Programme Director,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Justices of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Appeal,
Judges-President and members of the Judiciary,
Premiers,
Members of Parliament,
Representatives of the Chapter 9 institutions,
Traditional, faith-based and community leaders present,
Distinguished guests,
Fellow South Africans,
Sanibonani. Akwande. Goeie môre. Molweni. Dumelang. Kgotsong. Lotjhani. Ndi matsheloni. Nhlekanhi. Good morning.
I greet you all on this glorious day as we celebrate our freedom.
Our history may have been scarred by colonialism and apartheid, but ours is a history of courage, resilience and determination to prevail against considerable odds.
Thirty-one years ago, on this day, the eyes of the world were on South Africa.
Our first democratic elections were the most important story for every media house in the world.
Many were glued to their television screens and others were gathered around their radios.
For the very first time in South Africa, Africans, Indians, coloureds and whites would be allowed to vote alongside each other for the government of their choice.
Back then we were still a deeply divided nation. Tensions were high.
But the dire predictions of a race war did not materialise.
Instead, millions of people around the country stood patiently and peacefully in long queues, waiting for their turn to cast their vote.
On the 27th of April 1994 the dignity of South Africa’s people – both black and white – was restored.
For as our beloved Madiba reminded us, “in the system of apartheid, both the oppressed and the oppressor are robbed of their humanity”.
On this day we pay tribute to you, the noble citizens of this country, the resilient nation that understands the true meaning of reconciliation.
We showed the world that it was indeed possible to move beyond a bitter history.
We showed that dialogue is more powerful than any weapon.
We chose reconciliation over revenge. Healing over hatred. Peace over conflict.
We did so to honour the sacrifices of those who came before us, and to show the world that even the most bitter of enemies can reconcile and rebuild.
These choices made three decades ago define our national character and have elevated our moral standing in the world.
We have been sought out by countries embroiled in conflict, hoping to learn from our experience with national reconciliation, conflict resolution and dialogue.
We are committed to assisting where we can to contribute to peace.
This week we received a visit from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, where we discussed the role South Africa can play through the African Peace Initiative in contributing to the end of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
South Africa remains committed to a progressive foreign policy outlook, and to engaging with countries of the Global North and the Global South in pursuit of our national interest.
South Africa owes its liberation to the many countries of the world that stood by us and supported our struggle.
We continue to stand in solidarity with the victims of conflict and war.
We stand with the peoples of Palestine, of Western Sahara, of the eastern DRC, of Sudan, of Yemen, and with victims of gender oppression in Afghanistan and other parts of the world.
We are committed to playing our part in bringing about an end to conflict, war and suffering.
We are a diverse nation. We have diverse cultures and traditions. We speak many languages.
But we have in common a respect for human dignity, Ubuntu and love for our country.
On this Freedom Day, there is so much we still need to remember and celebrate.
Even now, there are people who seek to drive a wedge between us, who seek to rekindle the embers of racial bitterness.
These efforts will fail, because even the inhumane system of apartheid failed to destroy what binds us together as human beings.
History records how people of all races fought against oppression and injustice.
On this day we honour those who sacrificed, dreamed and believed in the promise of a better South Africa free of racial division.
It took individuals from across our country, religious leaders, traditional leaders, political activists young and old, workers and ordinary citizens to guide our country to democracy.
In a few days from now, on the 10th of May, we will commemorate 110 years since the birth of one such person: Beyers Naude, fondly known as Oom Bey.
He was an Afrikaner clergyman whose father helped found the Broederbond, the secretive society that orchestrated and perpetuated apartheid.
As a person who occupied a prominent position in apartheid society, who counted HF Verwoerd as among his university lecturers, Oom Bey would go on to play a significant role in fighting the unjust system from which he was a beneficiary.
On this day we remember many of our heroes of Afrikaner heritage who took a stance in defence of the liberty and freedom of South Africans: Oom Bey, Bram Fischer, Breyten Breytenbach, Athol Fugard, Ingrid Jonker, and many others who turned their backs on the tyranny of apartheid.
