Pretoria – The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ebrahim Ebrahim, has challenged employees within his department to understand, believe and adopt the values that struggle stalwart OR Tambo possessed.
“Throughout my years in this department, I have been humbled by the commitment shown by many of the colleagues here towards the implementation of our foreign policy. Our job is not an easy one. Like OR Tambo, the call of duty demands that we spend months, even years away from our family, friends and homeland.
“We do this because we have a fundamental understanding of the importance of striving to attain the goals that were set out for us by great people like OR Tambo, who had ideals … and were willing to fight tirelessly to see them realised, if not in their lifetime, then in ours,” Ebrahim said.
Speaking on the occasion of marking OR Tambo Month, held on Friday at OR Tambo Building -- the department’s headquarters in Pretoria -- Ebrahim cautioned that although much has been achieved, the national democratic revolution was far from over.
“The responsibility then falls on our shoulders to take the baton that OR Tambo passed on to us. We should embrace the concept of Ubuntu … as a way of commemorating comrade OR’s life, generosity, contributions and selflessness to humanity.
“Today, we should affirm that the spirit of OR Tambo lives on, even in this building. It lives on because the ideals for which he sacrificed his life can be seen through our selfless service to humanity, by touching the lives of those who are less privileged.”
Three years ago, the department launched the OR Tambo campaign titled ‘I am a Diplomat’, which seeks to inculcate the values that OR Tambo, the diplomat and the man, espoused.
On Friday, the department launched the second phase of the campaign. Ebrahim reminded employees that as they reflect on the life and times of the great leader, they should ask themselves what they were doing to carry on his legacy.
“Do we carry ourselves with the poise, respect and dignity that is required of diplomats? Do we work to ensure that we are truly ambassadors of South Africa – not just at work, but in the way we lead our lives?
“Do we carry out our work with patriotism, integrity, humility and passion? Are we committed to going over and above the call of duty to ensure that the hard won freedoms of the years before are enjoyed by all the citizens of this great nation?” he challenged the employees.
He stressed that the gathering was not only to pay homage to OR Tambo, but to also position the relevance of his legacy to the work they do. – SAnews.gov.za
