Help rebuild SA's moral fibre - Zuma
2013-03-07 14:40
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Zuma
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Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma
called on all South Africans on Thursday to help rebuild the country's moral
fibre.
Opening the National House of
Traditional Leaders at Parliament, Zuma said success in the fight against crime
and violence generally depended on all South Africans, and not only on the
police.
"We have identified the
regeneration of the moral fibre and the strengthening of families and
communities as a priority," he said.
Family
The family was the foundation of
society, and the government's goal was to promote cohesive families,
households, and communities, where violence, deviance, and social decay would
be non-existent.
"This is the foundation of
a more caring, united, and more prosperous South Africa.
"We are aware of the
diverse nature of families and households in our country. We have single parent
households, granny-headed households, female-headed households, child-headed
households, and others."
The period of apartheid
colonialism had brought immense pressure to bear on the African family in
particular.
"We have gone through a
period of the migrant labour system and rapid urbanisation, leading to the
split in families, with breadwinners moving to the cities," Zuma said.
This had put pressure on
families, leading to children growing up with one or neither of their parents.
This continued to this day in some families, where parents could be called
"economic migrants".
The HIV/Aids pandemic and the
internecine violence of the 80s and 90s had also contributed to the breakdown
in family life.
Socio-economic conditions
Poverty, inequality, and
unemployment wreaked havoc on families and households. Inequality in income
distribution was also large and persistent, he said.
"These are the
socio-economic conditions we have to contend with, as we build united,
cohesive, caring, and stable families and communities. The situation does not
make our task easy.
"What is important in
building new and caring communities, is that everyone should play their
part," Zuma said.
There were shocking cases of
parents who did not know where their children were at any given time, even at night.
This was unacceptable. Parents
had to take responsibility for their children and children under their care.
They could not delegate this responsibility to the police or to the government.
"Beyond households and
families, working together we must promote a culture of accountability as all
sectors and leaders of society, including traditional leaders.
"We all have a
responsibility to socialise the youth to be caring, responsible and upright citizens."
Accountability
They had to know the values and
ethos in the Constitution which pronounced against all forms of discrimination
and violence.
Promoting this accountability
meant that communities should be involved in the affairs of the schools in
their jurisdictions.
They should motivate the youth
to go to school and support the teachers. No child should roam the streets
during school hours while their parents just looked away.
"The existence of taverns
near the schools and the fact that owners allow school children to patronise
these...[institutions] indicates the level of decay in our society.
"The abuse of alcohol,
drugs, and other substances is a contributory factor in some of the crimes that
are committed.
"These matters may look
small and insignificant, but on a larger scale, they take us to the problems we
face currently of wanton lawlessness.
Role of men
"More importantly, I wish
to highlight the role of men in building stronger families."
South Africa had a serious
challenge of absent living fathers in many households, especially African
households.
Poverty, high rates of
unemployment, and financial constraints could contribute to large numbers of
fathers failing to take responsibility for their children.
"However, this should not
be an excuse. Nothing stops a father from loving and caring for his children,
even if he is poor.
"It is well known that the
presence of a father has a positive effect in a child's life chances, academic
performance, and social and emotional well-being," Zuma said.
- SAPA
