Thobela ActionSA!
Thobela Limpopo!
Thobela Polokwane!
Thobela Mopani!
Thobela Makhado!
Thobela Vhembe!
Thobela Letaba!
Thobela Molemole!
Thobela Collins Chabane!
Thobela Makhuduthamaga!
Thobela Giyani!
Thobela Capricorn!
Thobela Tzaneen!
Bagaetsho, Bomme le borre, bafsa le bagolo, balemi, bašomi le borakgwebo — ke a le dumediša!
Limpopo ka moka, ke re thobela!
Re kopane mo lehono, re kopane ka matla, gomme re kopane ka maikemišetšo a go aga bokamoso bjo bokaone.
A re šomeng!!!
People of Limpopo. It is a privilege to stand before you. And I want to begin by saying something very simple. Limpopo matters. Limpopo matters to South Africa. Its people matter. Its young people matter. Its farmers matter. Its workers matter. Its entrepreneurs matter. Its elderly people matter.
And the millions of people who wake up every morning and work hard to build a better life for their families deserve a government that understands the seriousness of that responsibility.
Today, we are here as part of Mashupa Tsela Rally. And the meaning of that message is important. Because the people of Limpopo have travelled a long road.
They have waited.
They have voted.
They have paid taxes.
They have sent their children to school.
They have built businesses with almost nothing.
They have cultivated land.
They have worked in mines, farms, shops, factories and government offices.
They have kept communities alive through difficult circumstances.
But we must be honest about where we are.
There are communities in Limpopo where people still struggle to get reliable water.
There are communities where roads are deteriorating.
There are municipalities where basic services are not delivered consistently.
There are young people who have qualifications but cannot find employment.
There are entrepreneurs with ideas but no access to meaningful opportunities.
And there are families who are tired of hearing politicians explain why something cannot be done.
People want to know: When will it be done?
That is the question we must answer.
Not tomorrow.
Not after another five-year plan.
Now.
Limpopo’s own development planning documents acknowledge the scale of these challenges. Unemployment, poverty, inequality and water access remain significant problems. The province has also identified the need for investment in infrastructure and stronger municipal capacity.
So when we talk about fixing Limpopo, we are not talking about slogans.
We are talking about the daily lives of ordinary people.
When there is no water, it is not an abstract policy problem.
A mother must wake up early and look for water.
A child must go to school without knowing whether there will be water when they come home.
A small business cannot operate properly.
A farmer cannot plan properly.
A clinic cannot function properly.
Water is dignity.
Water is health.
Water is economic activity.
And therefore, water infrastructure must be treated as an economic priority, not simply a municipal department issue.
The same applies to roads.
A road is not merely asphalt.
A road connects a farmer to a market.
It connects a worker to employment.
It connects a child to school.
It connects a business to customers.
It connects a community to opportunity.
When municipal infrastructure collapses, economic opportunity collapses with it. That is why government must stop thinking about service delivery and economic growth as two separate things.
They are connected.
You cannot build a growing economy on failing infrastructure.
You cannot attract investment when businesses cannot rely on basic services.
You cannot expect young people to create businesses when municipalities make it difficult to operate.
And you cannot tell communities to be patient forever.
We need government that understands execution.
We need government that understands consequences.
We need government that understands that every rand taken from the public purse is money that must produce public value.
That brings me to corruption.
Let me be very clear.
Corruption is not victimless.
When somebody steals from a municipality, they are not stealing from an institution.
They are stealing from a community.
If money meant for a water project disappears, somebody goes without water.
If money meant for roads disappears, people continue driving on dangerous roads.
If money meant for a clinic disappears, people wait longer for healthcare.
If procurement is manipulated, honest businesses lose opportunities.
And when corruption becomes normalised, ordinary South Africans lose something even more important: trust.
Government cannot function without public trust.
But trust cannot be demanded.
Trust must be earned.
It must be earned through transparency.
It must be earned through consequences.
It must be earned through competent administration.
