President Cyril Ramphosa says all South Africans, regardless of race, must be given the opportunity to contribute to nation-building. In his “Letter from the President’s Desk”, Ramaphosa has focused on issues of transformation in public and private companies. He has lamented the reluctance of some people to accept those of other races. The letter comes in the wake of the intensifying criticism of government for appointing Andre de Ruyter as Eskom’s new CEO.
Ramaphosa says that government has not wavered from its 1994 commitment to transformation, saying efforts must be intensified to correct the skewed race and gender composition of public companies as well as redress through land reform, employment equity and economic transformation.
However, the President points out that the non-racialism is a fundamental tenant of South Africa’s democracy and attitudes that use race to exclude as was the case in the past must be guarded against. Ramaphosa has warned the private sector that its poor transformation record will perpetuate income disparities and undermine efforts towards a united society.
