President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address at the Union Buildings on Freedom Day wasn’t simply a celebration of 30 years of democracy. It served as a potent reminder of the unfinished business of the struggle – land reform.
While acknowledging the progress the country has made since dismantling apartheid, the president emphasised the enduring legacy of land dispossession and the centrality of addressing it to achieve true equality.
Ramaphosa’s words resonated with the historical trauma of land theft. He declared, “Centuries of colonialism and apartheid dispossessed black people of their most basic possession: the land.”
This forceful removal, he explained, continues to shape the lives of many South Africans, stating, “Apartheid’s legacy continues to define the choices and opportunities of so many South Africans.”
Ramaphosa painted a picture of a deeply unequal land ownership landscape. He highlighted the stark reality that “millions of black South Africans – African, coloured and Indian – were at the mercy of laws and practices that were enforced to serve the interests of a white minority. Their land was taken, their labour was exploited, their prospects were stunted.”
From dispossession to restitution: A long road ahead
The president acknowledged the government’s efforts to rectify this historical injustice. Since 1994, he announced, “we have pursued land reform, distributing millions of hectares of land to those who had been forcibly dispossessed and providing security of tenure to many others who had lived on the land for generations.”
However, Ramaphosa readily admitted the shortcomings. He conceded, “We know that despite our achievements, South Africa remains a highly unequal society…”
Beyond hectares: Land reform for shared prosperity
The president furthermore emphasised the centrality of land reform in achieving true freedom and shared prosperity.
He declared, “The progress that has been made in a relatively short period of thirty years is something of which we can and should all be proud… We still have a long way to go before we can declare that all South Africans do indeed share in the wealth of the country. But we have made much progress, and we are determined to do much more.”
Implicitly linking land ownership to economic empowerment, the president highlighted the close connection between land and opportunity.
He underscored, “Our task over the last 30 years has been to bridge the huge divides of wealth and opportunity in our country – between black and white, between men and women, between urban and rural dwellers.
“We have done so not only to correct the injustices of the past, but also so that we may realise the full potential of an economy in which every person has a stake and in which every person has the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.”
Ramaphosa urged South Africans to “work together, united in purpose, to build a future where the promise of freedom rings true for every single South African.”
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