President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to uphold the constitutional values of non-racialism, non-sexism, equality, democracy and human dignity, while rejecting violence against women, xenophobia and intolerance.
In his weekly newsletter, the President reflected on last week’s Heritage Day, a celebration of South Africa’s many languages, traditions and cultures.
He said the celebration was made possible by the country’s democratic government, which acknowledges the grave injustices and immense suffering of the past and is committed to building a nation that lives in harmony despite its diversity.
Ramaphosa said South Africa’s heritage was not only something to celebrate, but also something to defend.
“We cannot allow violence against women to define who we are. The abuse, rape and killing of women is a stain on our national conscience. We cannot claim to be a society founded on freedom, equality and human dignity while half of our population lives in fear of violence,” the President said.
He added that South Africa should not be defined by xenophobia and intolerance.
“The peoples of Africa provided moral and material support to our liberation struggle and our democracy. Democratic South Africa remains committed to advancing the ideals of African unity and integration.
“At the same time, migration must take place within the law. Government has a responsibility to manage our borders effectively, and everyone who lives in South Africa is required to respect our laws,” Ramaphosa said.
The President said racism would never define South Africa, a nation determined not to return to the racial division and oppression of the apartheid past.
“In 1994, we chose to build one nation from people of different races, cultures and backgrounds. It is a choice that we must continue to renew every day.
“Democratic South Africa is committed to correcting the injustices of the past. There is no moral equivalence between redress and discrimination,” he said.
Ramaphosa emphasised that legitimate, constitutionally grounded redress measures could not be equated with apartheid’s systematic racial oppression.
“There is no equivalence between measures designed to overcome racial exclusion and the apartheid laws that were designed to enforce racial exclusion, dispossession and inequality.
“We must remain vigilant against those who seek to undermine our national unity and turn South Africans against one another. We all have a responsibility to hold our social fabric together.
“We must guard against words and actions that polarise communities, inflame public opinion and reopen the wounds of our past,” the President said.
While the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, Ramaphosa reminded South Africans that this right comes with responsibility.
“In a country where women live in fear of abuse and are killed every day, the public humiliation of women is not harmless. It reinforces the attitudes that sustain discrimination and violence.
“At a time when undocumented migration is fuelling social tensions, inflammatory statements about foreign nationals are dangerous and irresponsible.
“In a country with unacceptably high levels of violent crime, language that glorifies killing or encourages hostility has no place in our public life,” the President said.
Ramaphosa also condemned the false claim of a “white genocide”, saying that promoting it abroad discouraged investment in South Africa and was neither responsible nor patriotic.
“At a time when unemployment is high and we need to grow our economy and attract investment, travelling to foreign capitals to spread the falsehood of a “white genocide” and discourage investment in one’s own country is neither responsible nor patriotic.
“We may be a diverse nation, but we are united by the constitutional values that make us South African. These values transcend race, gender, language, culture and geography,” the President said.
He encouraged South Africans to continue working together to overcome the country’s common challenges.
“Every day, through our words and our deeds, we must renew the choice we made in 1994 and affirmed when we adopted our Constitution: the choice to build this country together. That is our shared heritage. It is also our shared responsibility,” Ramaphosa said. -SAnews.gov.za
