Freedom Day: ‘SA a free and sovereign country, not a province of US,’ Mantashe says [VIDEOS]

As the country celebrates 31 years of freedom, acting president Gwede Mantashe said the world’s eyes were “glued on South Africa”.

Mantashe was delivering the keynote address at the national Freedom Day celebration at the AJ Swanepoel Stadium in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, on Sunday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to deliver the address, but he was booked off with the flu.

Unity

Mantashe said Freedom Day is to celebrate the “unity of all South Africans.”

“On this Freedom Day, we honour our past, confront the present, and shape our future – together.

“We are a free country, we are a sovereign country, we are not a province of the United States… We will not allow anyone to define us, tell us what to do or who we are. We must reject all attempts to divide us or racialise us.”  

[WATCH] Acting President Gwede Mantashe says President Cyril Ramaphosa is unwell and was therefore unable to address the #FreedomDay celebrations. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/DBR0xFyQr1

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 27, 2025

ALSO READ: Freedom Day: Ramaphosa not feeling well as country marks 31 years of freedom

Moving on

Speaking about the DA, Mantashe, South Africa, showed the world that it is possible to move beyond a “bitter history”.

“To talk to the DA is a picnic. But if you want to build something, you form a coalition of forces. They are condemning. They are condemning forces, they want to fight over everything, whether it is the budget or anything they fight.

“Ideology has no colour, ideology is the mindset. We can leave the DA but I’m not sure if MKP and EFF are better options. They are so aggressive and hostile against the ANC. So it’s like choosing a devil and running to the fire, that’s it. You run away from the devil, you get into the fire. You burn in any way,” Mantashe said.

[WATCH] "You run away from the devil, you get into the fire," Acting President Gwede Mantashe says the ANC is not sure if the MK Party and EFF are better options to the DA in the GNU. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/Wbgw42L0uy

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 27, 2025

Solidarity

Mantashe said South Africa have been sought out by countries embroiled in conflict, hoping to learn from “our experience with national reconciliation, conflict resolution and dialogue.”

“We are committed to assisting where we can to contribute to peace. This week we received a visit from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, where we discussed the role South Africa can play through the African Peace Initiative in contributing to the end of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Mantashe added the South Africa continues to stand in solidarity with the victims of conflict and war.

He reflected on the struggle to end Apartheid in South Africa and the responsibility to further help bring peace to other warring nations.

“We stand with the peoples of Palestine, of Western Sahara, of the eastern DRC, of Sudan, of Yemen, and with victims of gender oppression in Afghanistan and other parts of the world.”

Serving the nation

Mantashe said that before 1994, the government of the country served only 8% of the population.

“Some people feel we have deteriorated. But we remind ourselves and our people that before 1994, the government of the country served only 8% of the population. Today, it is serving every member of this population.”

[WATCH] Acting President Gwede Mantashe says: "Before 1994, the government of the country served only 8% of the population. Today, it's serving every member of this population; every citizen has a right to basic services." pic.twitter.com/1KvvdGhpfS

— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 27, 2025

Mantashe said every citizen has the right to basic services and has the right to participate in the “shaping government.”  “That’s why we elect every five years,” he said.  

ALSO READ: ‘No change in 30 years’: Freedom Day anniversary has subsided into despair