Motshekga calls on South Africans to strive towards more inclusive society

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has called for South Africans to embrace their shared humanity in the spirit of Ramadan – and strive towards a more inclusive and cohesive society.

Speaking at the Ramadan Iftar dinner held at the Nizamiye Mosque Complex in Midrand, Motshekga said the holy month imparted crucial lessons in empathy, generosity and community spirit principles that should not be limited to a single month but integrated into people’s daily lives.

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Iftar dinner is held to mark breaking of the fast and the end of Ramadan, a special month for Muslims worldwide during which they fast and dedicate themselves to worship, reading the Quran and giving to charity.

“I urge every South African to actively engage in acts of kindness, volunteer their time and resources for community upliftment and foster social cohesion,” the minister said.

“Imagine the significant transformation we could realise if each individual made an effort to understand their neighbours, embrace their rich traditions that constitute our nation, and recognise the shared valued that unite us as human beings.

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“This approach embodies the principle of Ubuntu, a philosophy that highlights our interdependence: ‘I am because you are’,” Motshekga said.

She called on all peace-loving Muslims to pray and actively lobby the global north to “stop condoning the genocide perpetrated by the apartheid state of Israel”.

“We reiterated the call for an end to the genocide in the occupied Gaza and the West Bank and the wanton killing of children, women and men throughout Palestine,” she said.

“As Madiba said, ‘Our freedom is incomplete unless the Palestinians enjoy peace freedom in their own land and free sovereign state’.”

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South Africans had a moral responsibility not only to raise their voices against injustice, but also to act through peaceful means, including petitioning the International Court of Justice, to take action against Israel.

Her comments were in line with statements by international Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor this week, who urged Muslims in South Africa to stand up and protest against the support for Israel by the West.

Pandor said people could go in small groups to picket with placards outside five particular foreign embassies in Pretoria, that she declined to name. She said it was their responsibility as government not just to condemn Israel but also Hamas for the kidnapping of innocent people from Israel.

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She said SA favoured a two-state solution in the Middle East.