My smart city will be ridiculed at first, just like the Freedom Charter – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa was in a typically diplomatic mode as he responded to the debate that took place in parliament on Tuesday, which saw opposition and government politicians reply to his June 20 state of the nation address (Sona).

According to Ramaphosa, the feedback he got on his speech was “most useful”, although he admitted it was “sharp-pointed”.

He added that he was “heartened” by how “directly and forthrightly” opposition members “sought to come up with a number of alternative viewpoints”, and said the feedback “reinforced our conviction that we need a clear and common vision”.

Later, he said that he did not see that any of the input he got was “oppositional” – even with Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema accusing him of only using the policy of expropriation without compensation for votes, urged him to “come clean” regarding recent allegations of money laundering, and saying “constitutional delinquent” Pravin Gordhan should not be allowed to speak.

Rather, he said, it was “complementary and supplementary”.

Later, he added that “the vibrancy of the engagements that we had here even where we mostly disagreed is an essential part of our national character”.

“It is our experience over a long and difficult history that it is only through dialogue, through the frank exchange of views, that we can arrive at an inclusive solution,” he added.

After thanking the opposition “dearly” for this input, he noted that many members “postulated on the issue – which by the way was just a small part of the address, of the new city and the dream”.

READ MORE: #Sona2019: Ramaphosa mulls a new ‘smart city’

He noted that he was repeatedly asked “where” and “on which piece of land” the smart city mentioned in his Sona would be built.

The smart city, he said, “seemed to excite members and I’m grateful for that, because it reinvigorated peoples’ imagination”.

The president then read out a “moving note from one of the officials in parliament” he had received.

“Dear Mr President,” it read.

“Those of us who want to see our country prosper, share in your dreams. When we stop dreaming our soul dies, we also die. We should never give up on our dreams, least of all let our detractors get in the way of our dreams. So let’s keep our dreams alive for the sake of our people and our country. God bless you”.

“So I got a blessing this morning, it’s wonderful,” he continued, a comment received with laughter.

The president noted that today marks the anniversary of gathering the adoption of the Freedom Charter, and appeared to compare this landmark document to his smart city vision.

“A vision or a dream is often first ridiculed then opposed and then finally accepted as self-evident,” he said, adding that this was true of the Charter and, presumably suggesting that it would be true of his smart city too.

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