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President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS)
- Race relations remain fragile, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a national address.
- He added that poverty and inequality continued to be the greatest barriers to building a society of solidarity.
- The president also encouraged South Africans to remain united in the face of the global pandemic.
Despite the progress made in addressing racism, deep and persistent challenges remain, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his national address on the 25th National Day of Reconciliation.
Ramaphosa referenced racist incidents in Eldorado Park and Brackenfell, saying they indicated that “the state of race relations in our nation remains fragile.”
“For many, reconciliation is something they have yet to experience,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that some of the biggest challenges facing the country remain poverty and inequality. He called on public officials to “rededicate themselves [themselves] at the service of the people ”, condemning those who squandered the resources destined for the poor.
To address poverty and inequality, companies needed to support redress policies, having inclusive hiring policies, investing in communities and training their workforce, as well as making opportunities available to youth and women, Ramaphosa said. He also called on agricultural organizations and landowners to support land reform policies to allow for redress.
“We must ask ourselves what each of us can do, what we can and must do, to promote social justice, solidarity and human rights in all facets of our lives,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa also spoke out against gender violence.
He said:
As men, we must be fully involved in this fight because it is men who are the perpetrators. We should be ashamed that women and children feel uncomfortable in the company of unknown men, are afraid of being followed by men … It is not women and girls who should change their behavior, but men.
However, Ramaphosa added that the Covid-19 pandemic had seen South Africans come together to support those in need, through donations to the Solidarity Fund and food packages, as well as to support students with their studies.
“This year has been one of the most challenging that our democracy has faced … The global pandemic has brought great difficulties and incalculable suffering to many of our peoples … Since democracy in 1994 we have not stood together united by empathy and compassion and shared humanity, “he said.
