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Lovedale Community College's Open Day
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 Premier's Office

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EASTERN CAPE PROVENCIAL GOVERNMENT

SPEECH BY REV. M.A. STOFILE AT

LOVEDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S OPEN DAY

24 MAY 2000



(Salutations and recognition of dignitaries and community members).

Let me start by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the honour of being invited to be part of yet another historic moment in the history 
of Lovedale. In 1995 I was invited to your inaugural meeting to introduce the concept of a Community College to the stake-holders of 
Lovedale. I accepted the invitation readily because I was very keen to lend support to what I thought was going to be an important meeting. 
I also expected the meeting to be difficult for it was going to deal with the need for change in the Institution. I was right in both 
counts. That first meeting proved to be a very important milestone. It also proved to be a tense and difficult occasion. Some of the stake-
holders felt that the whole idea of change to a Community College posed a great threat to their jobs and their careers. Such anxieties are 
normal and are to be expected in any discussion of change. The most important thing is how to manage the anxieties and expectations without 
losing focus of the primary objective of changing.

Congratulations! You have done absolutely well under difficult circumstances. I remember vividly the lukewarm support the Department of 
Education gave you. Their input and representation in that inaugural meeting and subsequent programmes was less than helpful. I know all 
this because I was the MP from Alice who followed all developments in my area.

You are also correct in believing that I must have been whispered to even at non-official levels. This is true. You see, Nceba, the present 
Rector of Lovedale is my youngest brother. Together with Miss Thobeka Dyantyi, an old friend and comrade, did keep me up to date with 
developments. (I can tell you many things about Ms Dyantyis "terrorism" during the 1980s which would shock even those who think they know 
her in and out. Very interesting activities of struggle). But I interacted with them in Lovedale as official co-ordinators of the Community 
College Project. They worked very hard and Lovedale, Alice and the Eastern Cape should be truly proud of them. A special word of 
congratulations, therefore, goes to Nceba and Thobeka.

Earlier on I inferred that it is normal for change to invoke anxiety and unreasonable expectations. This is because those on whom change 
must come and have always benefited from what is being changed, feel threatened. They feel that their benefits will be taken away. Those 
who were always victims of a situation feel that "Ah, now it is our turn ! We are going to benefit and siza kubalungisa !" Of course both 
groups are wrong. Change need not be vindictive, vengeful or retributive. It need not take privileges away from people. But in a situation 
of injustice, it MUST do some of the above. If not, the new order could be a mere change of face in the management of the old order. I 
believe that here at Lovedale, you managed to keep your heads clear and did not fall into the temptations of political arrogance of 
claiming monopoly to wisdom and ideological purity. You continually strived to keep all on board.

I am aware that even keeping all aboard did not save you from having to police the projects from those who saw a gap to impose anarchy onto 
the situation. I know how fences were cut and people insisted on walking across "their land". Selfish interests superseded national and 
community priorities. Two great men writing almost 400 years apart have this to say about these things:

1) Aristotle: "Transformation from one form of governance to a democratic one cannot succeed if transformation is not enforced." (this is 
my rephrase).

2) O.R. Tambo: "The tribe must die for the nation to live."

In between, both Karl Mark and V.I. Lenin have this to say: "Transformation from an undemocratic order to a democratic one can only work if 
the revolutionary forces enforce transformation. If they dont, counter revolutionary forces will resist and undermine change." (my 
rephrase for simplicity).

All those great thinkers have one thing in common :

Unless strategies are developed to counter the
Natural tendency to be selfish, development will
Not succeed.

I believe this is one challenge Lovedale is going to have to deal with for a long time. We have to be vigilant and pro-active at all times. 
Counter-revolution comes in different forms. Some will openly want to appropriate fixed and movable property and resources from the 
college. The culture of entitlement and, I dare say, a cousin of infantile revolutionary. Others will attack the integrity of the agents of 
change. In the case of Lovedale the agents of change include those who are leading and managing the change. They include the Council, 
Management, Workers and beneficiaries. You dare not be timid against such challenges. Fortunately the current Chairperson of Council, 
Professor. C.H.T. Lalendle is not known to be a timid person. We can only hope that he gets good support from both Councillors, Managers 
and the people.

The other challenge that faces Lovedale is to continually position themselves to be in the front benches of providing the sort of 
livelihood skills that are needed by both our communities, the private sector and the Eastern Cape. Indeed Lovedale should provide such 
skills to South Africa and the rest of Africa, as Lovedale used to do in her heydays. Companies like Daimler Chrysler (old Mercedes Benz of 
S.A.) spend millions of rands per year in the training of workers in Germany for the automotive trade. This goes for Volkswagen S.A. too. 
This is so because there is no institution in the Eastern Cape or in South Africa that trains workers to the specifications of these 
companies. Institutions simply sit in their senate chambers and produce curricula that have no bearing on the needs of society. Academics 
simply tend to reproduce themselves in their students. How many technicians have ever been trained at Goldfields near Victoria Hospital, 
for instance ?

What I am arguing here is that it cannot be the old business as usual. All things must be aligned to the present and future needs. In 
theology the principle of "samper reformanda" (always being transformed/reformed) is well known. Nothing can be static and remain effective 
for all situations at all times. The leadership of Lovedale must forever interact with all potential beneficiaries and consumers to 
identify with them what skills they should provide.

The District around Lovedale and, indeed the rest of the Eastern Cape, is a predominantly rural and agricultural area. Initiatives by both 
Fort Hare and Lovedale to reach out and assist neighbouring communities in food production ventures are highly appreciated. We need to 
intensify these efforts. The idea of research farms that benefit nobody except the researchers is no good. It is inward looking and 
uneconomical. Institutions like Lovedale will not only be of great service to communities by embarking on these projects, they will also 
generate much-needed income. Lovedale will also do herself a favour by looking for strategic partners from among the farmers who share 
their vision.

Other skills like film-making could be added to the projects already located at Lovedale. Mr Ngqungwana, an officer of the SANDF and a 
professionally trained film-maker is very keen on this venture. I could go on forever. All I am trying to convey is that there are 
opportunities out there that need to be explored and exploited. There is also a lot of goodwill towards Lovedale out there. You have to go 
and engage these ideas and proposals. Impundu ziyavimba iinyawo ziyapha !

The success of all your efforts, as I said in 1995, depend a great deal on the extent to which participation is broadened. The community 
and strategic stakeholders must be taken on board and assisted to own these changes. Having said that, I must warn against unending 
consultation processes. These could be delaying and even derailing change and development. Lovedale needs a strong and creative leadership 
that will not hide behind talisman instead of doing the right things even if they are unpopular at the beginning. Leaders must lead. I 
believe you have good quality leadership here. Use it well and support it.

Lastly, collaboration and co-operation with institutions like Fort Hare, Fort Cox and Winterberg could bear dividends for our people. It 
would also streamline and refocus the deployment of scarce resources. It could also lead to a healthy as opposed to an adversarial 
competition which could benefit the institutions too. Let me end off in the words of the motto of Lovedale :" Nisi Dominus Frustra". May 
God Almighty Bless your efforts.

Forward To A Better Life For All.



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