President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday urged South Africans to protect the country’s constitution, democracy and state institutions, which “are paramount in safeguarding its hard-won freedom.”
Ramaphosa said this in his weekly newsletter to the nation following an unprecedented two weeks of tragic events that saw fire engulfing parliament, the Constitutional Court building being damaged by an alleged arsonist, the release of the first part of a report state capture, and the burial of struggle icon Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in Cape Town.
These events have had a profound impact on South African society, and they were related in safeguarding the country’s democracy and its constitution, the president said.
“We must safeguard against any and all efforts to diminish our hard-won democracy – whether these efforts take the form of corruption in state- owned enterprises as spelled out in the State Capture Commission, the subversion of our law enforcement agencies, the sabotage of our economic infrastructure, or attacks on the independence and integrity of our judiciary,” Ramaphosa said.
He added: “We need to protect our Constitution, our democratic state and the electoral process from anyone who wants to weaken our democracy and deny the South African people of their hard-won freedom.”
While the parliament buildings had been damaged beyond use, the institution of parliament continued its work in the service of the people, he said.
“This is an important reminder that our democratic institutions are not defined by the buildings that house them – but by the work they do, and by the confidence that the people have in them,” Ramaphosa said.
NM/jn/APA