Pretoria - Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa launched the national Freedom Month under the theme “Consolidating our Democratic Gains” to mark 28 years of democracy.
During a virtual address, he set the tone for the month in the building up to Freedom Day on April 27.
Mthethwa called on the nation to use the month of April to express what it meant to be “created for freedom”.
“We are created for freedom. Let us celebrate our democratic gains and continue to consolidate these gains for the benefit of each and everyone in our society,” he said.
He said it was only befitting that as the country ushered in Freedom Month, it did so reflecting on Nobel-Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
“The global icon for freedom, peace, democracy and the upholding of South Africa’s constitutional mandate said there is something in us that refuses to be regarded as less than human.
“Indeed, we are created for freedom; freedom to have the power and the right to think, the right to speak as well as the right to act as enshrined in our Constitution.
“It is our 26-year-old Constitution which resonates strongly with this. That each and everyone of us has the right to freedom of movement. It is also enshrined in our Constitution that everyone has the right to freedom of expression,” he said.
He said the hero’s welcome for Grammy Award-winning DJ Black Coffee this week was tangible evidence of the success in the freedom of expression within the creative arts being recognised, celebrated and rewarded by the world.
“Our message to the world is clear: South Africa is inspired to be a winning nation. We are building a better world because the world is not only standing up and applauding our creative and cultural talent; but they are also leveraging off our wins to define what inspiration means as articulated by the doyen of song,” he said.
He said one of the enduring sins of apartheid was the neglect of black communities in terms of provision of basic services. It therefore stood to reason that provision of basic services such as electricity, clean running water as well as provision of other basic infrastructure to previously disadvantaged communities was at the very core of the first development blueprint, the Reconstruction and Development Plan, the minister said.
He said in terms of housing, 82% of the adult population lived in formal housing, although increased migration from the rural hinterlands into the major urban centres threatened to derail some of the gains in this regard.
Also, increased immigration into South Africa by persons who boasted no special or scarce skill, and who were principally economic migrants, also put further strain on the housing statistics.
“Sanitation, water and electricity are important sets of indicators in tracking the nation’s progress since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
“According to the 2019 Baseline Survey of the Foundation for Human Rights, progress has been impressive in this regard, considering the fact that clean running water and electricity were a novelty for many communities during apartheid.
“Only 10% of adults reported to have access to water outside of their yards or their places of dwelling.
“With regards to electricity, an overwhelming majority of 92% had access to electricity, a resounding success compared to the estimate of only 53.6% in the October Household Survey of 1994,” he said.
Mthethwa also added that, through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, government has made it possible for a vast majority of the black poor youth to access higher education, which remained one of the foremost channels to break the cycle of generational poverty.
Pretoria News