And above all, it must be earned by doing what you said you would do.
That is why accountability matters.
We need municipalities where councillors know exactly what they are responsible for.
We need officials who understand that public office is not private property.
We need procurement systems that are transparent.
We need consequence management that actually has consequences.
And we need citizens who refuse to accept corruption as simply “the way things are done.”
Because it is not.
It should never be.
Now, let me speak about something very close to my heart: jobs.
There is no greater source of frustration for a young person than having ambition without opportunity.
Limpopo has young people with qualifications.
Young people with skills.
Young people who understand technology.
Young people who want to farm.
Young people who want to start construction companies.
Young people who want to become electricians, plumbers, mechanics, designers, programmers, filmmakers and entrepreneurs.
But ambition needs an enabling environment.
A young person should not need a political connection to get an opportunity.
An entrepreneur should not need to know a councillor to get a contract.
A farmer should not need political connections to access economic opportunity.
And a businessperson should not spend months fighting bureaucracy simply to obtain permission to operate.
We need to create an environment where ability, hard work and innovation can actually produce results. That means supporting small businesses.
It means cutting unnecessary red tape.
It means maintaining infrastructure.
It means creating functioning municipalities.
It means connecting agriculture to markets.
It means supporting agro-processing.
It means making use of Limpopo’s position in South Africa and its connections with neighbouring countries.
And it means recognising that government does not create every job.
Government must create the conditions in which people can create jobs.
That principle is something I have lived.
And I want to tell you a story from my own life.
A story I have written about in Black Like You.
I was a young man.
I did not come from wealth.
I did not have a powerful family behind me.
I did not have a large corporation waiting to finance my dream.
I saw an opportunity.
Black South Africans needed products designed for them. I believed there was a business opportunity in solving that problem. But an idea is not enough. You need courage. You need discipline. And sometimes you need somebody willing to take a chance on you.
In 1985, I borrowed R30,000 to start Black Like Me. That money was not a gift. It was a loan. And it came with serious financial pressure. We started small. Very small. The business began in Ga-Rankuwa.
We had a chemist’s formulation.
We mixed products in a 200-litre drum.
We had to sell.
We had to distribute.
We had to convince people that a young black entrepreneur could build something of value.
And then something happened that I will never forget.
We repaid that loan in seven months.
That story is not important because of Herman Mashaba.
It is important because of what it says about South Africans.
It says that circumstances do not have to determine destiny.
It says that an entrepreneur with a good idea, discipline and access to opportunity can create something much bigger than himself.
It says that capital matters.
Markets matter. Infrastructure matters. Skills matter. But confidence matters too. And I want every young person listening to me today to understand something:
Do not allow anybody to convince you that your future must be limited by the circumstances into which you were born. But let me also say this: We cannot romanticise entrepreneurship. It is hard.
I know.
You need an environment that works.
You need access to finance.
You need reliable electricity and water.
You need roads.
You need customers.
You need security.
You need predictable regulation.
You need government that understands that when a small business succeeds, families eat.
Children go to school. Workers earn salaries. Communities become stronger. That is why economic policy cannot simply be about big corporations. It must also be about the person selling from a small shop. The woman running a catering business. The young man repairing cellphones. The farmer trying to expand production. The person who wants to turn a small idea into a real company. Those people are part of South Africa’s economic future.
And Limpopo has enormous potential.
Agriculture.
Mining.
Tourism.
Manufacturing.
Logistics.
Cross-border trade.
Small businesses.
Creative industries.
There is no shortage of opportunity.
The question is whether we create the conditions for that opportunity to be realised.
That brings me to leadership.
Leadership is not about standing on a stage and making promises.
Leadership is about accepting responsibility.
If something goes wrong under your watch, you cannot simply blame somebody else.
You must ask:
What happened?
Why did it happen?
Who was responsible?
What are we going to do about it?
And how do we make sure it does not happen again?
That is what accountability means.
It is also why the commitment to an ethics oath matters.
