Staff Reporter
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to demonstrate their disdain for corruption by voting out those who have failed to serve them in the forthcoming local government elections set for later this year.
“If those who claim to serve you are not doing so, vote them out,” said Ramaphosa when he addressed the national Freedom Day celebrations held in Botshabelo, just outside Bloemfontein today.
The local government elections are set to take place on October 27.
“Exercising our right to vote is by far the most powerful form of protest,” he told the gathering after officially opening the Charlotte Maxeke Treatment Centre in the township located about 45km east of Bloemfontein.
Ramaphosa told the people that their vote is the most potent weapon through which they can improve their lives and transform the communities they live in.
“I call on you to demonstrate, with your vote, your intolerance for corruption, theft and mismanagement of the funds that are meant for the benefit of you, the citizen,” he said.
“These elections are an opportunity to make your voice heard and to be part of the change you want to see.
“Whether you are in a village, a town, a city, a metro or a farm, I call on you to exercise your right in the upcoming local government elections.
“I call on you to decide who among the many candidates has the ability and the determination to work tirelessly on your behalf.”
The president urged people “to determine the future of your family and your community by putting your confidence in those parties that have the best policies and the will and the means to implement them”.
Ramaphosa lamented the stubborn legacy of apartheid which he said continues to limit people’s opportunities, 27 years after democracy.
He said despite the country making progress towards realising a better life for the people and advancing human dignity, the promise of 1994 has not yet been fulfilled.
“Millions of South Africans still live in conditions of poverty and deprivation . . . for those who continue to suffer from lack of basic services like running water; for those living in fear every day from violence and crime; and for those who have no jobs to support themselves and their families, true freedom remains elusive . . . the legacy of apartheid remains a defining feature of our land.”
The president said even after nearly three decades, the remnants of apartheid continue in many ways to determine where people live, what assets they own, what schooling they receive, what jobs they can do and how safe they feel.
He urged people to take a firm stand against the social ills that prevent the men, women and children of South Africa from living lives of freedom.
“We must take a firm stand against violence against women and children,” said Ramaphosa.
“We must speak out and report any instances of gender-based violence, even if the perpetrators are close to us.
“As a country we must say no to homophobia and all forms of intolerance against members of the LGBTQI+ community.”
He pointed out that hate crime will not be tolerated in the country and that those behind these crimes will be found and brought to book.