June - Department of Defence

Democracy is indeedaliveBy Matshidiso PilaPhoto: Sgt David NomtshongwanaYou will be surprised whatten years of democracymeans to people. Yes, peoplenow have rights and thereare many privileges to enjoy.To them it is not just aboutthe different rights that areavailable to enjoy, but the hardtimes they have been through up totoday. You should have seen peoplecelebrating ten years of freedom at1 Military Hospital in Thaba Tshwaneon 2 April 2004. The morale was veryhigh and the integration betweenthem was amazing.Altogether thirteen departmentsof the hospital entered the competitionto celebrate ten years of democracy.The 10 Years of DemocracyCommittee was chaired by Maj KarenStander. Each department decoratedand demonstrated how they interpretedand understood ten years ofdemocracy. The three judges: BrigGen Aubrey Sedibe, the CommandingOfficer of 1 Military Hospital, ColVeronica Burger from the InspectorGeneral Office of the SAMHS,and Lt Col Mpho Sibanyoni fromthe SAMHS CorporateCommunication Nodal Point,evaluated the competition.Do you remember toyi-toyi? Doesit not bring back many memories?Surely bad ones too, but fortunatelythis one was not about bad memories.It was about celebrating ten years ofdemocracy. All the members of thevarious departments that participatedin the competition toyi-toyied to thelapa of the hospital were the winnerswere announced. No matter howtough the competition was, as one ofthe judges confessed, at the end of theday the best group had to win.The Department of Nursingwalked away with the third prize ofR200-00 with their amazing demonstrationof Democracy at Seas. Theyhad a small Masibambisane pot symbolisingthat all people were nowunited and that all their differenceshad been cooked away in the pot.The second position was sharedby the Department of PatientAdministration and the Departmentof Chaplains. The two groups eachwon R300-00. The Department ofChaplains celebrated Ten Years ofChristianity in Democracy and PalmSunday. The Logistics Departmentwas awarded the first prize of R500-00. Capt Nokuthula Qwabi, SO2Logistics, said she knew they weregoing to win because they coveredeverything from strikes and beggarsto persons with disabilities. Theywere very creative, especially withtheir impersonation of formerPresident Nelson Mandela, whodelivered his speech after his longwalk to freedom.A surprising category for the day,something nobody expected, was the"Best Effort of the Day Award", whichwas awarded to the Depart-ment ofOccupational Therapy. Brig GenSedibe said it was to thank theMembers toyi-toying to the lapa of 1 Military Hospital.toyi-toyi forfreedom.members of this department theirefforts considering that no matterhow busy they were, they still managedto come up with somethingamazing. Capt Cecilia Sello, OccupationalTherapist of the Department ofOccupational Therapy, admitted thatthis prize came as a surprise, but itmade them proud and will keep theirmorale high. "I think we reallydeserve it," she said. They won aplastic rake. Do not laugh, it is somethingthat they can definitely use.Mr Solomon Malewa, a cleaner inthe Department of Physiotherapy,said that he started working at1 Military Hospital in 1982 and tenyears of democracy was somethingreally to be celebrated. Looking backat what they went through before1994, he said life was tough and oneneeded to be strong and havepatience to survive the situation. BrigGen Sedibe was very impressed withthe interaction between the membersand said that democracy was indeedalive.J U N E 2 0 0 4 • S A S O L D I E R23