An elected representative must understand that the money they control belongs to the people.
The office they occupy belongs to the people.
The resources they administer belong to the people.
And the power they exercise is entrusted to them by the people.
We must therefore rebuild the culture of public service.
We need people who understand that when you become a councillor, you do not become more important than the community.
You become more accountable to the community.
That distinction is fundamental.
Today we have people representing different communities across Limpopo.
We have candidates and leaders working in different municipalities and regions.
And I want to acknowledge the people who have put their names forward to serve.
Among them is Victor Mothemela.
Victor comes from Seshego Zone 1 outside Polokwane. His background includes service in the South African Defence Force and the South African Police Service before moving into business.
There are also candidates preparing to serve communities across municipalities including Greater Tzaneen, Greater Giyani, Mopani, Greater Letaba and Makhado.
But let me make something very clear.
A candidate’s name is not enough. A political party’s name is not enough. A speech is not enough. A promise is not enough.
What matters is what happens after the cameras leave.
What matters is what happens when residents phone about a broken pipe.
What happens when a road collapses.
What happens when a small business needs assistance.
What happens when a community raises a complaint.
What happens when an official fails.
That is where leadership is tested. Not on a stage. In the municipality. In the ward. In the community.
On the ground. That is why the work we have been doing in communities — from Giyani to Polokwane and other parts of Limpopo — must ultimately be judged by whether it produces measurable improvements for residents.
We must be able to look people in the eye and say:
Here is the problem.
Here is the plan.
Here is who is responsible.
Here is the deadline.
And here is how you can hold us accountable.
That is the standard.
Not excuses.
Not slogans.
Not endless committees.
Execution.
I also want to speak directly to the people who have become disillusioned with politics and politicians who betray them and make false promises to them.
For the last 32 years, you have continued to vote for the ANC, a party that is still struggling to manage its own internal affairs. You see it in the media almost every day: disputes over leadership, disagreements over positions, internal battles and conflicts that end up in court and when their leaders have to respond to matters regarding illegal immigrants they faint and collapse and are still not accountable.
And I ask you, my people of Limpopo: if a party cannot resolve its own internal problems without turning them into public battles, how can you trust it to prioritise the problems affecting your families, your communities and your future?
For 32 years, you have given this party your votes and your trust. But today, I want to appeal to you to pause and ask yourselves an important question: what about you? What about your children? What about the generations that will come after you? Your future cannot remain hostage to the internal politics of any political party.
Your children deserve functioning municipalities, reliable water, good roads, opportunities to work, and the chance to build businesses and live with dignity. You have a responsibility not only to remember where you come from, but also to think carefully about where you want your children to go. Do not vote out of habit, loyalty or fear of change. Look at the record. Ask the difficult questions. Consider what your community needs and what future generations deserve. The future of Limpopo belongs to you, and the decision about that future rests in your hands.
I understand you.
Some people have heard promises for decades.
Some people have registered.
Some people have voted.
Some have participated in community meetings.
And yet they still ask:
“What has changed?”
That question deserves respect.
We cannot insult people for being frustrated.
We cannot dismiss people for being angry.
We cannot tell somebody who has gone without water for days that they simply need more patience.
Their frustration is a legitimate political message.
But there is also something important that citizens must remember.
Democracy gives ordinary people something extraordinarily powerful: the ability to hold leaders accountable. That accountability does not end on election day. It begins there.
Citizens must ask questions. They must examine promises. They must demand evidence. They must attend council meetings where possible. They must scrutinise municipal performance. They must question budgets. They must demand transparency. And they must never surrender their voice.
Because democracy is not a spectator sport. It belongs to all of us. Limpopo belongs to all of us. South Africa belongs to all of us. And the future belongs to all of us.
So, as we travel through this province, let us remember the purpose of Mashupa Tsela.
We are not here simply to hold another political event.
We are here to listen.
We are here to account.
We are here to talk about what is broken.
