Residents of Botshabelo, in the Free State, say there’s still a long way for Freedom Day to have a meaning to them. They say socioeconomic emancipation is the key to absolute freedom. Residents were speaking during Freedom Day celebrations in their township.
The programme commenced with the opening of the Charlotte Maxeke Rehabilitation Centre, marking 27 years since the first democratic elections in 1994 on this day.
Botshabelo is one of the poverty stricken and crime ridden areas. Residents have appealed to government to adhere to residents’ grievances.
The say the only time freedom will be worth celebrating is when residents have been freed from poverty and unemployment. Some residents have lost hope.
“Freedom day means nothing to me because I’m unemployed,” says one community member.
“We want jobs, this cannot be freedom to us if we are hungry,” other residents say.
Some are however hopeful that the situation will change.
“We are happy that the President came to Botshabelo so that he can see what is happening, we want these firms to operate,” says one resident.
“We are actually grateful that the rehabilitation centre is opened to help curb the increase of drug abuse,” added others.
2021 National Freedom Day official celebration:
Meanwhile, Free State Artists demand answers after they were dropped from the perfoming at the event at the last minute.
They say they were promised that they would be given a chance to perform allegedly by Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela.
The artists’ coordinator, Mbuyiselo Nqodi, says the Premier provoked them.
“We are here because the premier of the Free State provoked us that we should be part of the event, promising the artists that were with us at the PACOFS that they will perform. The artists have rehearsed but now in the last minute they dumped them out of the programme,” Nqondi says.
Mphakathi Organisation in Botshabelo says the rehabilitation centre will assist in reducing the rife gangsterism and substance abuse in the area.
Chairperson of Mphakathi, Alfred Mohutsiwa, says the President should address unemployment in the area.
“The premises like the rehabilitation centre if we have something like that in our local society it will be easy for us as organisation because sometimes we meet the youths that want to be out of the substance abuse but sometimes we don’t have the resources like where we can refer them if we have problem like that. The other challenge is unemployment if present can at least address the issue of employment in Botshabelo maybe the substance abuse and the crime will go down,” explains Mohutsiwa.
Residents, who had planned to shutdown the area, say they handed their memorandum of demands to the President. In his address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said economic recovery needed all hands on deck.
“We have made great progress towards realising the rights of our people to a better life and in advancing human dignity. And yet, even as we have lived in a democratic country for the past 27 years, we know that across many parts of South Africa, the promise of 1994 has not yet been fulfilled,” said the President.
Meanwhile ANC members, who were happy to see the President, welcomed him with a guard of honour.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2021 National Freedom Day address:
