President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote address in this year’s Freedom Day Celebrations at Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.
The celebrations will take place at the Miki Yili Stadium. The country on Saturday marks 25 years since the first democratic elections in 1994.
A number of dignitaries are expected to descend to the small student town of Makhanda for the Freedom Day Celebrations. The cash-strapped Makana Municipality has been working around the clock to ensure everything goes according to plan.
This year’s Freedom Day Celebrations coincide with the 200 years anniversary of the battle between the AmaXhosa warriors and the British Soldiers.
The Xhosa warriors were led by Chief Makhanda Nxele after whom the town is named.
In his speech President Ramaphosa is expected to reflect on the country’s 25 years of democracy.
Meanwhile, Freedom Day was marked early at the United Nations with a strong showing of solidarity from senior UN officials and Ambassadors at the official 25-year anniversary commemoration in New York
South Africa’s silver jubilee was marked with the singing of the country’s national anthem and a traditional cutting of a cake with a number of well wishers, including the deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly and the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, who also stopped by.
