President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday spoke of how proud he was at the “substantial progress” South Africa has made since 1994, in comparison with other countries that deteriorated after liberation.
“We have done exceptionally well against all odds, in only 17 years,” Zuma said at Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
He spoke of the importance of Chapter 9 institutions like the office of the Public Protector and the Human Rights Commission, which formed part of available mechanisms to ensure that apartheid never recurred.
He urged South Africans not allow anyone or any grouping in society to reverse the gains of the country’s hard-won democracy.
This day, he said, marked the celebration of a freedom and democracy obtained through the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices of scores of freedom fighters and ordinary South Africans.
“We must therefore commit ourselves to not allow anyone or any grouping or structure in our society to trivialise our freedom or to reverse the gains of our hard-won democracy.”
He recalled how, a few years ago, people lived in a country whose system of government was declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations.
He also spoke of the pain caused by the legacy of apartheid that stripped away the dignity of millions of South Africans. Referring to the Group Areas Act of 1950, which designated residential areas according to race, Zuma said the scars caused by forced removals remain to this day.
The government was attempting to reverse the impact, he said.
“Thousands more still bear the psychological scars of being bundled into Bantustans or so-called homelands.”
‘You are disrespecting me’
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance MP Sej Motau was heckled and howled at while delivering his speech at the Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings on Wednesday.
Motau briefly stopped speaking and observed the crowd when the howling by hundreds of people attending the event grew louder.
Many made the hand signal used at soccer matches to indicate player substitutions, demanding that he move off stage.
However, the programme director for the day, Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile, took to the podium and interjected, with his first words being: “No, no, no.”
“Please, let’s allow speakers to say a few words and sit. This heckling is taking a lot of our time,” said Mashatile.
A lot of moaning followed from the crowd, at which time Mashatile said Motau would only take one second.
Motau hastily made his concluding remarks, highlighting the importance of having days like Freedom Day, Youth Day and Reconciliation Day to build and unite the nation, before leaving the stage.
He was not the only victim.
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s Oscar Maseko also had to endure heckling.
Mashatile scolded the crowd for their lack of discipline.
“If you continue howling, people, you are disrespecting me as programme director.”
No other speaker was heckled off stage after that.
Instead, they were received warmly by the crowd. — Sapa