A NATION’S PRIDE:
Three-year-old Zasengweni Ngema joined in on the Freedom Day celebrations yesterday at a rally in Manguzi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, where President Jacob Zuma addressed the nation on the country’s achievements of the past 23 years.
RECALLING President Jacob Zuma and halting the nuclear deal were the motivation when several NGOs and civic organisations gathered in Khayelitsha yesterday to mark Freedom Day.
Equal Education (EE), Ndifuna Ukwazi, SAFCEI, SA First Forum, the Social Justice Coalition, Sonke Gender Justice and the Treatment Action Campaign have banded together under the banner #UniteBehind to oppose the nuclear procurement deal, which the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday ruled unconstitutional, and Zuma’s continued leadership of South Africa.
Human rights activist Zackie Achmat said: “Recalling Zuma is only the first step, the second will be the nuclear deal and all other objectives will be halted until we sort this mess out. What we need now is a bigger front from opposition parties, organisations, movements, unions and communities to unite for a common cause.”
He said the crisis around South Africa’s “junk status” would mostly be felt by the middle class and disadvantaged communities.
EE general secretary Tshepo Motsepe said the promise of democracy was not for a few individuals. “The promise was the advancement of a special project that would bring back the dignity of our people, mostly our black people. This ANC of Jacob Zuma is not the party black people should look up to, to advance social justice and equality of this country.”
He said the leaders of this country should be serving the people and not the other way around. Khayelitsha resident Thozama Ngethu,74, told the crowd the only way forward was for the people to take back their Parliament. She said in order to fulfil the promises of the Freedom Charter, people must be educated and not resort to violence, but infiltrate and reclaim their government.