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Use education to better the country - Newsroom - 14-07-2013
Coronationville- The youth should use their academic qualifications towards the betterment of the country just like former Member of Parliament Professor Ismail Mohamed had, President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday.
Speaking at the funeral service of the late former Member of Parliament and Wits University mathematics professor, Zuma said Mohamed lived an exemplary life.
Mohamed-- who led the Transvaal Anti-President's Council Committee and was tried by the apartheid government as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF)-- understood that the struggle for total emancipation for the black majority and education were not mutually exclusive said the President.
"The important lesson here is that we must use our academic qualifications for the betterment of society as a whole and not just ourselves," he said at the funeral service held at the St. Anthony's Catholic Church.
"Young people in particular must emulate his [Mohamed] example of not using his academic qualification and intellectual powers as a means to detach themselves from the people and define themselves outside the broader context of our daily struggle,†explained the President.
The president said Mohamed’s—who was also a former vice-president of the UDF in the then Southern Transvaal in the 1980s-- life should be celebrated and emulated.
Zuma said Mohamed had dedicated his life to the struggle for freedom and the service of people.
“The life of comrade Ismail Mohamed epitomizes great courage and resilience. We learn from his life that hard work always pays off,†he said, referring to Mohamed being born and bred from a poor working class family.
“His love for education and commitment to it should serve to inspire the younger generations to succeed academically despite and in spite of their unprivileged circumstances. We must learn from his life that through education, we can lift ourselves and our families out of conditions of unemployment and poverty,†said Zuma.
ANC Gauteng provincial chair Paul Mashatile spoke of Mohamed’s calmness and that he had been a soft spoken person, describing him as a humble servant of the people of South Africa. He was loved by both young and old and was a mentor and a pillar of strength.
“We will remember him as a fearless leader,†said Mashatile at the packed church.
Mohamed’s daughter Elaine read out loving messages of the professor of mathematics from his grandchildren.
Mohamed died last Saturday at the age of 82.
Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu, Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and former director general Frank Chikane were among the dignitaries who attended the funeral service. -SAnews.gov.za