President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to become actively involved in ending all forms of violence in the country. He was addressing Heritage Day celebrations in Upington, in the Northern Cape. Ramaphosa has called for people to take up the ‘Thuma Mina’ nation-building programme
“Each one of us must regard ourselves as being actively involved in helping to improve the lives of others. We must all be able to say, send me Thuma Mina! So that I can heal this nation. I must do certain things to ensure that we end abuse of women and children. So that we end the violence against others.”
In the wake of the recent violence in various parts of South Africa, Ramaphosa had on previous occasions called for the harshest sentence to be imposed on those who are found guilty of killing women and children. He highlighted that government is working hard to find strategic ways to help fight violence against women and children.
During his address in Upington, the President used the opportunity to also address the land question. Citing that the identities of South Africans can be restored when they have land returned to them, and various languages are embraced.
Ramaphosa has urged the youth to learn about their heritage from elders.
“ Go to the elders and ask them about the ways of the past. Go and ask them about the history of your people. We cannot have an identity without the land. So our job is to restore the identity of our people by making sure that we speaking our languages, practise our traditions, observe our cultures and we return the land to our people as well.”
Popular words used by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his Heritage Day speech
