling these simple activities.

I think man, depending as he does on food to live, makes these activities the most important in the World. Today we hear and read of controversies around genetically modified food which is being exported to us in Africa.
Some people say that this food is being dumped on us as a nation of the poorest of the poor in Africa. And yet if we increased the production of our own food, there would be no need for us to be the dumping ground of genetically produced food or any other non-nourishing food, that lands on our laps as citizens of this poor Continent of Africa.

From what I am saying just now, you will appreciate that I am not exaggerating when I state that today's function is one event I look forward to each and every year. It is a measuring rod of whether we are going forward or going backwards as a Community.

I again congratulate the Mahlabathini Show Society for continuing to encourage us as the Community of MAHLABATHINI to have this show. Future generations will always be grateful for this vital contribution that the show society is making towards our survival as a nation.

I thank the MEC for Agriculture and officials of his department for we would not make even these modest advances without their assistance and support.

I wish to encourage all those who have exhibited this year to strive even to do better next year. We thank the Almighty Father, without whose guidance and protection we would not have achieved what has been achieved.