President Ramaphosa highlights importance of striving for equality in Freedom Day address

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a Freedom Day address on 27 April highlighting the importance of addressing inequality in South Africa.

The theme for the 2020 Freedom Day was ‘Solidarity and triumph of the human spirit in challenging times’.

Ramaphosa thanked the many freedom fighters, known and unknown, who fought for South Africa to become a democratic nation. “Over the past 26 years, we have made great progress in building a common future in which all South Africans have a part.

“Poverty and inequality continues to stalk our land…Even now after all the progress, we have made, the circumstances of one’s birth largely determine where and how we live, where we study, where we work and where we are cared for when we are sick. It is the greatest form of injustice and it is a stain on our national conscience.”

He added, “The triumph of 1994 was about much more than being able to vote, it was about setting right the wrongs of the past, about redress, restitution and restoration. It was about levelling the field for the black child and the white child and making sure they each have an equal chance in life.”

Ramaphosa said that the promise made on 27 April 1994 can no longer be deferred and they must make real the right of all people to healthcare, food, shelter, water, social security and land. “In this final decade of the National Development Plan, we must change the pace of social and economic transformation. As a country, we are more than capable of building a more equal society.”

He added that as long as this is delayed, freedom for some means freedom for none. “The coronavirus pandemic forces us to confront this reality, though we are certainly all braving the same tide, we have not been impacted in the same way by this pandemic.”

Ramaphosa said that while some have been able to endure the pandemic comfortably, others are struggling to survive and are miserable. “With every day that passes, this experience is teaching us much more about ourselves, about our society and about our country.

“The true lessons of this experience will not just be about the necessity of social distancing, proper handwashing and infection control. They will also be about whether we have the ability to turn this crisis into an opportunity to invest in a new society, a new consciousness and a new economy.”

He added that the privileged cannot afford to close their eyes to the plight of the poor and now is a time people should actively work to build a fair and just country. “In the South Africa we all want, no man, woman or child will go hungry because they will have the means to earn an income.

“Before this pandemic visited our country, we were keeping our efforts to address poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment and a weak economy. This pandemic could set these efforts back by many years, it will take a great deal of effort and resources for our society and economy to recover.”

Ramaphosa said that violating the coronavirus response provisions and exposing others to a potentially fatal illness is the worst form of disrespect for others. “Our interdependence is key to our very survival as a people. This Freedom Day let us stand united against this disease, poverty, inequality and hunger. We can only overcome this crisis and rebuild our shattered economy if we work together.

“We have known far worse and we have prevailed, let us keep our arms locked together in a column of defence against this pandemic as a united people. Let us use this crisis to reaffirm our resolve to fundamentally change our society and how it functions.”

Ramaphosa concluded, “This year we spend Freedom Day apart. Next year, through our determination and courage and actions, we will once again celebrate Freedom Day together.”