We are here to talk about what can be fixed. And we are here to remind ourselves that government exists to serve citizens.
The people are not servants of government. Government is the servant of the people. That principle must never be forgotten.
We must build municipalities where water flows.
Where roads are maintained.
Where waste is collected.
Where financial systems work.
Where procurement is transparent.
Where businesses can operate.
Where young people can find opportunity.
Where farmers can produce.
Where communities are safe.
And where elected representatives understand that their position comes with responsibility.
That is the Limpopo we should all want.
A Limpopo where a child growing up in Seshego can dream beyond the circumstances of today.
A Limpopo where a young person in Giyani can build a business without needing a political connection.
A Limpopo where a farmer in Mopani can get produce to market.
A Limpopo where an entrepreneur in Makhado can grow a company.
A Limpopo where a family in Polokwane does not have to organise its life around the uncertainty of water.
And a Limpopo where public money is treated with the respect it deserves.
I want to return to the story of Black Like Me for one final reason.
When we started that business, we did not know how far it would go.
We only knew that there was a problem to solve.
That is often where transformation begins.
Not with certainty.
With a decision.
Someone sees a problem and says:
I can do something about this.
That is the spirit we need in South Africa.
We need citizens who refuse to believe that failure is inevitable.
We need entrepreneurs who are prepared to take risks.
We need young people who believe that their lives can be bigger than their circumstances.
We need public servants who understand that their job is to solve problems.
And we need leaders who understand that leadership is ultimately about service.
So, to the people of Limpopo:
Keep asking questions.
Keep demanding accountability.
Keep demanding clean government.
Keep demanding functioning municipalities.
Keep demanding opportunity.
Keep demanding that public representatives explain what they are doing with the authority entrusted to them.
And never allow anybody to tell you that you are asking for too much when you ask for the basics.
Water is not too much.
A functioning road is not too much.
A clean municipality is not too much.
An opportunity to work is not too much.
Safety is not too much.
Dignity is not too much.
These are the basic expectations of citizens in a constitutional democracy.
And that is the standard we must continue to demand.
People of Limpopo,
The road ahead will not be easy. But South Africa has never been built by people who waited for easy circumstances. It has been built by people who looked at difficult circumstances and decided that they would not surrender. I know something about that. I was that young man with a loan and a dream.
We started with a drum. We started with an idea. We started with very little. But we started. And that is the lesson I want to leave with you today: Never underestimate what can happen when ordinary people decide that their circumstances will not define them. Limpopo has people like that. South Africa has people like that.
They are everywhere.
They are the entrepreneurs.
The farmers.
The workers.
The students.
The mothers.
The fathers.
The young people.
The pensioners.
The community activists.
The small-business owners.
The people who wake up every morning and keep going.
Those are the people whose future we are talking about.
Those are the people whose dignity must be protected.
And those are the people to whom every public representative must ultimately answer.
So let us continue the journey.
Let us continue asking the difficult questions.
Let us continue demanding accountability.
Let us continue working in our communities.
And let us continue building a South Africa where government works for the people it serves.
Limpopo matters.
Its people matter.
And the future of this province must be built not on promises, but on work.
Not on excuses, but on accountability. Not on fear, but on opportunity. Not on corruption, but on integrity. And not on waiting, but on action.
On the 4th November, your voice will matter.
Go out, participate, and exercise your democratic right to vote and make your decision with confidence and responsibility. Your vote is your voice. Your future is in your hands.
Tšwelopele ga e tle ka go leta; e tla ka go dira.”
Bagaetsho, nako ya go leta e fedile.
A re šomeng. A re ageng. A re tšweleng pele.
Limpopo ke ya rena. Bokamoso ke bja rena.
Mashupa Tsela!!! A re šomeng!!!
REMEMBER ON 04 NOVEMBER WE ARE VOTING ACTIONSA!!!
Thank you.
God bless Limpopo.
And God bless the people of South Africa.
ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba, Delivers Keynote Address At Mashupa Tsela Rally in Limpopo
Thobela ActionSA!
Thobela Limpopo!
Thobela Polokwane!
Thobela Mopani!
Thobela Makhado!
Thobela Vhembe!
Thobela Letaba!
Thobela Molemole!
Thobela Collins Chabane!
Thobela Makhuduthamaga!
Thobela Giyani!
Thobela Capricorn!
Thobela Tzaneen!
Bagaetsho, Bomme le borre, bafsa le bagolo, balemi, bašomi le borakgwebo — ke a le dumediša!
Limpopo ka moka, ke re thobela!
Re kopane mo lehono, re kopane ka matla, gomme re kopane ka maikemišetšo a go aga bokamoso bjo bokaone.
A re šomeng!!!
People of Limpopo. It is a privilege to stand before you. And I want to begin by saying something very simple. Limpopo matters. Limpopo matters to South Africa. Its people matter. Its young people matter. Its farmers matter. Its workers matter. Its entrepreneurs matter. Its elderly people matter.
And the millions of people who wake up every morning and work hard to build a better life for their families deserve a government that understands the seriousness of that responsibility.
Today, we are here as part of Mashupa Tsela Rally. And the meaning of that message is important. Because the people of Limpopo have travelled a long road.
They have waited.
They have voted.
They have paid taxes.
They have sent their children to school.
They have built businesses with almost nothing.
They have cultivated land.
They have worked in mines, farms, shops, factories and government offices.
They have kept communities alive through difficult circumstances.
But we must be honest about where we are.
There are communities in Limpopo where people still struggle to get reliable water.
There are communities where roads are deteriorating.
There are municipalities where basic services are not delivered consistently.
There are young people who have qualifications but cannot find employment.
There are entrepreneurs with ideas but no access to meaningful opportunities.
And there are families who are tired of hearing politicians explain why something cannot be done.
People want to know: When will it be done?
That is the question we must answer.
Not tomorrow.
Not after another five-year plan.
Now.
Limpopo’s own development planning documents acknowledge the scale of these challenges. Unemployment, poverty, inequality and water access remain significant problems. The province has also identified the need for investment in infrastructure and stronger municipal capacity.
So when we talk about fixing Limpopo, we are not talking about slogans.
We are talking about the daily lives of ordinary people.
When there is no water, it is not an abstract policy problem.
A mother must wake up early and look for water.
A child must go to school without knowing whether there will be water when they come home.
A small business cannot operate properly.
A farmer cannot plan properly.
A clinic cannot function properly.
Water is dignity.
Water is health.
Water is economic activity.
And therefore, water infrastructure must be treated as an economic priority, not simply a municipal department issue.
The same applies to roads.
A road is not merely asphalt.
A road connects a farmer to a market.
It connects a worker to employment.
It connects a child to school.
It connects a business to customers.
It connects a community to opportunity.
When municipal infrastructure collapses, economic opportunity collapses with it. That is why government must stop thinking about service delivery and economic growth as two separate things.
They are connected.
You cannot build a growing economy on failing infrastructure.
You cannot attract investment when businesses cannot rely on basic services.
You cannot expect young people to create businesses when municipalities make it difficult to operate.
And you cannot tell communities to be patient forever.
We need government that understands execution.
We need government that understands consequences.
We need government that understands that every rand taken from the public purse is money that must produce public value.
That brings me to corruption.
Let me be very clear.
Corruption is not victimless.
When somebody steals from a municipality, they are not stealing from an institution.
They are stealing from a community.
If money meant for a water project disappears, somebody goes without water.
If money meant for roads disappears, people continue driving on dangerous roads.
If money meant for a clinic disappears, people wait longer for healthcare.
If procurement is manipulated, honest businesses lose opportunities.
And when corruption becomes normalised, ordinary South Africans lose something even more important: trust.
Government cannot function without public trust.
But trust cannot be demanded.
Trust must be earned.
It must be earned through transparency.
