WeeklySA_AdminReject: Attempts to divide or distract these efforts to sow doubts…
By Monk Nkomo
Those who sought to inflame tensions amongst political organizations who were willing to work together to steer the country out of a myriad of problems including poverty, unemployment and inequality were bound to fail because South Africans were resolute in their quest for unity and better life.
In his moving address after being sworn in by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo as the country’s President for a second successive term at the Union Buildings in Pretoria this week, Cyril Ramaphosa again embraced the idea of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and said the political party leadership of this diverse nation – following the will of the people in the recent general elections – now had a sacred duty to unite the people of South Africa.
‘’Nothing will distract us from serving the people and advancing their interests. The formation of the GNU is a moment of profound significance – the beginning of a new era. We look to this rising tide with optimism and hope.
‘’We will build a government that is capable and honest. We must be bold. We must be brave. We owe this noble mission our courage. We must reject every attempt to divide or distract us to sow doubt or cynicism or to turn us against one another.’’
The inauguration event was attended by a massive crowd of people including foreign dignitaries and Heads of several African States. Ramaphosa said this day heralded the solemn conviction of all leaders of political parties in the GNU that South Africa belonged to all those who lived in it as articulated in the Freedom Charter almost 70 years ago. Parties in the GNU so far included the ANC, DA, IFP, PAC, PA and GOOD.
This was the time for all political parties in the GNU to assemble all their capabilities and to direct all their energies to answer the call of the people of South Africa. The call to work together for the progress of the country.
‘’We gather here, as people born of the same soil across our nine provinces that make up a unitary South Africa, determined that by our deeds we shall heal the divisions of our past and overcome the ongoing inequalities and hardships of the present.
We declare for all to know that neither discord nor dissent shall cause us to cast aside that which calls us to build a united, free, just, equal and prosperous nation. On this day, we assert by solemn oath the will of the people of this land’’.
South Africans, Ramaphosa stressed, were impatient with the political bickering and the endless blame game among political parties.
‘’ The people have demanded an end to the theft of public funds and the capture of the State. They have spoken of their desire to be safe in their homes, on the streets, in their cities, in their villages and on their farms.
They want us to put their needs and aspirations first and they want us to work together for the sake of our country. Their will shall be done without any doubt or questions.’’
The President said the political leaders in the GNU had affirmed their unwavering fidelity to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which was based on the enduring vision and values of the Freedom Charter.
As the leadership of this diverse nation, they had a sacred duty to unite the people of South Africa. History had placed on their shoulders the responsibility to transform the country into a non-racial and non-sexist society and the determination to build a more equal and caring society. These leaders had affirmed their resolute quest to build a growing and inclusive economy that offered opportunities and livelihoods to all people.
‘’ We dare not linger, we dare not rest until we have created jobs for those who need them; until there is enough food on every table; until people received basic services. We dare not rest until women of South Africa are free from the social, cultural and economic constraints that hold back their progress.
‘’ We cannot rest until criminals are off our streets and the drugs are out of our communities; until men no longer perpetrate violence against women and children. And so, as we enter another era in the life of our nation, the resilience of our democracy has once more been tested and the people have spoken loudly that they choose peace and democracy over violent, undemocratic and unconstitutional methods’’.
The South African populace, Ramaphosa added, had also been unequivocal in expressing their disappointment and disapproval of the government’s performance in some of the areas in which they had failed them.
The country wanted a transformed, growing and inclusive economy that created jobs for millions of job seekers and offered business opportunities to all entrepreneurs in our nation – women and men, young and old. The people have been clear about what they wanted. They wanted decent homes, food, clean water, affordable electricity, well maintained roads and street lights that worked.
Thirty years had passed since the ANC-led government and the South African community turned their back on racial tyranny and embraced an open and democratic society.
‘’We have built a transformed public service, an independent judiciary, a competitive electoral system, a sophisticated economy, a vibrant and free media, and a robust civil society.
And yet despite this progress, our society remains deeply unequal and highly polarised. There are toxic cleavages and an incipient social fragmentation that can easily turn into instability.
The lines drawn by our history, between black and white, between men and women, between suburbs and townships, between urban and rural, between the wealthy and the poor, remain etched in our landscape’’. This moment required extraordinary courage and leadership.
It required a common mission to safeguard national unity, peace, stability, inclusive economic growth, non-racialism and non-sexism. Through the ballots that they had cast, the people of South Africa had made plain their expectation that the leaders of South Africa should work together.
They had directed their representatives to put aside animosity and dissent, to abandon narrow interests and to pursue together only that which benefited the nation.
As leaders, as political parties, they are called upon to work in partnership towards a growing economy, better jobs, safer communities and a government that worked for its people. From across the political spectrum, parties had answered that call.
Understanding that no party can govern alone and make laws alone, these parties had agreed to work in partnership, to employ their talents for the good of the country and the progress of its people.
Together, they had resolved to establish a government of national unity to pursue a common programme of fundamental and lasting change. The formation of a government of national unity was a moment of profound significance. It was the beginning of a new era.
As the leaders of this country came together in a government of national unity 30 years ago to forge a common future and build a united nation, the parties in the government of national unity of today had agreed to work together to address the most pressing challenges before the nation.
The parties had adopted a Statement of Intent, in which they had committed to pursue rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; create a more just society by tackling poverty; to safeguard the rights of workers; to stabilise government and to build state capacity.
The parties had made a commitment to invest in South Africa’s people through quality education and health care; address crime and corruption; strengthen social cohesion and build a united nation and to pursue a foreign policy based on human rights, solidarity and peace. ‘’As South Africans, we must each do what we can to achieve this mission. We will invite all parties, civil society, labour, business and other formations to a National Dialogue on the critical challenges facing the nation,’’ Ramaphosa said.
