Programme Director, MMC for SRAC and H, Councillor Yusuf Mahomed, Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, culture and recreation, Honourable Faith Maziibuko, The Executive Mayor of the Sedibeng District Municipality, Councillor Busisiwe Modisakeng, The Speaker of the Sedibeng District Municipality, Councillor Greta Hlongwane, All Councillors present, Friends and compatriots.

Good morning to you all.

It is with great honour to welcome you all. We are on festive season, a time where cheerfulness takes its course. Let me start by acknowledging the presence of the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture in Gauteng, Honourable Faith Mazibuko. Your presence, MEC, means a lot to us.

I am standing here on behalf of the Executive Mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality, Councillor Mahole Simon Mofokeng who could not be with us this morning. It was 19 years ago when the former President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, signed the final draft of the constitution into law at Sharpeville on 10 December 1996.

This date was chosen because it also marked the International Human Rights Day and the location where the constitution was signed was significant and symbolic of the betrayal and brutality of past governments.
Where we are this morning, back in 1902 the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed between the British and Afrikaners disenfranchised the Black majority and set in motion processes that laid the foundation for apartheid. On 21 March 1960 police shot a crowd demonstrating against pass laws in Sharpeville.

On 2 February 1990 the National Party (NP) government unbanned political parties and began a process of releasing political prisoners, detainees and unbanning political activists. As a result negotiations for the dismantling of apartheid ushered in a democratic South Africa.

Twenty-six groups assembled at Kempton Park to draft a constitution, but it was later considered inappropriate for the groups to draft a final constitution as they were not elected. The draft produced was to serve as an Interim Constitution pending the drafting of a constitution by a democratically elected Constitutional Assembly.

The Interim Constitution was endorsed by the last apartheid parliament and became law as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993 on 27 April 1994. Following that the 1994 elections were governed by an interim constitution.

The Act required the Constitutional Assembly (CA) to draft and approve a final constitution by 9 May 1996. Between January 1995 and May 1996 the CA met regularly to draft the final constitution and on 8 May and forwarded to the Constitutional Court for ratification.

The Constitutional Court ruled in September 1996 that the new constitution failed to adhere to principles stated in the interim constitution. It was referred back to CA and after intense negotiations, a revised draft was submitted the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996. On 10 December 1996 President Nelson Mandela signed the final draft of the constitution into law effective from 3 February 1997.

With these few words, I welcome you once again.

I thank you.