The depth of the pain suffered by the people of Rwanda can never be appreciated by others. In an orgy of violent madness, neighbour turned against neighbour in a killing rampage that shocked the world.
We saw what happened to Jewish communities in Europe; we have seen families removed from the face of the earth in other parts of the world.
South Africa, too, had to deal with the pain of systematic killings before the 1994 elections, directed by those who stood against peace.
We survived that painful episode, but we should never forget. As a nation, the future lies in our being honest about our past.
The people of Rwanda today hold their heads high and are a reminder of what human beings are capable of. We should never forget what happened there if we are not to repeat the past.
Rwandans should tell the world of their pain and remind all of us where we come from.
South Africa will continue to be shaped by its past. Those who argue that we should "move on" and forget the past should say the same to the Jews. They should tell mothers who have lost children to forget about them.
Rwandans will have to go through the process of healing and we should give them all the support they need.
The constitution of this country gives rights to all of us and we must guard them jealously.
We cannot allow politicians to dictate to us what is right and what is wrong. We cannot allow them to limit our rights on the strength of their appropriation of the sacrifices made by others in winning us our freedom.
The future of this country should be decided by us, the people. If we fail in this and allow others to take our decisions for us, we run the risk of being mere passengers and spectators.
As we prepare for the national elections, just like the Rwandans, we should take charge of our future. South Africa is not owned by a group of individuals - we are our own custodians.
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