ADDRESS BY, PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI MP, PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY TO THE PUBLIC MEETING OF OPPOSITION PARTIES ON THE PROTECTION OF STATE INFORMATION BILL, Khayelitsha, March 17 2012

Today, together, we have made history. Rarely are people granted the opportunity to make history through their own deeds, rather than being passive subjects of history made by somebody else on their behalf.

Never before in the history of South Africa have so many parties, so many leaders, so many churches, foundations and institutions of civil society stood together, side by side, hand by hand, under a joint common logo, to assert the right of the people to make history by themselves, for themselves, and through their own actions.

The last time any similar mass mobilization was witnessed in South Africa was before our liberation, 18 years ago. But at that time our society was deeply divided. Our standing together on this podium today shows that our society is finally united. South African people are united in saying "no" to the Secrecy Bill, in saying "no" to corruption and "no" to a Government which has failed the expectations of our liberation movement.

I have struggled for 65 years to bring about the genuine liberation of our people. I am committed to that struggle, to which I will dedicate every last breath that God grants me. I know that our struggle is far from complete and that, in many respects, it has been betrayed, because those who have reached the comfort and privileges of power have adopted a different set of values and priorities.

Corruption, self-enrichment, personal comfort and indolence have become more important than the social and economic development of the poor, and the good of our beloved country. The values of our liberation movement have been betrayed.

If this were not the case, we would not be here. Secrecy is not part of what we fought for. Lack of democracy is not part of what we fought for. Since our liberation, there has never been an issue like this in which what the people want and what Parliament is about to pass are two completely different things.

Everyone came to Parliament and made their submissions, and every submission rejected the Secrecy Bill in its present form. Yet the National Assembly proceeded to pass it. Those who are meant to represent the will of the people have divorced themselves from the will of the people and distanced themselves from what the people rightly want.

It is not for political representatives to decide whether or not the people are right in what they want. If we are real leaders we must accept being the servants of the people. The values of our liberation movement, for which so many generations laid down their lives and made untold sacrifices, are based on putting the people first and being servants of the people.

In this case, the ruling Party has prioritized its desire to create a system of secrecy in which people may not know what really happens in Government, so that corruption, inefficiency, indolence and lack of proper delivery of services can be covered up more easily.

My Party spearheaded the efforts to stop the Secrecy Bill. We launched the first effective filibustering in the history of post-liberation South Africa, which was a set of parliamentary actions which effectively delayed the passing of the Bill for four months from the time the ruling Party scheduled it to be passed by the National Assembly.

Those four months enabled the people of South Africa to mobilize, organize and mount political pressure like we have never seen before. When the Bill was finally passed by the National Assembly, all opposition parties committed themselves to fight this Bill in the NCOP, in the Constitutional Court and in our communities. We will continue to do so in rallies of this type, until we stop the ruling Party from imposing on the South African people something the South African people do not want.

Today, a line has been drawn in the sand. This event has brought us together and strengthened our shared political will. It is not the first time that opposition parties cooperate. We have done so many times in the past 18 years. However we all feel that this time something new, something better and something stronger is rising.

It is not rising from the will of us, the leaders, alone. It is rising from the will of the people, who are tired of corruption, lack of delivery and leaders who no longer care. This is the beginning of a new revolution in the making; a non-violent revolution driven by goodwill, integrity and dedication to the genuine values of democracy. This is a revolution of goodwill in which leaders work together, irrespective of their party affiliations, to give South Africa a new hope and a better future.

We are standing in front of a banner which reflects this vision. It gathers all parties around a round table, with no chairman and no junior partners. This is a coalition amongst equals, because we are equally committed to a better future and equally aware that things in South Africa are not going well. Unless we join forces, things are bound to become much worse, very quickly.

This is the time that we either join hands or accept that all we fought for may not come to pass. This is not the time for hesitation, one-upmanship or personal egos. The eyes of history are upon us. The eyes of the people are on their leaders. It is time for the leaders to set aside their inflated egos, personal agendas and political ambitions, and bow before the will of the people and the reasons of history, which demand that we come together, work together and commit together to give South Africa a better future.

Issued by the IFP, March 17 2012

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