President Cyril Ramaphosa has used his reply to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate, to lambast groupings that lobby foreign governments and international institutions, to isolate South Africa.
The veiled remarks were directed at lobby group, AfriForum, which vehemently lobbied the new United States of America government to condemn South Africa, following the promulgation of the Expropriation Act.
This has since resulted in Donald Trump, signing an Executive Order, to cut all aid to Pretoria describing the Act as racially discriminating against Afrikaners.
“We want to live together in peace, harmony and equality.
“We want to see our country succeed and grow.
“We must not allow others to define us or to divide us.
“At a time like this, we need to stand united as a nation, particularly now when we are facing harsh global winds.
“This is not the time for any of us to rush off to foreign lands to lay complaints about issues that we can solve ourselves in our country.
We need South African solutions to South African problems,” said Ramaphosa in his reply to the debate at the National Assembly.
Ramaphosa said despite deep rooted divisions, the country must always send a unified message to the world, especially following Trump’s criticism, its peacekeeping role in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and stance against Israel over its invasion of Palestine.
“While there are many diverse and different voices in our society, we must strive to convey a common message.
We must say to our people and to the world that we are committed to work together to build a society in which all South Africans are free and equal.
To build a nation that works for all.
Together we should be better and weavers ready to build a nation working alongside each other,” highlighted Ramaphosa.
He sought to assure those criticising the Expropriation Act, that there will not be a repeat of the apartheid-like forced removals, as the country now has laws in place that prevent such acts.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that there’s still much to do, to address the injustices of the past.
“At this important moment in our country and in our world, we must ask ourselves what kind of a nation we want.
Surely, we do not want a nation which is separated by race, language, income and geography?
We want a nation in which all people enjoy equal worth and equal opportunity.
We want a nation in which the rule of law is protected and upheld.
We want a dynamic and growing economy in which small businesses can emerge and expand.
It is my firm and enduring belief that all of us as South Africans, as fellow citizens bound together by our history and our present, want the same thing,” remarked Ramaphosa.
