by Nurat Uthman
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, has hailed the anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela for his heroic roles as the country celebrates its 30th anniversary of freedom.
Ramaphosa said South Africa will continue to remember and work tirelessly to uphold the ideals of late Mandela, who he described as “the first democratically elected president and the father of our democracy.”
South Africa’s president said this in his presidential speech at the Union Buildings, Tshwane, Pretoria on Saturday.
South Africa ended the apartheid rule and returned to democratic rule on April 27, 1994.
Speaking on Saturday, Ramaphosa said, “Our shackles had been cast off. The weight of centuries of oppression was no longer holding us down.
“We remember the heroes and heroines whose actions made it possible for us to gather here today as a free people.
“As we celebrate today, we recall and honour all those who fought for justice, peace and freedom in our land.
“We remember the heroes and heroines whose actions made it possible for us to gather here today as a free people.
“On this day, we fondly remember Nelson Mandela, our first democratically elected president and the father of our democracy.
”In his memory we will continue to work tirelessly to achieve the democratic ideals to which he and many other heroes and heroines dedicated their lives.”
Speaking about the struggles before his country defeated apartheid, a policy that was founded on the idea of separating people based on racial or ethnic criteria, Ramaphosa said, “The 27th of April 1994 was a victory for non-racialism, for non-sexism, for human dignity and progress. Not just in South Africa, but everywhere.
“It was a victory for reconciliation.
“The democratic breakthrough was as much about liberating black South Africans from apartheid as it was about freeing white South Africans from their prejudice and fear.
”As President Nelson Mandela said, the system of apartheid robbed both the oppressed and the oppressor alike of their humanity.
“Before the 27th of April 1994 many believed our country would descend into a race war. Many believed that given how deep the wounds of mistrust were, that we would turn against each other.
“And yet we did not do so. Together, we worked hard and with purpose to bring about a reconciliation between the races.”
Charging the citizens, he added, “We must never let our spirits be dampened by detractors, whether they are abroad or in our own country, who want to diminish what we achieved in 1994 and in the years that have followed.”
