Armed Forces Day will be special, says Ramaphosa
WEDNESDAY’S Armed Forces Day celebrations will have a special meaning this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa says.
“They occur as our nation celebrates the change of leadership in the governing party without any appetite for senseless bloodshed‚ because our defence force is led by wise women and men, who abide to the ideal of the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law,” he said in Kimberley yesterday.
He was speaking at an interfaith prayer service organised by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Armed Forces Day commemorates the SS Mendi which sank in the English Channel on February 21 1917, resulting in the deaths of 600 black soldiers.
Ramaphosa said these soldiers had paid the ultimate price to defend freedom‚ peace and justice.
“It is a day that reminds us that blood was spilled by countless South Africans and freedom fighters to guarantee us our freedom and human rights‚” he said.
“It is a reminder that brave men and women continue to put their lives on the line to secure our hard-won freedoms and defend our constitution.”
Ramaphosa praised former president Nelson Mandela for leaving a coherent SANDF to protect South Africa.
“He [Mandela] left us a national defence force that is a true microcosm of our diverse society.
“A truly national defence force for all South Africans that guarantees that its tanks and guns will never again roll into townships and suburbs to fight against the very same people it was established to protect,” Ramaphosa said. – TimesLIVE