President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is critical that South Africans of all races remain on the journey of national unity which began in 1994 and resist the temptation, in times of difficulty, to retreat into laagers of ethnicity and race.
Ramaphosa says this in his letter to the nation today following the celebration of Freedom Day on the weekend.
He says while some have found themselves tempted to question whether life has really been better under democracy, all who experienced apartheid have no doubt that democracy has restored the dignity of every South African.
The President says while much has been done to undo the legacy of apartheid, efforts to rebuild the country have been hampered by low economic growth, state capture, COVID-19, the 2021 July unrest and floods.
He says South Africans have shown great resilience in the face of these difficulties and persevered with the task of reform and recovery.
Ramaphosa has urged citizens to maintain their resolve to move forward with optimism saying the country has come a long way since Freedom Day 30 years ago.
In this #FreedomMonth2024, when we collectively reflect on how far we have come in building a new nation, we know that we are not as far as we had hoped to be.
While we have done much to undo the devastating legacy of apartheid, we have confronted other challenges, both from… pic.twitter.com/gCE48FRaUo
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) April 29, 2024
