He added that while the living conditions of many South Africans had not changed, “we owe it to the memories of Mandela, Sisulu and many other freedom fighters of our country to keep the faith”.
“Our constitution is the most potent instrument we have to change the lives of our people. It means… we are able to protect the vulnerable against the abuse of power.”
Ramaphosa added: “The constitution must never be seen as a constraint or a barrier to transformation, the constitution is a means by which we maintain our commitment to the declaration of human rights. The need to protect the inalienable right of every human being to live a life of freedom, a life of dignity is what bought the nations of the world together 70 years ago.”
Minister of justice and correctional services Michael Masutha stressed the need to honour those who had fought tirelessly for freedom. He also acknowledged the scourge of violence against women and children, saying that urgent intervention was needed.
“South Africans need to tackle two major challenges: the escalating violence, especially directed to woman and children. We need to tackle greed in our society, which results in corruption and continues to hold back our government,” said Masutha.