25 years after apartheid, South Africans are still not free: President

A quarter of a century after the end of apartheid in South Africa, a large part of the population is still not free from abject poverty, high unemployment and the scourge of corruption. rife in the country, said Saturday President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Speaking at a ceremony in Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown, in the south of the country, Ramaphosa said the South Africans were "gathered here to celebrate the day we won our freedom".

The first democratic elections were held in South Africa on April 27, 1994. Blacks – who represent three-quarters of the population – voted for the first time, ending three centuries of white domination and rule of law. ;apartheid. since 1948.

"We remember when we placed a cross on a ballot for the first time in our lives," said the president, paying tribute to Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and elected the country's first black president. South Africa in 1994.

Nevertheless, "we can not be a nation of free peoples while many still live in poverty," said Ramaphosa.

"We can not be a nation of free peoples when so many people live without food, without adequate shelter, without access to quality health care, without means to earn a living," he said.

"We can not be a nation of free peoples when funds for the poor are wasted, lost or stolen … while there is still corruption in our country."

Ramaphosa is at the head of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party since the end of apartheid.

In 2018, he succeeded Jacob Zuma, who had been forced to resign following several corruption scandals.

Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa in May 1994. By WALTER DHLADHLA (AFP)

"As we celebrate 25 years of democracy, we must focus all our attention and efforts on the opportunity for all South Africans to equally benefit from the economic and social benefits of freedom," Ramaphosa said.

Despite the emergence of a middle clbad in South Africa, the continent's economic powerhouse, 20% of black households still live in extreme poverty, compared with just 2.9% of white households, according to the report. Institute of Race Relations.

The unemployment rate in South Africa is currently 27%, compared to 20% in 1994.