ADDRESS BY HER WORSHIP THE MAYOR, CLR SHUSHA AT THE CIVIC RECEPTION FOR THE TEACHERS WITHOUT BORDERS MATHS PROJECT, FRIDAY 18 JULY 2003, COUNCIL CHAMBERS

Honourable Speaker, Clr Ravi Pillay, honoured guests from the US, Councillors, distinguished guest, friends, ladies and gentlemen.

Today is a special day in South Africa, as we join the rest of the world in wishing Tatu Mandela a happy 85th birthday. His dedication and commitment to improving the lives of his people has made him one the few greatest men to ever walk this soil. By the same token, today’s gathering is somewhat similar to Bab’ Mandela’s belief of dedicating oneself for the benefit of others. Today’s gathering is in honour of the people who have dedicated themselves in helping others and improving their skills.

It is for this reason that we are delighted to be hosting our distinguished guests who have graced our shores and joined us in the enormous task of building this beautiful country of ours. I’m using the word “build” simply because it describes, very clearly, the task that each of us is doing in improving the lives of our people. We are all, in different ways, building a better, brighter future for this country.

Today’s gathering goes back some three years when this joint venture started. To date, a number of teachers and pupils alike have benefited in terms of skills and techniques of today’s modern learning, especially with regards to maths and science. Last year’s matric pass rate showed a significant growth rate and I ‘m certain that one will not be wrong in attributing that success to programmes such as this one. To this end, I wish t thank, very sincerely, Mr Yunus Peer and his counterparts from Hawaii for a job well done. The effort that has gone into this project, over the years, is invaluable.

As Hibiscus Municipality, we are more convinced that partnerships of this nature are the way to go in speeding up development, whether it is infrastructure development or skills training. Forging ties with people sharing the same vision as yours has proven to be very effective, in our assessment. It is for this reason that we believe in establishing more relations with individuals, groups and organisations wanting to help build a better life for our people.

A special word of thanks also goes out to other partners in this venture. The Port Shepstone Rotary Club, Ms Pauline Duncan, the Department of Education, educators and other stakeholders who have really made a huge contribution towards this venture. To you we say, your efforts have not gone unnoticed. You have added value to a project that has had a huge impact to the lives of children and educators in our community.

As you return to Hawaii, please relay our joy and appreciation to the individual, groups and organisations that have worked with you to ensure that you succeed in your mission.

Let me conclude by wishing you everything of the best in future and I hope that you will have great success in planning and carrying out this project again in 2004.

Thank you

Clr NF Shusha

Mayor; Hibiscus Coast Municipality