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4h ago
My fellow South Africans,
Reflecting on the year that is now coming to an end, we see a world that is fundamentally different from anything we have known before.
There is no corner of the earth, nor part of our country, that has not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
It has devastated lives and destroyed livelihoods, caused great pain and left many people starving and helpless.
At the same time, it has brought our people together.
The pandemic has demonstrated the great capacity for cooperation, solidarity and shared effort of our people.
Globally, the countries of the world have worked together to share information and resources.
Our continent, under the leadership of the African Union, came together to develop a common response to this pandemic and found an innovative way to ensure that all countries have access to essential medical supplies.
We have reached out to the rest of the world to advocate for debt relief and mobilize funds for the response to Africa’s coronavirus and for its economic recovery.
Faced with this unprecedented crisis, South Africans have demonstrated the true meaning of ‘ubuntu’.
We have taken responsibility for the well-being of others by donating our time, energy and resources.
Working together, we’ve mobilized the nation’s resources under difficult conditions and in a very short time to support poor families, protect jobs, and keep businesses afloat.
It has been a year of uncertainty, pain, worry and loss.
Many people have been asked to make great sacrifices.
Many have been preoccupied with their jobs, many have struggled to earn a living.
Almost all South Africans have had to spend time apart from their loved ones.
As this year draws to a close, we mourn the loss of family, friends, colleagues and neighbors who succumbed to COVID-19.
As a nation, we mourn the loss of several eminent South Africans and people from all walks of life.
Even when the coronavirus hit us, we had to face another pandemic that has long plagued our nation.
We regret the many women and children who lost their lives at the hands of men.
We think of the many more who have endured rape and beatings, abusive relationships, and sexual harassment.
We think of the many children who have been injured and traumatized by adults, the very people who are responsible for their well-being and safety.
And yet, in the face of these two pandemics, South Africans have stood firm, determined to overcome the coronavirus, and determined to end gender-based violence.
I want to express my sincere thanks to all South Africans for the courage and perseverance with which they have faced this crisis.
I want to thank health and social service workers for caring for people who are sick, hungry or alone.
Even as the New Year dawns, in hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country, committed healthcare workers are caring for the sick in the face of a severe resurgence of infections.
Throughout the year, they have worked tirelessly and at great risk to themselves to care for and protect us.
We have a duty to protect them from harm and fatigue by acting responsibly, ensuring that we do not get infected and that we do not infect others.
I also want to thank the men and women of our law enforcement agencies and our Defense Force, who keep us safe from crime, violence, and harm.
Of the many ways that COVID-19 affected our lives last year, one of the most challenging was the disruption caused to learning and teaching in our schools, colleges, and universities.
The pandemic threatened the educational development of an entire generation of South Africans.
Therefore, it is with great admiration and much respect that I salute the 2020 trainees and students for having continued their studies under such difficult conditions.
In some cases, they have had to continue the academic year until 2021.
I want to thank the educators, teachers, administrators and governing bodies of the schools for having worked so hard to save the academic year and ensure that the youth of our country thrive and succeed.
We thank the country’s traditional and religious leaders for suspending or limiting many of their activities during the pandemic.
We thank our athletes and administrators, our artists and performers, and all those who have not been able to continue their craft to prevent the spread of the disease.
I want to thank all the members of Parliament, the members of the provincial legislatures, the councilors of local governments and all the public servants for having remained in their positions even in the most difficult moments of the pandemic and for having continued to serve the nation.
We enter a new year ready to rebuild our economy, reactivate businesses and restore jobs, and continue our drive for new investments.
Working together in partnership, we are embarking on an ambitious recovery plan.
to build new roads and water projects, human settlements and power generation plants.
We have made significant progress in vital economic reforms to ensure we have a secure supply of affordable energy; that we have cheaper, faster and more accessible broadband; and that our ports and railways are more efficient and competitive.
We are creating public employment opportunities that help improve people’s lives, and we are providing greater support for small businesses that drive growth and create jobs.
We are accelerating the redistribution of land and improving the support provided to beneficiaries.
Through this work, we are transforming our economy, allowing more black people, women and youth to participate in and benefit from activities that they had previously been excluded from.
Due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, we have had to learn to work, learn, trade and socialize in new and different ways.
We’ve harnessed technology like never before to keep our economy running, and we need to use the great strides we’ve made to shape a new world of work that is more productive, more efficient, and more focused on people’s needs.
We are just hours away from the birth of the African Continental Free Trade Zone, which will fundamentally change the economic fortunes of our continent.
It is the beginning of a new era of trade between African countries, when the continent will produce the goods and services it needs, when its economies will grow, industrialize and diversify, when it will realize the great potential of its abundant natural resources.
I call on our nation’s entrepreneurs to seize the abundant opportunities this historic development will present to explore new markets and build new partnerships.
This is an opportunity to empower women in Africa through special trade agreements, financial inclusion, and preferential access to government and private sector procurement.
South Africa’s presidency of the African Union is coming to an end, just as we are also ending our term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Through these important bodies, we have championed the cause of peace and development not only in Africa, but throughout the world.
We have worked to strengthen the multilateral institutions that are so necessary for global cooperation and for the sustainable development of all.
Next year will be challenging and difficult.
We are in the middle of a second wave of coronavirus infections, which may be even worse than the first.
And while we are greatly encouraged by the progress made in developing an effective vaccine, we know that it will be some time before the pandemic ends.
Therefore, next year will require our best effort and endurance.
The past year has shown what we are capable of when we are united and when we work together for the good of all.
It is this spirit that will bring us into the new year and that will allow us to prevail and prosper.
I wish you a happy and healthy 2021.
Nkosi Sikelel ‘iAfrika.
MESS
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