PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa called on the nation on Thursday to be united after South Africa’s new expropriation policy and foreign policy came under attack from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
In his reply to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate on Thursday, Ramaphosa said South Africans should not allow others to define or divide them.
“In times like this we need to stand united as a nation, particularly now when we are facing harsh global wind,” he said.
Ramaphosa also said the nation should strive to convey a common message and say to the world that they were committed to work together to build a society in which all South Africans were free and equal.
“We will not be diverted from the path that we have set out. I would like to repeat that we will not be bullied by anyone in the country or outside from our intent to work together,” he said.
Last Friday, Trump issued executive orders which summarily cut the USAID funding to South Africa and he also afforded white Afrikaners priority status to seek refuge in the US as the impasse over South Africa’s expropriation policy escalated.
Ramaphosa said it was not the time for anyone to rush off to foreign lands to lay complaints about issues that could be solved in the country.
“We need South African solutions to South African problems,” he said.
Responding to criticism from the opposition against the deployment of SANDF to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ramaphosa said the decision to deploy the armed forces was not taken lightly, particularly when that deployment may put the soldiers in harm’s way.
“As South Africa, we will do whatever is within our means to support the peace effort so that this conflict will finally end and the people of the region will finally know peace.”
During a parliamentary debate last week defence minister Angie Mothsekga denied that South African troops were in the DRC to protect Ramaphosa’s and others business interests.
Ramaphosa welcomed the contributions by the parties that sought to enrich common understanding of the work the government needed to do to drive more rapid and inclusive growth, to create employment and to end poverty while some held firm to the denialism and distortions demanded by their party positions.
“This debate illustrated the dangers of retreating to corners, isolating ourselves in ideological, cultural, racial and linguistic enclaves and hardly ever engaging beyond our immediate circles.
“This is not conducive to nation-building in a situation like ours, where diverse people live side-by-side,” he said.
Ramaphosa noted that debate saw the expression of divergent views on various matters by parties in the GNU.
“It is to be expected that the 10 political parties that make up the GNU, with their very different political and ideological perspectives, will not always agree and will sometimes feel the need on platforms such as this to talk to their different constituencies.”
Ramaphosa said the progress the country had made was not due to individuals.
“This progress is owned by the people of South Africa. It is not owned by any individual. Even the great Nelson Mandela, the father of our democracy and the nation, never for one minute claimed he had freed the people of South Africa.”
This was in reference to the MK Party, which claimed many successes of the government had been made during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma.
Ramaphosa said even when Mandela was lionised, “he always said we did it together as the people of South Africa and that is what we should do”.
He also took a dig at the DA Ministers for claiming that the progress being made and the reforms were of their own makings.
“We nevertheless welcome the fact that they have embraced these initiatives and are working to ensure they succeed whether they claim to be the mothers or fathers of this.”
Ramaphosa used his reply to set the record straight on his role in assenting to bills and laws passed by Parliament, saying the Constitution permitted him to assent to a bill unless he had reservations.
“The Constitution does not permit that the act of assent by the President be subject to negotiation or to the terms of an agreement between parties. The President must ultimately make a determination in line with the Constitution.”
The DA, which is part of the GNU has been unhappy over Ramaphosa’s decision to sign into law the National Health Insurance, Basic Education Laws Amendment and Expropriation bills.
During his address, Ramaphosa made a commitment that forced removals would not be allowed again because the Constitution prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of property.
“Our experience of forced removals also explains the Constitutional requirement that the state must take reasonable measures, within its available resources, to foster conditions which enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.”
He acknowledged that like the transformation of society, the process of restitution was not complete.
“There is still much that needs to be done to heal the divisions of the past.”