It must be earned through consequences.
It must be earned through competent administration.
And above all, it must be earned by doing what you said you would do.
That is why accountability matters.
We need municipalities where councillors know exactly what they are responsible for.
We need officials who understand that public office is not private property.
We need procurement systems that are transparent.
We need consequence management that actually has consequences.
And we need citizens who refuse to accept corruption as simply “the way things are done.”
Because it is not.
It should never be.
Now, let me speak about something very close to my heart: jobs.
There is no greater source of frustration for a young person than having ambition without opportunity.
Limpopo has young people with qualifications.
Young people with skills.
Young people who understand technology.
Young people who want to farm.
Young people who want to start construction companies.
Young people who want to become electricians, plumbers, mechanics, designers, programmers, filmmakers and entrepreneurs.
But ambition needs an enabling environment.
A young person should not need a political connection to get an opportunity.
An entrepreneur should not need to know a councillor to get a contract.
A farmer should not need political connections to access economic opportunity.
And a businessperson should not spend months fighting bureaucracy simply to obtain permission to operate.
We need to create an environment where ability, hard work and innovation can actually produce results. That means supporting small businesses.
It means cutting unnecessary red tape.
It means maintaining infrastructure.
It means creating functioning municipalities.
It means connecting agriculture to markets.
It means supporting agro-processing.
It means making use of Limpopo’s position in South Africa and its connections with neighbouring countries.
And it means recognising that government does not create every job.
Government must create the conditions in which people can create jobs.
That principle is something I have lived.
And I want to tell you a story from my own life.
A story I have written about in Black Like You.
I was a young man.
I did not come from wealth.
I did not have a powerful family behind me.
I did not have a large corporation waiting to finance my dream.
I saw an opportunity.
Black South Africans needed products designed for them. I believed there was a business opportunity in solving that problem. But an idea is not enough. You need courage. You need discipline. And sometimes you need somebody willing to take a chance on you.
In 1985, I borrowed R30,000 to start Black Like Me. That money was not a gift. It was a loan. And it came with serious financial pressure. We started small. Very small. The business began in Ga-Rankuwa.
We had a chemist’s formulation.
We mixed products in a 200-litre drum.
We had to sell.
We had to distribute.
We had to convince people that a young black entrepreneur could build something of value.
And then something happened that I will never forget.
We repaid that loan in seven months.
That story is not important because of Herman Mashaba.
It is important because of what it says about South Africans.
It says that circumstances do not have to determine destiny.
It says that an entrepreneur with a good idea, discipline and access to opportunity can create something much bigger than himself.
It says that capital matters.
Markets matter. Infrastructure matters. Skills matter. But confidence matters too. And I want every young person listening to me today to understand something:
Do not allow anybody to convince you that your future must be limited by the circumstances into which you were born. But let me also say this: We cannot romanticise entrepreneurship. It is hard.
I know.
You need an environment that works.
You need access to finance.
You need reliable electricity and water.
You need roads.
You need customers.
You need security.
You need predictable regulation.
You need government that understands that when a small business succeeds, families eat.
Children go to school. Workers earn salaries. Communities become stronger. That is why economic policy cannot simply be about big corporations. It must also be about the person selling from a small shop. The woman running a catering business. The young man repairing cellphones. The farmer trying to expand production. The person who wants to turn a small idea into a real company. Those people are part of South Africa’s economic future.
And Limpopo has enormous potential.
Agriculture.
Mining.
Tourism.
Manufacturing.
Logistics.
Cross-border trade.
Small businesses.
Creative industries.
There is no shortage of opportunity.
The question is whether we create the conditions for that opportunity to be realised.
That brings me to leadership.
Leadership is not about standing on a stage and making promises.
Leadership is about accepting responsibility.
If something goes wrong under your watch, you cannot simply blame somebody else.
You must ask:
What happened?
Why did it happen?
Who was responsible?
What are we going to do about it?
And how do we make sure it does not happen again?
