Address by the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Jacob Zuma, on the occasion of the National Orders Ceremony; Presidential Guesthouse, Tshwane
11 December 2009

Deputy President of the Republic, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe,
Former Deputy President Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,
Former Deputy President Ms Baleka Mbete
Presiding Officers of our National Parliament,
Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa,
Distinguished recipients of the National Orders and their families,
Fellow South Africans,

On behalf of Government and the people of South Africa, we welcome you to the National Orders Awards ceremony.

This ceremony is convened to admit South Africans and international luminaries into the ranks of the Orders of the Mendi, the Baobab, the Ikhamanga, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of the Companions of O R Tambo, and the Order of Mapungubwe.

We will be honouring men and women who deserve the highest national tribute for their contribution to South African life and history.

Coming from many walks of life,

and some parts of the world, they have enriched our lives and made it possible for us to declare ourselves to be a nation of heroes and achievers.

These national orders are a source of pride as they are a reminder of the road we have travelled.

Before 1994, we had no common identity. We were a nation in flux, full of fear and uncertainty.

We set out in 1994 to build a nation united in its diversity. It has not been an easy task. But we have certainly made a good start over the past 15 years.

There are certain basic elements that define who we are as South Africans, which are a source of pride.

We have a Constitution which guarantees human rights for all, the right to a minimum standard of life, including the right to access health, education, social security, food and water.

We celebrate every five years, the right of all people to elect a government of their choice in regular, free and fair elections in a multi-party democracy.

We celebrate the right to mobilise our people to actively take part in decision-making processes that affect their lives.

We pride ourselves on having a free and independent judiciary.

We showcase our promotion of equality and freedom from discrimination on racial, gender or any other ground.

We have enshrined workers rights, the freedom of association and freedom of religion, culture and beliefs.

We proudly proclaim freedom of expression and of the media, including the promotion of a free market of ideas on issues affecting the Republic and our people.

All of these remind us of what it means to be South Africans. We also have national symbols that give fundamental meaning to our South African-ness.

We pay allegiance to one flag, one national anthem and one coat of arms. We celebrate one national rugby team, one cricket team as well as the male and female national soccer teams.

We want to be known as a nation that recognises distinction and excellence. This occasion takes us in that direction.

We have decided that from next year this ceremony will take place on Freedom Day, April 27 of each year.

This will give April 27 the important meaning of celebrating our national heroes, the founding fathers and mothers of this freedom and democracy that we attained in 1994.

We will also continue to celebrate those South Africans who excel in various fields and enable us to walk tall amongst other nations, knowing that we also have the best there can ever be, when it comes to talent and expertise.

We want to be a nation that honours and recognises the contribution of its citizens and its international friends and allies.

Compatriots, some of the honours that we will bestow today tell the South African story in a tapestry of occurrences and events that changed the course of history.

They outline the achievements of remarkable men and women, undertaken in pursuit of causes that changed our lives, and made our country the success that it has become.

They tell the story of our proficiency in sports, the arts, medicine, science and technology.

We will present the Order of Mendi for Bravery to those who sacrificed or risked their lives so that others may live.

They have confronted clear and present danger of one kind or another, with full knowledge of the potential harm to themselves, to save human life and limb.

We will award the Order of Mapungubwe to South African citizens who have excelled in the field of biomedical science, oceanographic science and medical science.

We will admit to the Order of the Baobab, compatriots who have made exceptional and distinguished contributions in business and the economy, science, medicine and technological innovation and community service.

The Order of the Ikhamanga will showcase our leading artists and performers as well as sportsmen and women.

Many artists went through remarkable hardships and sacrifice to keep our music and culture alive and to use it as instruments of fighting for freedom and justice.

Those who have excelled in various sports are also a source of great joy and pride and are powerful contributors to nation building in our land. We salute them all.

Compatriots, we will today boldly bestow outstanding South Africans into the Order of Luthuli.

It goes to men and women who have made an immense contribution to our goal of a free, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.

Inkosi Albert Luthuli, our illustrious national hero, epitomised the kind of South Africa we wished for - free of injustice, racism and suffering, full of harmony, unity, peace and prosperity.

It is our singular honour to admit into the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, outstanding internationalists who refused to allow geographical boundaries to limit their quest for justice and human rights.

It is awarded to distinguished international dignitaries for friendship and solidarity shown towards South Africa.

These are citizens of other countries, who, without discrimination and at great cost to themselves, their countries and peoples, have made an exceptional contribution to the objectives that our national hero and icon, OR Tambo devoted his whole life to.

In OR Tambo’s name, this order symbolises freedom, cooperation, peace and the expression of solidarity and support.

We will admit all these outstanding men and women into these Orders on behalf of the people of South Africa.

We declare that through them we see ourselves. We see our resolve to strive for the common good of our country.

In them we see our resolve to make this a nation of achievers, a nation of people who know what it means to sacrifice for the good of the country and fellow beings.

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