Moral committee appointed in Barberton

A Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) committee, which is a body tasked with promoting good values among Barbertonians, was elected last Thursday.
Among those present during the election and launch of the MRM was Ehlanzeni District Municipality executive mayor, Cllr Letta Shongwe, speaker Cllr John Mavuso and Rev Micah Nthali, who is the provincial chairman of the MRM.
Local businesspeople including pastors from various congregations, non-governmental organisations, were among those who attended the event at Cathyville Community Hall.

Addressing the audience, Mavuso said in all the five municipalities in the region, only Umjindi didn’t have the MRM. “When we gained democracy in 1994, we shifted too much focus on issues of service delivery and inequality and forgot about issues of restoring moral issues. Today we are here to launch the MRM as it is the responsibilities of the government to build prosperous communities,” he said.

Umjindi speaker, Cllr Vusi Mkhathswa will be the political champion of the MRM while the executive mayor Cllr Lazarus Mashaba will serve as a patron.

Rev Nthali said the MRM was launched on March 30, 2003 in Nkomazi Municipality as a sequel to the April 18, 2002 launch of the national MRM at Waterkloof Air Force Base, which was the culmination of the 1998 Moral Summit in Johannesburg.

“The overall purpose of the MRM is to ensure the effective coordination, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of projects and programmes aimed at the regeneration and restoration of the moral fibre in the society towards the creation of an alternative society, governed by generally acceptable human values, moral standards and the true spirit of Ubuntu,” he said.

“Those who will be elected here today should uphold honesty, uplift integrity and loyalty. They should be in the forefront of activities happening in Umjindi. When there is toyi-toyi that wants to take place, they should be the first to approach the organisers and understand their frustration to avoid any protests in our communities.
“If you steal for the community, you must know you are our enemy. The MRM seek to create leaders who are positively radical. We want to declare war on wrongdoers and declare peace to those doing well,” said Nthali.
He added that the role of the MRM was not to oppose government or municipal but to work together.

“But that does not mean they must not oppose when there are bad thing happening. They should do so but by following procedure. The main role of the MRM is to protect appointed leaders,” he said.

All those who were elected to serve on the MRM, will do so voluntarily. They will fall under the Office of the Speaker who will assist them with administration issues and travelling cost when arises.

Those who were elected were Dr Bishop Mabuza as a chairman, Doreen Madonsela as deputy chairman, Punky Msimango ass secretary, June Maphanga as deputy secretary and Capt Anderson Mbane as treasurer.