By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa used his Heritage Day speech at Bongolethu Sports Stadium in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape to condemn the scourge of violence against women.
This follows the discovery of nine bodies of women in Gauteng’s Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas over the past two months.
The national heritage event was held under theme, “Celebrating Our Living Heritage: Strengthening the Ties That Bind Us.”
The theme focuses on the role of living heritage in promoting national unity, social cohesion, Ubuntu and a shared sense of belonging.
National Heritage Day also provides an opportunity for South Africans to celebrate their diverse cultural traditions while reflecting on the role of heritage in nation-building.
Ramaphosa declared that the abuse, rape and killing of women cannot be regarded as part of South Africa’s heritage, saying women have the right to walk the streets of their country at any hour without fear.
“The abuse, rape and killing of women is not our heritage. There is no culture worthy of the name that diminishes the dignity of women.”
He said the pain and suffering that the women of South Africa have been put through stands out as a national shame.
The President said the country’s celebration of its heritage must confront the realities that affect the daily lives of South Africans, particularly the unequal experience of freedom and safety.
“It is profoundly unequally lived by a man who can walk the streets without fear, and a woman who must constantly consider whether she will be safe.”
The President also used the Heritage Day platform to make a declaration on the country’s response to violence against women, maintaining that violence against women will not be part of the inheritance left to the next generation.
He said strengthening the ties that bind South Africans requires the country to address the gaps between the lived experiences of its people.
The President noted that freedom is not equally experienced by people living in safe communities and those living with the fear of crime, or by young people with access to education and opportunities and those whose circumstances denied them such opportunities.
He challenged South Africans to build a country which is safe for all people, where there is dignity, and where government serves its people.
Ramaphosa will soon update the nation on the Ekurhuleni murders and government’s response to the Gender Based Violence.
“In the next few days, I will address the nation on the steps that government is taking to confront gender-based violence and to update our people on the investigations into the killings of women in and around Ekurhuleni, added Ramaphosa.”