That is what accountability means.
It is also why the commitment to an ethics oath matters.
An elected representative must understand that the money they control belongs to the people.
The office they occupy belongs to the people.
The resources they administer belong to the people.
And the power they exercise is entrusted to them by the people.
We must therefore rebuild the culture of public service.
We need people who understand that when you become a councillor, you do not become more important than the community.
You become more accountable to the community.
That distinction is fundamental.
Today we have people representing different communities across Limpopo.
We have candidates and leaders working in different municipalities and regions.
And I want to acknowledge the people who have put their names forward to serve.
Among them is Victor Mothemela.
Victor comes from Seshego Zone 1 outside Polokwane. His background includes service in the South African Defence Force and the South African Police Service before moving into business.
There are also candidates preparing to serve communities across municipalities including Greater Tzaneen, Greater Giyani, Mopani, Greater Letaba and Makhado.
But let me make something very clear.
A candidate’s name is not enough. A political party’s name is not enough. A speech is not enough. A promise is not enough.
What matters is what happens after the cameras leave.
What matters is what happens when residents phone about a broken pipe.
What happens when a road collapses.
What happens when a small business needs assistance.
What happens when a community raises a complaint.
What happens when an official fails.
That is where leadership is tested. Not on a stage. In the municipality. In the ward. In the community.
On the ground. That is why the work we have been doing in communities — from Giyani to Polokwane and other parts of Limpopo — must ultimately be judged by whether it produces measurable improvements for residents.
We must be able to look people in the eye and say:
Here is the problem.
Here is the plan.
Here is who is responsible.
Here is the deadline.
And here is how you can hold us accountable.
That is the standard.
Not excuses.
Not slogans.
Not endless committees.
Execution.
I also want to speak directly to the people who have become disillusioned with politics and politicians who betray them and make false promises to them.
For the last 32 years, you have continued to vote for the ANC, a party that is still struggling to manage its own internal affairs. You see it in the media almost every day: disputes over leadership, disagreements over positions, internal battles and conflicts that end up in court and when their leaders have to respond to matters regarding illegal immigrants they faint and collapse and are still not accountable.
And I ask you, my people of Limpopo: if a party cannot resolve its own internal problems without turning them into public battles, how can you trust it to prioritise the problems affecting your families, your communities and your future?
For 32 years, you have given this party your votes and your trust. But today, I want to appeal to you to pause and ask yourselves an important question: what about you? What about your children? What about the generations that will come after you? Your future cannot remain hostage to the internal politics of any political party.
Your children deserve functioning municipalities, reliable water, good roads, opportunities to work, and the chance to build businesses and live with dignity. You have a responsibility not only to remember where you come from, but also to think carefully about where you want your children to go. Do not vote out of habit, loyalty or fear of change. Look at the record. Ask the difficult questions. Consider what your community needs and what future generations deserve. The future of Limpopo belongs to you, and the decision about that future rests in your hands.
I understand you.
Some people have heard promises for decades.
Some people have registered.
Some people have voted.
Some have participated in community meetings.
And yet they still ask:
“What has changed?”
That question deserves respect.
We cannot insult people for being frustrated.
We cannot dismiss people for being angry.
We cannot tell somebody who has gone without water for days that they simply need more patience.
Their frustration is a legitimate political message.
But there is also something important that citizens must remember.
Democracy gives ordinary people something extraordinarily powerful: the ability to hold leaders accountable. That accountability does not end on election day. It begins there.
Citizens must ask questions. They must examine promises. They must demand evidence. They must attend council meetings where possible. They must scrutinise municipal performance. They must question budgets. They must demand transparency. And they must never surrender their voice.
Because democracy is not a spectator sport. It belongs to all of us. Limpopo belongs to all of us. South Africa belongs to all of us. And the future belongs to all of us.
So, as we travel through this province, let us remember the purpose of Mashupa Tsela.
We are not here simply to hold another political event.
We are here to listen.
We are here to account.
