Johnathan Paoli
President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the achievements of the ANC-led government since the start of the democratic dispensation in bringing freedom to South Africa.
Ramaphosa made an address during the National Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings in Pretoria marking the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy and commemorating our first free and fair election on 27 April 1994.
The theme for this year’s Freedom Day is “30 Years of Democracy, Partnership, and Growth,” emphasising the continuous evolution of South Africa’s democratic processes and the enduring spirit of civic engagement.
Ramaphosa welcomed the gathering and praised the progress of the country since the dawn of democracy and he was joined by members of his Cabinet, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, senior government officials and former party leaders.
“Today, thirty years later, we gather as a united people of all races at the same Union Building that once symbolised our pain and oppression,” he said adding that 30 years of democracy symbolised the commitment to growing and stabilising the nation, and that the ANC-led government managed to breach the injustices of the past brought by the apartheid government.
The President said that while the impact and meaning of democracy is very different between those who lived during apartheid and those born after 1994; apartheid’s legacy continues to define the choices and opportunities of so many South Africans.
Ramaphosa said that since the advent of democracy, the government has pursued land reform, distributing millions of hectares of land to those who had been forcibly dispossessed and providing security of tenure to many others who had lived on the land for generations.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, speaking ahead of the presidential address, said there was a stark difference between the current state of the country compared to life under apartheid and said today.
“The freedom that has been brought by the constitution, and has enabled any South African to dream and to be able to achieve their unlimited potential,” Lamola said.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Thulas Nxesi, said Freedom Day served as a reminder of what it took to liberate oppressed South Africans.
“What first comes into my mind is where I was on this day 30 years ago. I was in Germiston, that’s where I stayed. Looking at where we are, we have advanced a lot,” Nxesi said.
Opposition parties, however, have taken the opportunity to express their discontent and criticised the state of South Africa 30 years after democracy saying that true liberation was elusive for the majority.
Action SA leader Herman Mashaba, and the party’s Gauteng premier candidate Funzi Ngobeni, led the party’s Freedom Day Celebrations in Orange Farm, Johannesburg.
Mashaba said the country had failed to achieve true freedom as many remained in a cycle of poverty while crime spiraled out of control.
DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, Solly Msimanga during the Freedom Day Rally at Solomon Mahlangu Square in Tshwane, said the past achievements should not be remembered without remembering the present realities of lingering policy failures, broken promises and corruption that have hindered the quality of life under the ANC government.
“All Gauteng residents who cast their votes on 27 April 1994 with the hope of a better tomorrow could never have imagined that life under the ANC leadership would be filled with so much hardship and despair,” Msimanga said.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said that Alexandria stood as a stark reminder of the failures of the ruling party and the lack of freedom for the oppressed of the country.
“When the EFF takes over the government, the people outside prison will not live under worse conditions than those who are in prison,” Malema said.
The CIC said that an EFF-government would ensure 24/7 clinics, safety and security and jobs in order to restore dignity to the community members of Alexandria and the country.
Saturday’s celebrations also come as the country commemorates the 28th anniversary of the South African Constitution.
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