By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Today marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s democratic journey as the nation commemorates the seventieth anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter.
A landmark in the struggle against apartheid, the Charter was drawn up and endorsed by thousands of South Africans during the historic Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto in 1955.
On that historic day in Kliptown, some 3,000 delegates from all political formations united to forge the Charter’s powerful core principle: “South Africa belongs to all who live in it.”
The African National Congress (ANC) First Deputy Secretary General, Nomvula Mokonyane was at the Colloquium on Progressive Internationalism in Freedom Park, Pretoria, where the ANC reflected on the relevance of the Freedom Charter in a global context.
Mokonyane says, “We have touched every clause of the Freedom Charter, boldly we can say South Africans are the beneficiaries of all the clauses, albeit not everything has been touched. The most stubborn is the clause that talks about the economy and the sharing of the wealth.”
Mokonyane said the country’s land restitution programme has not been successful, which is why the Expropriation Act was recently signed into law.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a bill allowing land seizures by the state without compensation – a move that has put him at odds with some members of his government.
Black people only own a small fraction of farmland nationwide more than 30 years after the end of the racist system of apartheid – the majority remains with the white minority.
This has led to frustration and anger over the slow pace of reform.
While Ramaphosa’s ANC party hailed the law as a “significant milestone” in the country’s transformation, some members of the coalition government say they may challenge it in court.
Mokonyane also added that it is crucial that a peaceful resolution is reached in the ongoing war between Israel and Iran.
She also talked about the importance of nations taking accountability for their actions.
During the 12-day war, Iran fired more than 550 missiles at Israel with a 90% interception rate, according to new statistics released by Israeli authorities on Thursday. Israel, meantime, hit more than 720 Iranian military infrastructure targets and eight nuclear-related sites.
Critics argue that the ANC has drifted far from those foundational ideals, betraying the very values that inspired the struggle against apartheid.
The Freedom Charter articulated a vision where “the people shall share in the country’s wealth, “land would be shared among those who work it, and poverty, unemployment, and inequality would be eliminated.
Poverty persists, unemployment remains entrenched, and inequality is among the highest globally. The triple burden the Charter sought to eradicate continues unabated, raising questions about the ANC’s fidelity to its founding principles.