We are here to talk about what is broken.
We are here to talk about what can be fixed. And we are here to remind ourselves that government exists to serve citizens.
The people are not servants of government. Government is the servant of the people. That principle must never be forgotten.
We must build municipalities where water flows.
Where roads are maintained.
Where waste is collected.
Where financial systems work.
Where procurement is transparent.
Where businesses can operate.
Where young people can find opportunity.
Where farmers can produce.
Where communities are safe.
And where elected representatives understand that their position comes with responsibility.
That is the Limpopo we should all want.
A Limpopo where a child growing up in Seshego can dream beyond the circumstances of today.
A Limpopo where a young person in Giyani can build a business without needing a political connection.
A Limpopo where a farmer in Mopani can get produce to market.
A Limpopo where an entrepreneur in Makhado can grow a company.
A Limpopo where a family in Polokwane does not have to organise its life around the uncertainty of water.
And a Limpopo where public money is treated with the respect it deserves.
I want to return to the story of Black Like Me for one final reason.
When we started that business, we did not know how far it would go.
We only knew that there was a problem to solve.
That is often where transformation begins.
Not with certainty.
With a decision.
Someone sees a problem and says:
I can do something about this.
That is the spirit we need in South Africa.
We need citizens who refuse to believe that failure is inevitable.
We need entrepreneurs who are prepared to take risks.
We need young people who believe that their lives can be bigger than their circumstances.
We need public servants who understand that their job is to solve problems.
And we need leaders who understand that leadership is ultimately about service.
So, to the people of Limpopo:
Keep asking questions.
Keep demanding accountability.
Keep demanding clean government.
Keep demanding functioning municipalities.
Keep demanding opportunity.
Keep demanding that public representatives explain what they are doing with the authority entrusted to them.
And never allow anybody to tell you that you are asking for too much when you ask for the basics.
Water is not too much.
A functioning road is not too much.
A clean municipality is not too much.
An opportunity to work is not too much.
Safety is not too much.
Dignity is not too much.
These are the basic expectations of citizens in a constitutional democracy.
And that is the standard we must continue to demand.
People of Limpopo,
The road ahead will not be easy. But South Africa has never been built by people who waited for easy circumstances. It has been built by people who looked at difficult circumstances and decided that they would not surrender. I know something about that. I was that young man with a loan and a dream.
We started with a drum. We started with an idea. We started with very little. But we started. And that is the lesson I want to leave with you today: Never underestimate what can happen when ordinary people decide that their circumstances will not define them. Limpopo has people like that. South Africa has people like that.
They are everywhere.
They are the entrepreneurs.
The farmers.
The workers.
The students.
The mothers.
The fathers.
The young people.
The pensioners.
The community activists.
The small-business owners.
The people who wake up every morning and keep going.
Those are the people whose future we are talking about.
Those are the people whose dignity must be protected.
And those are the people to whom every public representative must ultimately answer.
So let us continue the journey.
Let us continue asking the difficult questions.
Let us continue demanding accountability.
Let us continue working in our communities.
And let us continue building a South Africa where government works for the people it serves.
Limpopo matters.
Its people matter.
And the future of this province must be built not on promises, but on work.
Not on excuses, but on accountability. Not on fear, but on opportunity. Not on corruption, but on integrity. And not on waiting, but on action.
On the 4th November, your voice will matter.
Go out, participate, and exercise your democratic right to vote and make your decision with confidence and responsibility. Your vote is your voice. Your future is in your hands.
Tšwelopele ga e tle ka go leta; e tla ka go dira.”
Bagaetsho, nako ya go leta e fedile.
A re šomeng. A re ageng. A re tšweleng pele.
Limpopo ke ya rena. Bokamoso ke bja rena.
Mashupa Tsela!!! A re šomeng!!!
REMEMBER ON 04 NOVEMBER WE ARE VOTING ACTIONSA!!!
Thank you.
God bless Limpopo.
And God bless the people of South Africa.