Deputy Speaker, Madam Chair, and all protocol observed, Freedom Day is an annual celebration of South Africa's first nonracial, democratic elections of 1994. Peace, unity and the preservation and restoration of human dignity are the hallmarks of Freedom Day celebrations on 27 April each year. In the spirit of building a South Africa that belongs to all, Freedom Day celebrations are intended to unite all South Africans in consolidating our country's democracy.
The road to democracy was a long and difficult one. All people of colour were denied the vote and hence a say in the running of the country. South Africa was never truly independent or democratic. The exclusion of the majority of South Africans from political power was at the centre of the liberation struggle and resistance to white minority rule. Blacks were systematically herded into restricted areas and homelands, and their right to equal opportunity was denied. [Interjections.]
It is a fact that South Africa belongs to all who live in it - black and white. Blacks and whites fought for this liberation, this freedom. The Soweto uprising of 1976 saw increased militancy - I am proud to say I was one of the participants. Even the church could no longer stand by silently but added its voice to the liberation struggle. The state of emergency failed in an attempt to suppress the freedom movement. By 1998, a stalemate had been reached.
What next? That was the question we had to ask ourselves. The government began looking for a way out. As a result, negotiations with the ANC leadership started. The ANC, SACP, PAC and other organisations were unbanned on 2 February 1990. The winds of change were blowing in the sky of Africa. A nonracial Constitution was eventually agreed upon and adopted in 1993. The new Constitution came into effect on 27 April 1994 - the day the nation cast its vote in the first democratic elections in the country. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was inaugurated as the President of South Africa on 10 May 1994.
Tomorrow our country will be celebrating Freedom Day to mark the liberation of our country and its people from a long period of colonialism and white minority domination. Freedom Day is a day for all South Africans. When South Africa was liberated, both the oppressor and the oppressed were liberated. Today we proudly say, "one nation, one future".
Een nasie, een toekoms. [One nation, one future.]
It is therefore imperative for South Africans of diverse political and economic backgrounds to work together towards a common objective. On Freedom Day, we celebrate the relentless efforts of those who fought for liberation, the heroes and heroines who took up arms and courted imprisonment, banning and torture on behalf of the oppressed masses.
One is tempted to ask the question: Are we really free, when our people remain poor and unemployed and display unwarranted violence due to poor service delivery? On Freedom Day, we remind ourselves to defend our Constitution. We need to ensure that all our people enjoy the fruit of these freedoms, not merely as theoretical rights but as part of the daily life experience of all South Africans. Freedom should mean emancipation from poverty, unemployment, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, but poverty continues to exist for many black people, women, children, the disabled and the elderly.
We need to continue to work together to eradicate poverty, racial inequalities and socioeconomic disparities. Freedom Day means something very valuable - it is the necessary condition for us all to achieve the vital and fundamental objective of a better life for all.
I would like to conclude by saying, Harambe!, which means to work together and pull together, in one line, peacefully and harmoniously. Khanimambo. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon members, I plead with you that we should not interject when someone is speaking. Let us give each other time to express ourselves without interjections, please, irrespective of affiliation. Veteran, you should set an exemple.