South Africans on Tuesday marked the 3rd anniversary of former president Nelson Mandela’s death, vowing to honour his legacy by upholding his values and principles.
South African Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa took the opportunity to call on South Africans to strengthen unity.
“It is only through unity, that we become effective agents of social change. It is only through unity, that we can improve people’s lives,” Mr Ramaphosa said at the Nelson Mandela Memorial Dialogue, taking place in Johannesburg.
Mr Mandela, founder of new South Africa, died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.
Three years after Mandela’s death, South Africa has been gripped by discord within the state and in some of its public institutions.
This can be demonstrated by declining support for the ANC and growing factionalism within the party.
“While we should be cautious not to exaggerate reports of discord within the state and in some of our public institutions, we cannot ignore the fault lines that appear to have emerged in our body politic,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
He stressed the importance of unity, saying that without unity, South Africa cannot collectively counter the effects of patronage, corruption and the unrestrained scramble for positions and resources, Mr Ramaphosa noted.
Nice 1 from South Africans, for marking the
3rd anniversary of
former president
Nelson Mandela’s
death