MBOMBELA – Ehlanzeni District Municipality, in collaboration with the Moral Regeneration Movement ended Mandela Month in style last Thursday by hosting the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture at the Disaster Management Centre.
Delegates from various organisations shared the stage, reminding citizens of the province about the importance of having good morals and the legacy of the late global icon, Dr Nelson Mandela.
Welcoming the delegates, the executive mayor, Cllr Letta Shongwe said, “I feel honoured to be part of the 20 years of democracy that our late father of the nation, Tata Mandela fought for so that we can live a better life.
The month to commemorate and to sustain the Mandela legacy is the first one to be held in the country after his departure in December last year and I’m very happy the way activities were run throughout the month.
It shows that when we are united, we can make this world a better place and ensure that Mandela’s legacy lives on forever.”
Delivering the keynote address, the national chairperson of the Moral Regeneration Movement, Mr Simangaliso Mkhatshwa emphasised that since the country was celebrating the global icon’s birth month, it is important to remember where we come from as a country and at the same time, we must not forget the good morals and values that Mandela always talked about which will play a significant role when it comes to making this country a better place to live in.
“Mandela united citizens of the country and as part of honouring him, we must always remember to have morals. It’s very disturbing these days to read a newspaper and learn that a father raped his daughter. You then ask yourself what happened to morals when such immoral crimes are committed by the people who are supposed to protect their families or children,” said Mkhatshwa.
He stated that each person must become his/her own policeman to make sure that they always did the right thing in the community.
“This movement needs to get closer to the people, and preach about issues of good morals to change the cruel environment that we are living in and to sustain Tata’s legacy, because we are not going to allow the country to go back to where it was before. Unity is what we need to move forward, ” he concluded.
Mpumalanga News learnt that the memorial lecture was one of a kind that attracted many people.
Parts of the town came to a standstill when learners of Sandzile Primary School in KaBokweni, supported by pastors, politicians and residents paraded in the streets in the CBD against women and child abuse.
