President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to confront the narrative that their country is a place where individuals of certain races or cultures are being targeted for persecution. He made this declaration in his weekly newsletter, reflecting on Human Rights Day, which was celebrated in the country last Friday.
Ramaphosa says that South Africans must reject the politics of divisiveness that are emerging in many parts of the world.
The President says in South Africa, all citizens, African, white, Indian and colored, male and female, enjoy equal rights and freedoms that the state is obliged to uphold, protect and advance.
He adds that there are constitutional protections guaranteed to all racial, cultural, and linguistic groups, including their right to enjoy their culture and to use their language.
He says that South Africans should therefore not allow events beyond their shores to divide them or turn them against each other. He adds that even those with the most offensive views should know that in democratic South Africa, the country’s constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression if it does not include incitement to violence or advocacy of racial and other hatred.
