Nelson Mandela Birthday Wishes

18 July 2011 - 09:53 By Sapa
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The ANC Youth League called on young people to change their profile pictures on social networking sites to photos of anti-apartheid icon and former president Nelson Mandela in celebration of his birthday on Monday.

"The ANC Youth League specially encourages all young people to change their profile pictures on Facebook, Twitter, BBM [Black Berry Messaging], linked in [sic], MXit and all social sites to be pictures of Comrade Nelson Mandela," said African National Congress Youth League spokesman Floyd Shivambu in a statement.

"This will be a sign of appreciation and celebration of the role Comrade Nelson Mandela played in the struggle for political, social and economic emancipation of the black majority and Africans in particular."

Shivambu said Mandela, who was turning 93 on Monday, continued to inspire the world through his "support to reconciliation, development of the poor and vulnerable".

He was always "protecting the rights of children and advocating gender equality".

But, Shivambu said it was important to remember his "massive contributions as a young revolutionary and activist of the ANC Youth League".

"The young revolutionary in Comrade Nelson Mandela remains as he continues to contribute to peace and global democracy."

Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president, founded the ANCYL, with Anton Lembede, AP Mda, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu, in 1944. He was elected its national secretary in 1948.

A year later, he joined the ANC executive after the youth league took control of the organisation, which had decided to adopt the ANCYL's Programme of Action in the struggle against apartheid.

 

US president Barack Obama and Mrs Obama

US President Barack Obama saluted anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela on his 93rd birthday, saying he set the standard for service delivery by civil servants world-wide.

Mandela became president of the youth league in 1951."Michelle, and my daughters, Sasha and Malia, recently met Madiba during an official visit to South Africa that focused on service, youth leadership, education and healthy living. Their time with Madiba was the most moving part of their trip," Obama said in a statement issued by the US diplomatic mission to South Africa.

"Mandela's legacy exemplifies wisdom, strength and grace, and on the anniversary of his birth we salute the example of his life."

Obama said Mandela, who led the African National Congress struggle against apartheid and became South Africa's first democratically elected president, continued to be a "beacon for the global community".

"On behalf of the people of the United States, we congratulate Nelson Mandela, and honour his vision for a better world.

"A man who devoted 67 years of his life to public service, Madiba sets the standard for service world-wide, whether we are students, shopkeepers or farmers, cabinet ministers or presidents. He calls on us to serve our fellow human beings, and better our communities."

Obama said the United States was honoured to join 192 United Nations member states in 2009 to declare July 18 Nelson Mandela International Day, in recognition of his contribution to peace and freedom.

 

DENOSA

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa wishes elderly statesman and struggle stalwart President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela well as he turns a massive 93 years today.

“We wish Tata Mandela a happy birthday; we also wish to thank him for his selfless efforts in ensuring that today we enjoy freedom. All of us should learn from his leadership model. We wish him a long life with good health”, says DENOSA President Dorothy Matebeni.

President Mandela remains a benchmark of what leadership should be. This is underlined by the rare qualities, that of humility, leadership, forgiveness, consistency, accountability that have embodied his wonderful life.

As a country we have been blessed to have produced a leader of his caliber. President Mandela’s contribution in the liberation of our people cannot be stressed enough. His impact has gone beyond the country of his birth to touch lives of millions across the globe.

In line with the call by the Mandela Day to inspire individuals to take action in helping change the world for the better by empowering communities, the leadership and staff of DENOSA across the country will today be assisting in hospitals and clinics and embarking on clean up campaigns.

From all of us at DENOSA HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tat’uMadiba!!!

 

SADTU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADIBA!

SADTU joins millions of people, not only in South Africa but across the world, in wishing one of the most distinguished statesmen, Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela a happy 93rd birthday on Monday, 18 July 2011.

 Madiba has said on many occasions that education was a liberator. In his keynote address at the historic launch of SADTU on the 6th of October 1990, Madiba told the thousands of teachers that education opened gates to liberty. He reminded teachers of the huge task ahead of them of drawing up a new education system for South Africa.

Mandela said, “The schools will have to play a critical role in contributing towards the building of a single nation. The new system should give teachers their rights such as the living wage, the right to political expression and to join unions. It should ensure professionalism among teachers; democratize the schools and ensure non-racialism was practiced and achieved in schools. “

He further urged teachers to develop a different kind of intellectual among the learners.

Twenty  years after SADTU’s launch, Madiba’s dream of a new education system has not been fully attained. Our education is still divided along racial and class lines. The former white schools are still better resourced while township and rural schools still remain poor.

SADTU has entered its third decade of existence with a strategic challenge of accelerating the human resource development assignment of the National Democratic Revolution. Slowly, the centrality of education in the growth and development of society is being fore grounded above all other important variables.

This is happening at a time when the exigencies of national cohesion, genuine democratization as well as non-radicalization of society are receiving impetus and attention as key components of the NDR.

The focus of our political programme is still the abolishment of class, race and patriachical relations of power as interrelated antagonistic social contradiction. This abolishment is further informed by our resolve to underwrite any policy that strives to realize;

• a united state based on the will of all the people, without regard race, sex, belief, language, ethnicity or geographic location;

• a dignified and improving quality of life among all the people by providing equal rights and opportunities to all citizens;

• And the restoration of the birthright of all South Africans regarding access to land and other resources.

• A society based on the best in human civilization in terms of political and human freedoms, socio- economic rights, value systems and identity.

This is what Maida demanded of teachers as he launched SADTU in 1990.

