The President, Cyril Ramaphosa has said that poverty, unemployment and inequality still define the lives of millions of South African people, adding that at this time in particular, families across the country are experiencing great hardship and uncertainty.
In his address at the occassion of the 2023 National Freedom Day celebration on 27th April, he said South Africa has been hit by global financial crisis; political, social and economic shocks; worsening natural disasters; and the most severe global pandemic in over a century.
According to him, “These setbacks have made the devastating apartheid legacy of inequality worse. We are also now counting the cost of years of under-investment in our electricity, water, rail and port infrastructure. We are feeling the damaging effects of state capture and corruption and concerted efforts to weaken our public institutions.
“As we work to rebuild and reconstruct, we face challenges that are far different to those experienced in the earliest days of democracy. We have to secure our energy future. We have to adapt to climate change. We have to grow our economy and create more jobs.
We have to eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence and act against crime. Freedom cannot be meaningful when South African homes and businesses are without electricity for several hours in the day. That is why we are using every means at our disposal to restore Eskom’s power stations and build new generating capacity as a matter of the greatest urgency.
“The benefits of the progress we have made are not yet felt – load shedding has not abated – but we will soon experience the impact of the unprecedented investment being made in new power generation. When we emerge from this crisis, our energy system will have been fundamentally transformed.
“It will be more stable, more reliable, more affordable, and more sustainable. Freedom cannot be meaningful when more than 10 million South Africans are out of work. That is why we need to pursue the far-reaching reforms we are undertaking to make our economy more competitive, more inclusive, and more attractive to investors.
“It is because South Africans need jobs that we have raised our ambition in the next phase of our investment drive, to raise R2 trillion in new investment over the next five years. Having surpassed our investment target for the last five years, we are now working with all social partners to create conditions for businesses both big and small – to thrive”.
He added that, “Freedom cannot be meaningful while communities live in fear of gangsters and women live in fear of men. We have done much to improve the effectiveness of the police and strengthen the criminal justice system, but we need to do much more.
“In particular, we need to build durable partnerships of respect and cooperation between the police and communities, between the dedicated police officers and the people they have sworn to serve and protect.
“We need to unite as a society to end the violence that is perpetrated by men against women and children. This is a fight that we must all take up – both men and women, if we want to achieve equal rights, freedoms, and opportunities for all.
“As we undertake these great and difficult tasks, we are encouraged and inspired by those who brought freedom to our country and built our democracy. Unlike so many had predicted, we have not turned on each other. As South Africans of all races, we remain committed to working together to build the country of our dreams”.
While preaching unity, Ramaphosa said South Africa’s Constitution is a shelter for all. “It is a shelter for black and white; men and women; for different languages, cultures, and beliefs. It is a shelter for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities; for urban and rural dwellers; and for those born in South Africa and those from elsewhere who have sought refuge here.
“As the words of the preamble to our Constitution declare: “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.” We should think of our country large South African family. There are quarrels, disagreements, and fights. There are seasons of plenty, but also times of scarcity. Sometimes things are good and other times they are bad.
“But even when times are bad, a family pulls together. Like all families do, let us come together to sort out our differences and solve our problems. We cannot build a better South Africa of equality, freedom, and social justice for all if we are a family that turns on itself.
“Let us focus on what unites us. Let us always remember just how far we have come. Let us take counsel from the elders among us, understanding that it is a desire to be of assistance that motivates them. As elders, let us listen to the hopes and dreams of the young, and take their concerns seriously.
The President asked South Africans to stand firm against corruption and the theft of state resources. “Let us take a stand against public servants who neglect their responsibilities and duties. Let us take a stand against residents who refuse to pay for basic services even when they are obliged to do so, or who pay bribes to connect electricity or to make a traffic fine go away.
“Let us take action against businesses that avoid paying taxes, cheat their workers, break the law, and overcharge consumers. Let us all make our contribution to the success of the family. As citizens, especially as young South Africans, let us all register to vote next year.
He recalled the veterans of 1994 that voted for transformation. “So too must we. We must exercise our civic duty to ensure there is no place in this country for those who want to steal, loot and plunder.
“We must embrace the diversity that makes us strong, instead of fomenting hatred just because we disagree with each other. Let us safeguard our gains. Let us build on them. We owe it to the generations to come. Long may freedom reign in this land”, Ramaphosa said.
On the 27th of April 1994, South Africans of all races, languages and creeds stood in long winding queues to exercise the democratic right for which so many have fought and for which so many have sacrificed.
On Freedom Day, not only do South Africans celebrate this defining moment on her nation’s long journey to freedom, but also reaffirm its shared commitment to the promise of that momentous day.
On Freedom Day, we recall the great progress that has been made in nearly three decades of democracy, but we also acknowledge that so much of the promise of 1994 still needs to be realised. An occasion for South Africans to rededicate selves to work with greater purpose and unity to give full effect and meaning to freedom in the land.