High food prices mar Freedom Day celebrations

Mbeki will brief religious leaders on the situation in Zimbabwe

South Africans have to grapple with new challenges like the energy crisis, escalating food and fuel prices are hurting everyone especially the poor amid Freedom Day celebrations.

Today, industries were cautioned not to exacerbate the problem with price fixing. However, high crime levels and HIV continue to blight the progress made over the past years. There was also frank admission that in some provinces, public servants are failing the people.

Thousands of South Africans came out to celebrate Freedom Day events around the country. While there was much to celebrate, poor service delivery, crime and racism remain problems.

Earlier today, President Thabo Mbeki touched on many issues in South African society while speaking at national Freedom Day celebrations in Cape Town. He urged South Africans to work together in dealing with problems confronting the nation, such as crime, violence and economic difficulties.

He called on all South Africans to work harder to defeat racism and xenophobia in the country. The President said South Africa could not proudly proclaim its freedom if women and children continued to suffer horrific abuse, rape and violence.

Mbeki has also expressed deep concern at the reports of violence and crime in schools, calling it a worrying phenomenon. Mbeki has stressed the urgency of implementing the "schools pledge" as part of building a common identity and a united nation. He's appealed to all communities to work together for safer schools in order to proclaim a nation that is truly free.

Death of babies
In the Eastern Cape, delivery remains slow prompting national government to intervene to speed up the process. The province's celebrations were overshadowed by the death of 80 babies in Ukhahlamba District Municipality. The infants died allegedly after drinking contaminated water.

In the Western Cape, swimmers braved the cold water stretch of water from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand where former President Nelson Mandela and many others were incarcerated during apartheid.

The national Minister of Sport and Recreation, Makhenkesi Stofile, says he is disappointed to see that mostly black South Africans attend national occasions like Freedom Day celebrations today. He says people do have the right to do what they want with their free time, but a national holiday should be celebrated by everyone.