His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Africa
The Minister of Arts and Culture
The Ministers present
The MECs present
The Mayor of Tshwane
Program Director.
Our march towards twenty years of freedom, democracy and political stability is gaining momentum by day. It is given impetus by the shared sense of responsibility and collective effort by government and its strategic partners in business, labour and civil society aimed at defeating the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Today’s celebration is about the journey we have travelled together in pursuit of freedom, peace and justice for all. It is also the celebration of the resilient spirit of South Africans to rise above their differences and embrace one another as a united nation. We celebrate this day because we know very well what it means to be enslaved and oppressed, disenfranchised and dispossessed, as well as being humiliated and brutalised.
The freedom we enjoy today can never be taken for granted since multitudes of our people sacrificed their lives so that South Africa can be free. We had to bleed so that bigotry, segregation and exploitation can be defeated.
Today’s celebration should therefore serve as the reminder of the greater challenges we still face. The triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment which affects all of us as a nation. These can only be totally defeated if we approach and fight them with the same energy and vigour applied to defeat apartheid. We need a concerted effort so that total emancipation can be realised.
Our celebration today should be a clarion call to all of us to mobilise and consolidate for democracy and freedom. In our different sectors and communities we should work tirelessly in defence and consolidation of the gains we have made since the dawn of democracy.
We should make it our business where ever we are to mobilise our people and build structures that will serve to promote and advance the programs of developments as reflected in the mandate you gave this government. These are your programs and they can never be entrusted with anyone but the tried and tested organisation and government you elected.
So the theme for this year’s Freedom Day celebration is relevant in that it enjoins all of us to “Mobilising society towards consolidating freedom and democracy”. It is the only way in which we can rest assured that our popular programs of transformation and development will be advanced.
I would like at this point to welcome all of you in this celebration and also welcome in particular the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, who will give us an address.
Dankie. Ngiyabonga.
