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Millennium Message
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Health

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

MILLENNIUM MESSAGE DELIVERED BY

DR BEVAN MONWABISI GOQWANA

ON THE 23 DECEMBER 1999



The Festive Season has come and as we all know people around the World are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. On behalf of the 
Department of Health in Eastern Cape I wish all the people of the Province, Black and White, young and old, men, women, workers, poor and 
rich a very happy Christmas.

As the year draws to an end we are anxiously waiting to observe a New Year with a difference. Some people see it as a beginning of a new 
day, others as a new year, while some see it as the next 100 years and there are those who see it as the next 1000 years. Be that as it 
may, it is a human nature to think that next day or year or millennium brings hope and prosperity with fewer problems. While it is human to 
have positive expectations about the new day or year or millennium we must remember two things.

1.  Life is not always a bad of roses. There will be ups and downs. When we hope for better life we must pray to be strong so as to be able 
to withstand difficult times. In fact we should learn from experience and build from it.

2.  We must always remember that future is neutral. We determine our future. We shape and mould it. Whatever you do today will decide your 
future. If you decide to put much effort on developing your skills and broadening your knowledge you are shaping your destiny.

What I am trying to convey is that we can only hope for the better in the new millennium and it is better that we start now to shape our 
future.

In wishing our people a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year or rather a New Millennium I want to challenge them to begin to shape 
their future now. I want to remind people that there is a pain of regret and there is pain of frustration. When one is told to use a condom 
he/she might be frustrated because he/she would not enjoy sex the way he/she wanted, but, when he/she is told that he/she is HIV positive 
because he/she never used a condom it is a pain of regret. While the pain of frustration can be dealt with and easily forgotten, the pain 
of regret continues to haunt that person.

As we approach the New Millennium it is imperative to mention a few historical developments that have fundamentally change perceptions of 
our well-being.

The past 100 years has been marked by major developments in the field of medicine that were never imagined before. The discovery of drugs, 
through research, such as insulin, and therapy for a variety of viruses and diseases has significantly contributed to the life sustenance 
which otherwise was unthinkable before. This development was coupled with revolutionary changes in the life sustenance machinery such as CT 
Scanner and others. Despite all this there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS let alone having a vaccine for it.

However, despite all these breakthroughs there is still areas which need more and more thorough research. We still have -:

* Incurable diseases,
* Incurable but controllable diseases and,
* Incurable but uncontrollable diseases.

The challenge for the new millennium should be more focused on genetic manipulation/mutation so as to influence the disease process. You 
must recall that some people believe that HIV mutation made it to be lethal. We are definite that in this new millennium we can have some 
breakthrough.

What we need to understand is that most of the diseases that we encounter are as a result of the environment around us. Of particular 
concern is the effect of environmental degradation and the increasing atmospheric pollution, which is not coupled with metabolic changes in 
our bodies, makes us vulnerable to many diseases. The resources we have are not infinite. The famine and draught that has engulfed our 
continent and many parts of the Third World is the result of poor management of natural resources, which influence climatic changes. In as 
much as we are concerned about creating more space for houses and agricultural land and creating more industries for jobs, we must ensure 
that the environment is managed properly. As the millennium starts lets make sure that environmental protection is the key.

It is also of vital importance that we manage our life style properly. In most cases some diseases occur as a result of unhygienic foods or 
diets we eat. Most often the people who are admitted for serious diseases are those who tend to over consume certain foods. The body can 
only accommodate certain quantity of each item on the diet above which negative results are accumulated over a long period of time 
resulting in such diseases. Unfortunately, they tend to consume a significant amount of our limited health budget. Healthy eating should be 
accompanied by exercises. People who do not exercise are more prone to diseases.

The last 100 years of this millennium has also been marked by decades of suffering in Africa in general and Sub-Saharan Africa in 
particular, which has seriously undermined our human resource capacity to develop the continent. Apart from post-colonial trauma, many 
countries have not been able to realise their potential due to a variety of causes e.g. post-colonial conflicts, famine, drought, poor 
resource management, corruption, nepotism, poor planning, etc.

The concept of African Renaissance is an attempt to reinvent Africa, to regain its dignity and unlocking its potential. This concept should 
not be defined in such a way that it loses its meaning. Renaissance should begin at home. We must move away from attitude of being 
disadvantaged and expecting miracles to happen, to being actively involved in shaping our destiny. We must be proud of ourselves without 
downgrading others.

This new millennium must begin with people, united in diversity, determined ever before to shape their destiny. With all this I hope we 
will be able to overcome some of the social evils that threaten our society, e.g. crime, corruption, abuse of any kind, rape, etc. Our next 
100 years must be marked by better life for all with people having jobs and enjoying greater security.

I once again wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Millennium. We must enjoy it for it is the last for this generation. It 
is unthinkable that we can last until the next 100 years, we will all disappear whether we like it or not, but when we pass this world we 
must make sure that we have contributed in unity of diversity.

Thank you

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