The executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Cllr Philemon Mdaka, said South Africans cannot compete with the rest of the world if the majority of its people are still illiterate.

Mdaka was addressing the fully packed Thohoyandou Town Hall during the ABET Awards Ceremony co-hosted by the Vhembe District Municipality and the Department of Education.

He told guests that, despite scares resources, Vhembe District Municipality is doing its best to uplift the standard of education for its inhabitants. "We are doing our best to win the war against illiteracy because education is the only foundation of democracy. It will be very difficult for our youths to rule this country if they are not educated. It is important to equip our people with lifelong skills because education forms the effective development in the socio-economic development of the country. We also have an obligation to uplift the standard of ABET in our district municipality."

He appreciated the efforts by Vhembe ABET learners who performed beyond expectations. "We are here to honour adult learners who felt that they needed to do something to improve their lives. They have served as a good example to our children who will see from them that education is important. No one is ever too old to learn because we learn every day in our lives."

Vhembe District Senior Manager for the Department of Education Dr Gerson Rambiyana said the special occasion symbolized the importance of education in the nation. He urged all community members to be part of ABET in a bid to encourage everyone to take education seriously. "The government has the responsibility to educate the nation through all the departments, with the Department of Education facilitating the process. This endeavour cannot be successfully achieved without the involvement of the private sector. We are very proud of the achievers who are honoured here today and we encourage those who have not yet taken part in ABET, to make a wise decision before it is too late."

The head of ABET in Vhembe, Mr Love Masia, who had organized the function, thanked everyone who had made the function successful. "The function has lived up to its expectations and we could have not achieved this if we did not get cooperation from different stakeholders."