This is the kind of courage and principle and largeness of spirit that lives inside the South African people. Our liberation was secured through the actions of many: black and white, rich and poor, men and women.
We must say these things here today because we see the seeds of division being sown in our country and being exploited for political gain.
We are seeing attempts being made to rewrite history.
We are seeing efforts to cast one race in the position of the oppressed and the black majority, who were oppressed for centuries, in the role of oppressor.
Our apartheid wounds are being exploited to serve the agendas of others.
We must be clear. We will not allow anyone else to define us, to tell us who and what we are, or to turn us against one another.
We must roundly reject any attempts to divide us along racial lines. Not again. Never again.
Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. You are because I am. This is the bedrock upon which this nation was formed.
My fellow South Africans,
Our walk to freedom has been a long one and it is not yet complete.
As much as we reflect on our history, we do not lose sight of the challenges of the present.
We have been on this road to the promised land for a very long time. Many are weary and many may be losing hope.
Poverty, unemployment and inequality are deep wounds that prevent us from reaching our full potential as a country.
The legacy of our bitter past continues to manifest itself in nearly all facets of life.
We are one of the world’s most unequal societies.
It is said that the richest 10 percent of South Africans own approximately 85 percent of the country’s financial assets.
Millions of people are unemployed or earn wages that cannot sustain them or their families.
Crime, gender-based violence and the stench of corruption permeates across our society.
It is true that we have made considerable progress over the past three decades in improving the material conditions of the South African people.
We have invested heavily in the provision of basic services, health care, education and housing.
We have an extensive social welfare net that continues to address the effects of poverty on society’s most vulnerable.
Yet we know that this is not enough. For our country to truly prosper and for inequality to be eliminated, we must build an economy that works for all, and not just for the few.
As the Government of National Unity, we have defined a set of key priorities.
These priorities are: driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
We have embarked on a programme of growth and reform to give effect to these priorities and we are making steady progress.
We owe it to our brave and noble forebears that every South African is given the chance and opportunity to improve their lives and the prospects for their children.
As a government, we remain committed to advancing the principles of redress in our quest to realise a more equal society.
We will not relent in our pursuit of economic and social justice, whether it is with respect to affirmative action or land reform.
These are not acts of vengeance or punishment.
They are fundamental to the reconciliation we committed to as a people in 1994.
Over the past 30 years, we have made great strides as a nation, expanding freedom, deepening democracy and building a better life for millions.
Yet we also face these persistent challenges.
That is why we are convening an inclusive National Dialogue.
This is a people-led, society-wide process to reflect on the state of our country and reimagine its future.
The National Dialogue is a chance for all South Africans, from all walks of life, to come together and help shape the next chapter of our democracy.
The National Dialogue will bring together government, political parties, civil society, business, labour, traditional leaders, women, youth and community voices to find common ground and new solutions for our country.
It is an opportunity to forge a new social compact that drives progress towards Vision 2030 and lays the foundation for the next phase of South Africa’s National Development Plan.
The National Dialogue cannot be an event. It must be a participatory process that will unfold in phases, from local consultations and sectoral engagements to national gatherings.
As we build a new society, let us be clear that this will forever remain a country that belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
We are determined to build a country where the white child and the black child has equal opportunity and an equal chance at a better life.
So on this Freedom Day, I call on all South Africans to remember how far we have come on this, our shared journey.
Let us recommit ourselves to the ideals of our Constitution, to the pursuit of human dignity.
Let us stand firm against corruption, against criminality and against the war being perpetrated against this country’s women and children.
No matter how difficult times may be, let us stand united.
Let us not turn away from the difficult task of building a more just, more equal South Africa.
Let us continue to nourish the flame of freedom and protect it, so it may be passed to future generations.
Let us move forward toward the South Africa of our dreams.
I wish you all a blessed and happy Freedom Day.
May God bless South Africa and protect her people.
I thank you.
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