Keynote Address by Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Prof. HlengiweMkhize, at The South African Tamil Federation’s 10th Anniversary National Children’s Tamil Eisteddfod

Durban City Hall, 13 July 2014

Master of Ceremonies 

MEC of Human Settlements, Mr. Ravi Pillay

President of the South African Tamil Federation, Mr. KarthigasenMoothsamy

Trustees and Executives of the South African Tamil Federation and its affiliates

Mrs Sally MudlyPadayachie

Invited guests 

Our young people present

Ladies and gentlemen

Allow me to take this opportunity to express my earnest appreciation for being invited to this august occasion. 

Unquestionably, one cannot help but admire the role and contribution that the South African Tamil Federation continues to impart on our society and particularly to the young people present among us today. 

As the mission statement of the Federation asserts, inculcating strong leadership, improving the quality of life and empowering the Tamil community of South Africa in the different spheres of their lives is vital in the pursuit of national goals. It is certainly these national goals that seek to improve social cohesion and promote the role of arts and culture in our society. 

Certainly, the National Children’s Eisteddfod has proven to be one of the most successful initiatives in ensuring the propagation and preservation of the Tamil’s community rich heritage over the past years. 

A month ago, NishreyasaNaicker, a Grade R pupil at Dawnridge Primary School in Moorton, participated in a Tamil Eisteddfod and recited a poem. She was placed first in her respective category. This example certainly illustrates the Federation’s commitment in inculcating strong leadership among our young people. 

In concluding the 9th National Children’s Eisteddfod in Benoni last year, the South African Tamil Federation affirmed that the Children’s Eisteddfod is an all-embracing, inclusive and social family-interface designed to bring people closer together and further contribute to the “fabric of unitedness”, within the cultural, educational, political, social and religious dimensions.

Essentially, the Eisteddfod movement and its cultural initiatives are considered to serve; building on collective social cohesion, strengthening human solidarity and understanding, and to allow for creative and artistic expression and exchanges. 

Commemorating its 25th year, the 2013 National Children’s Tamil Eisteddfod also identified, shaped and produced many young talents among us today. The vibrancy and excitement of these young today certainly continues to this day, as outlined in the National Children’s Eisteddfod’s  traditional pillars of Iyal, Isai and Naadagam – literature, music and drama.

Consequently, in paying tribute to Mr. RadhakrishnaRoy Padayachie, it is fitting that we reflect on his life and the contribution that he played in his community before his untimely demise. Roy Padayachie was a committed member of society whose life was defined by his continued activism and his work amongst the poorest communities. He certainly left behind a long track record of service to the South African people. 

One recalls the remarkable role he played during the 1980’s when he established the Chatsworth Early Learning Centre in Chartsworth, Durban. The centre provided pre-school education for children in the township. Through this Centre, Roy promoted parental and community involvement in Early Childhood Development. 

Accordingly, the Centre pioneered the playbus concept, which served poor communities by bringing educational play facilities in a bus that was converted into a mobile classroom. 

Later, Roy Padayachie extended this to include an outreach programme to provide similar educational facilities in the neighbouring townships of Lamontville and Clermont. He was also instrumental in training a large number of pre-school teachers from Umlazi and KwaMashu townships.  

During his State of the Nation Address in February 2010, President Jacob Zuma called on South Africans to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indianlabourers in South Africa during the month of November 2010. He further affirmed that this commemoration would provide an opportunity to recognize the contribution made by the Indian community in the fields of labour, business, science, sports, religions, arts, culture and the achievement and consolidation of our democracy. 

In keeping with this call, Roy invited the Minister of Arts and Culture, the Minister of Communications and the South African Post Office to partner and initiate a project where a series of commemorative stamps to mark the 150th anniversary were launched. The first series of these stamps were consequently launched in November 2011 where NGO’s, Faith Based Organisations and 500 community members attended the ceremony. A publication was produced and distributed to inform the public about the importance of this commemoration. 

Roy Padayachie certainly continued his activism by putting a concerted effort in the development of young people in the ICT sector. 

Through the development of key programmes such as the Youth Development and ICT Strategy, Roy recognised that young people need to be productive citizens in the Information and Communication Technology sector in a manner that is sustainable and contributes to South Africa’s development. 

His key premise was that young people should be provided opportunities and support that will ultimately maximise their individual and collective creative energies for personal development as well as development for the broader society of which they are an integral part. 

One of the key legacy projects that Roy left behind in the Department of Communications was bridging the digital divide in rural schools. He was often seen in remote areas delivering computers to destitute and previously marginalised schools. 

He was also instrumental in establishing the State Owned Entities Branch in the Department. This Branch has enabled the Department to have a better monitoring capacity of its State Owned Entities. This exercise, certainly, has enabled the beginning of the turnaround process for financial stability within the South African Broadcasting Corporation. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Roy also hosted a roundtable discussion with top 30 ICT companies in the country to partner with the Department of Communications in the job creation drive as per President Zuma’s call for job creation. The meeting agreed to establish an ICT Working Group that would take this initiative forward. 

With this in mind, the ICT Working Group met to align their collective leadership of the major ICT companies and State Owned Entities on a common vision for the sector as well as to create a focused purpose on the development of a job stimulus plan for the country. At the end, the ICT Working Group signed a pact of creating one million jobs, 100% broadband penetration and 100% internet access by 2020. 

Master of Ceremonies, the National Development Plan (NDP) recognises the importance of the Information and Communication Technology sector to our social and economic prosperity. The NDP asserts that: “By 2030, the government will make extensive use of ICT to engage with and provide services to citizens. All South Africans will be able to use core ICT services and enjoy access to a wide range of entertainment, information and educational services”. 

NDP further states that: “The e-strategy collaborations between the state, industry and academia will stimulate research and innovation, and promote local content production and multimedia hub establishment. These systems will be used to interact with the global ICT ecosystem, of which South Africa will be an integral part”. 

Indeed, Roy was a dedicated and disciplined cadre who executed his duties with honesty and excellence. The nation will always remember his contribution to the struggle for freedom and his dedication to the transformation of our society. 

Master of Ceremonies, we are truly honoured to testify that we knew the gentle and humble Roy Padayachie; a patriot who committed himself to the struggle to achieve a truly prosperous South Africa. 

In paying tribute to Comrade Roy, we reflect on the outstanding attributes that he displayed both as Member of Cabinet and as a member of society. 

Happily, we can all reflect back and affirm with conviction that Roy Padayachie achieved these aims during his tenure in Government. He stood for values of non-racialism, unity, peace and respect for humankind. 

To our young people, the information age has spurred a plethora of information tools and media at your disposal. With mobile access to Internet search engines such as Google and social media in the form of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Mixit, some among you are probably “tweeting away” on your cellphones right now as we speak. 

The youth of today have a new responsibility; it is the youth that need to be the core drivers of the digital revolution. Today’s youth live in an era where accessing the Internet has become effortless and has become an integral part of their lifestyles. 

However, I wish to take this opportunity to caution the potentially harmful behaviour that some among you may inflict on each other through social media. As young people you have to be responsible and conscious of the opportunities and threats that come with this digital revolution. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the usage of social media by young people is generally uncontrolled and there is no regular monitoring. Consequently, there are regular instances of “Cyber – bullying” on social media, where teenagers willfully and repeatedly use their mobile phones to post pictures or content that may hurt, harass or humiliate others. 

It is therefore important for us, as parents, to be aware of these actions and monitor them. 

In closing, I once again thank The South African Tamil Federation for allowing me this opportunity to speak to you and may you have a fruitful closing to this cultural activity. 

I thank you.