SA Community

South Africa's Movement for Good

24 April 2008

The Movement for Good, a series of campaigns aimed at mobilising South Africans to get involved in creating the country they want to live in, was launched by a network of public and private organisations in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"The destiny of our country is in our hands, and we all have to take responsibility for [South Africa's] future," Khathu Mamaila, editor of City Press newspaper, said in a statement by Movement for Good. "We encourage every person to become an active citizen, to take action - any action - to make South Africa the country we all want to live in."

City Press co-founded of the movement, along with the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the International Marketing Council of South Africa, Heartlines, the SABC, South African Tourism, SA the Good News, the Valued Citizens Initiative and various government departments.

GCIS chief executive Themba Maseko said in the statement that an "active citizen" was someone who "talks South Africa up, votes, doesn't bribe or do crime, initiates or participates in community projects, does their bit to save energy, and treats others with tolerance, dignity and respect."

Heartlines executive director Garth Japhet said that if people worked together, "we can transform South Africa by creating an unstoppable momentum, and ultimately a tipping point."

Social Networking Platform For Good

As part of the launch of the Movement for Good, Heartlines is launching the Social Networking Platform For Good, a networking tool which aims to harness cellphones - to which approximately 80% of South Africans have access - to enable people across the country to become "part of a larger movement for positive action".

According to Japhet, the Social Networking Platform For Good will send out weekly SMS messages providing individuals, families and community groups with "inspiring and practical information on taking action". In order to receive the information most relevant to them, members will clarify their specific areas of interest and provide basic profile information.

For the 10% of South Africans who have access to the internet, the Movement for Good website - www.itstartswithyou.co.za - will provide information and links for joining the movement, subscribing to the networking platform, and supporting the campaigns of member organisations.

'It starts with you'

Movement for Good spokesman Bryan Habana said the movement "starts with you. We all, in our individual capacities, can make a difference".

"'Noka e tlatswa ke dinokana' - 'A river swells from little streams'," said SABC chief executive Dali Mpofu. "Each person has got the capacity to change not only their community or even their family, but society as a whole, so that the whole of South Africa can benefit from our own individual actions."

"It is about personal responsibility," said Yvonne Johnston on behalf of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), the custodians of Brand South Africa. "It is about not saying they must fix it, but I can fix it. I can help create the country I want my children to live in."

"The Movement for Good is part of our healing as a nation," said Steuart Pennington from SA the Good News. "Understanding our progress is important, and it starts with you."

Who can join

A number of other organisations and companies have joined the Movement for Good since its inception, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee, the City of Johannesburg, Eskom, First National Bank, the Independent Electoral Commission, Indalo Yethu, Kaelo, Meropa Communications, the Moral Regeneration Movement, the National Youth Commission, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and Paula Fray & Associates.

"While all these organisations are running very different campaigns, they are united by the fact that their campaigns are for the greater good of South Africa," the movement states.

Accordingly, any company or organisation "that runs a campaign that is for good" can join the movement, while individuals can join either by supporting a campaign run by a member organisation or by joining the Social Networking Platform For Good.

SAinfo reporter



	'Noka e tlatswa ke dinokana - A river swells from little streams' (Photos: Augrabies Falls, Northern Cape by Wally Lange, copyright South African Tourism / Water Drop from sound.of.silent's page)