The leadership of SADTU therefore calls upon all teachers to give Tata a birthday gift by working even harder to build a prosperous and united nation

 SADTU remains committed to the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC) which calls on teachers, department of education, learners, parents and communities to play their respective roles towards ensuring that learning and teaching takes place. As teachers, the QLTC calls on us to be at school on time, on task, prepared.

We support the call for every parent to donate a life changing book as a gift to Tata on his birthday.  This will help to resource libraries in schools.

A massive 79 per cent of public schools do not have a library in South Africa. Only eight per cent of public schools have functional libraries; 13 per cent have a library space without books or a librarian. Major international studies have shown that the provision of a functional library in a school will add between 10-25 per cent to average learner outcomes.

Meanwhile, SADTU and close to 1 600 delegates to the World Congress of Education International (EI) – a global teacher union federation, will each ‘bring a book’ to the congress which takes place in Cape Town from 22 – 26 July. The books willl be donated to Equal Education’s library campaign which aims to build libraries in poorly resourced schools.

 

SACP WISHES NELSON MANDELA A HAPPY 93BIRTHDAY

The SACP takes this opportunity to wish the stalwart of our revolution and our icon, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, affectionately known by his clan name 'Madiba', a Happy 93th birthday.

For years as an ANC activist and a leader of the ANC, he led and served with selfless dedication and embodied values that have been adored beyond the realms of our national liberation movement. It is this, which he learned in struggle in the ANC and our Alliance that makes Madiba an international hero in the struggle for the liberation of humanity from all forms of oppression and discrimination. It is what the ANC and our Alliance have stood for, even in the face of ruthless persecution and demonisation as a 'terrorist'.

Like most revolutionaries in our country, Madiba deeply valued the relationship between the SACP and the ANC. He particularly valued the dedication and role of South African communists in our national liberation struggle, and in the reconstruction of our country from the devastation wrought by the apartheid reime and it's policies. In his honour, as South African communists, we pledge to work even harder to eradicate all forms of oppression and discrimination in our society, as well as confront its foundations, the capitalist system. Speaking about the alliance of the ANC and the SACP at the 9 National Congress in 1995, Madiba had the following to say about the relationship between the ANC and the SACP:

“It is a relationship that has detractors in abundance; a relationship that has its prolific obituary scribes. But it is a relationship that always disappoints these experts.

Because it was tempered in struggle. It is written in the blood of many martyrs. And, today, it is reinforced by hard-won victory...

Our alliance is therefore not a marriage of convenience. Neither is it a communion of similar organisations, which differ only in name.

We talk of an alliance precisely because we are two independent organisations with political platforms and long-term goals that do not necessarily converge.”

Throughout his life Madiba was influenced by and influenced the ANC. He is what he is because of the ANC. He operated within the framework of organisational policies, discipline and decisions. Madiba’s understanding of the non racial principle of our movement for which he tirelessly campaigned for was, amongst others,elucidated by the ANC’s own principles and policies. In celebrating Madiba’s birthday we need to deepen the struggle for the creation of a truly non-racial South Africa with the correct understanding of the interconnectedness of race, class and gender in South Africa.

The SACP has noted now lately with disgust an attempt by some elite and even racist elements in society to try and define Madiba in isolation from the organisation that influenced and shaped his political commitment to the liberation of our people from political and economic bondage. Accompanying these opportunistic elements is to always pose their opposition to the ANC and its current leaders by using Madiba as a benchmark when they have no practical experience of what Madiba means and meant for the ANC and the millions of the workers and the poor of our country.

As we celebrate Madiba’s birthday and his legacy, we must recognise that the most immediate short term threat to his legacy is rampant corruption in the public and private sector, crass materialism and the use of our organisations as platforms for self accumulation. All these are in contrast to what Madiba came to represent and we must work hard to eradicate these from the fabric of our society.

We must fight poverty, unemployment and inequality to give meaning to his 93 years of sacrifice for the good of our people. The SACP is quite conscious that in order to achieve that we would have to deepen our fight against capitalism and its neo-liberal outlook which has resulted in this crisis that humanity faces today.

This July marks the 90th anniversary of the SACP. In celebrating this milestone, we will indeed also be remembering and celebrating the many leaders of the ANC who for decades were together in the trenches with the SACP.

The SACP wishes Madiba a joyful 93 Birthday!!

Commission for Gender Equality

Happy Birthday Tata Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela

The Acting Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on behalf of the Commission joins millions of other well wishers in wishing Tata Rolihlahla Mandela a wonderful “Happy Birthday”. As the Commission, there are no words to begin to describe this gallant freedom fighter of our lifetime, who despite being incarcerated for 27 years came out to spread a message of hope and goodwill to all races. Tata Mandela has continuously advocated for non-discriminatory, non-racial and non-sexiest and a just society. He is indeed a true legend of our society and a gender icon of note, as depicted by his call for a society free from gender oppression and inequality, something the Commission resonates with. Whilst, we celebrate the birth of this hero, the Commission calls upon all South Africans to remember his ideals and principles, such as dealing with the abuse of women and children and create an HIV and AIDS free society.

It is incumbent upon all of us to pay tribute on Mandela Day by giving time to the most deserving people of our society such the abused, people living with HIV and AIDS, poverty stricken families, Orphans etc.

On behalf of the Commission for Gender Equality, we say Happy Birthday Tata Nelson Mandela!

Mini emnandi kuwe! O hole o Kgokgobe! U kula u kula u ringana na Ndlopfu! Sikufisela usuku oluhle lokuzalwula! O gole o gole  dingwaga di ate o gole! Ri khou vha tamela Mashudu kha duvha la mabebo avho! Geseënde Versdag Tata Mandela!

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