As usual Minister Shepherd Mdladlana does not stop at anything to keep the crowds in stitches and just licks what he has to take out of his month.
As he opened his speech and putting his spectacles to fit nicely on his eyes he says, “Comrades it is a pleasure and an honour for me to address the Seventh Annual Congress of the National Union of the Metalworkers of South Africa.” He sighs, looks at the crowd and continues, “The white rabbit put on his spectacles, ‘where shall I begin, please your majesty?’ he asked. ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said very gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end, then stop.’
“That was an excellent advice provided you know where your beginning is. Begin at the beginning. So let me begin from the beginning,” he maintained his straight face.
He went on to speak about the South African labour market. “Business complains that labour rights are too protected. They say that there is too much inflexibility and rigidity. Employers say that they should have a right to fire and hire. So as a stupid principal of a primary school, I ask myself, why are there so many people who are unemployed?” he frowns and Congress claps.
He also spoke about the scourge of HIV/AIDS. He said that one worker at some meeting asked him “why are many people dying of this disease? Why didn’t God bring it to mankind through bread? Why eyizise ngento emnandi kangaka (why did he bring it through something so nice?)”. His reply to the worker “Had the disease come through bread, we simply would boycott bread”. As if he was ululating, he continues THERE IS NO CURE FOR AIDS!! THERE IS NO CURE FOR AIDS!! THERE IS NO CURE FOR AIDS!! he reiterated this call so many times that he was close to tears, speaking from the heart.
He went on to speak about globalisation. That it will see the divide between the primary and secondary labour market deepen, which has the potential to further exacerbate the divide between the first and second economies. And he says that within the reality of the labour market, policies, programmes and legislation need to be developed and implemented. And as such he has identified 10 strategic objectives.
And he says that comrades should not panic because it is not a very big document. He relates how as he was preaching one day, he ordered the congregation to sing a hymn which has just 3 verses “˜Nkosi Sihlangane Manje’. The hymn is popularly known as HYMN NO.366. “In the middle of all of that, a voice erupts from one corner, ‘Oh God, when are we going to go home!’ The man thought it was a very long hymn!” the Shepherd beams at his own joke.
He goes on, “my 10 strategic objectives are very short. They are informed by the ANC’s vision of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014″. And it takes him plus minus 30 minutes to articulate his 10 strategic objectives. Be your own judge, hymn 366 versus the time he spent on articulating the objectives.
Mr Shepherd Sir, you never cease to amuse me, oh what a Minister!