Event: Sol Plaatje

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ambassador of Russia to the Republic of South Africa Roman Ambarov “The Russian people made a special contribution to the elimination of racial tyranny in South Africa and the establishment of democracy. For helping to liberate all the people of South Africa from an inhuman system, we say from the bottom of our heart: “Spasiba Bolshoi!”” On this solemn and joyous day, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all South Africans on your national holiday – Freedom Day. We celebrate the historic milestone of 27 April 1994 – the day all South Africans stood as equal citizens to cast their votes. This marked the definitive end of apartheid, a triumph of a long and noble struggle for justice and human dignity. Freedom Day is a powerful symbol of national unity, the very cornerstone of the new South Africa. Its significance resonates globally, proving that profound and peaceful transformation is possible. This hard-won victory was achieved with steadfast international solidarity. It is with utmost pride that I underscore the role of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which stood as one of the most consistent and committed allies of the South African people in their fight. Our shared history is not a single chapter, but a sustained partnership spanning decades. Soviet support was multifaceted, adapting to the changing needs of your liberation struggle. From the moment apartheid was institutionalized, the Soviet Union used its voice at the United Nations to condemn the regime as a crime against humanity. This principled stand was solidified after the tragic Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, where 69 peaceful protesters lost their lives. Soviet backing for the subsequent UN resolution was crucial in rallying the world against apartheid. As the struggle intensified, so did the nature of our support. Following the Rivonia Trial,…

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a keynote address at the 2026 Freedom Day National Commemoration held at Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, Free State Province, marking the 32nd anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections held on 27 April 1994. (GCIS) South Africa’s democracy must be measured by its ability to improve people’s daily lives, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday as the country marked 32 years since its first democratic elections. Delivering the Freedom Day address in Bloemfontein, Ramaphosa said the promise of freedom must be reflected in “material change in people’s lives”. Dignity depended on access to basic services such as water, electricity, housing and healthcare. He said government priorities included strengthening municipalities, improving service delivery, investing in infrastructure and driving economic reforms aimed at reducing unemployment and inequality. “The truest test of our democracy is whether freedom translates into material change in people’s lives,” Ramaphosa said. The government continued to work towards building a “capable, ethical and developmental state”, while intensifying efforts to combat corruption and violent crime. Ramaphosa highlighted interventions to stabilise state-owned enterprises, including Eskom and Transnet, which he said were critical to economic recovery and job creation. On social services, he reaffirmed plans to expand access to healthcare through the National Health Insurance system and strengthen education support programmes such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and school nutrition schemes. Freedom Day statements from political parties focused on unemployment, governance failures and the effectiveness of local government. The African Transformation Movement (ATM) said Freedom Day should serve as a reminder that political freedom had not translated into economic justice for many South Africans. The party cited labour force data by Statistics South Africa showing that youth unemployment stood at about 43.8% among people aged 15 to 34 in late 2025. The ATM described…

Sol Plaatje at his writing desk taken from his book Native Life in South Africa. Every year on 27 April, South Africa pauses to mark the day in 1994 when, for the first time, every adult citizen was permitted to vote. It is a day of genuine historical significance, and the feeling it produces, even now, three decades on, is hard to define. But what I know for sure is that Freedom Day does something to me that I suspect it does to many people who work in the history of South African political thought: it makes me think about those who wanted this freedom long before it arrived. Thos who worked for it across their entire lives, who died without it, and who understood it with a clarity the democratic dispensation has not always matched. This year, the year he would have turned 150, I think about Sol T. Plaatje. The man and his moment Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje was born in 1876 in the Boshof district of the Orange Free State. After his death in 1932 in Pimville, Soweto, he was largely unacknowledged outside a small circle of intellectuals and activists. But his genius could not be suppressed forever. The autodidact mastered at least eight languages; wrote The Mafeking Diary during the South African War (1899-1902); edited three newspapers Koranta ea Becoana, Tsala ea Becoana and Tsala ea Batho between 1901 and 1915; published Native Life in South Africa (1916), a political book against the 1913 Natives Land Act; published Sechuana Proverbs with Literal Translations and Their European Equivalents (1916); published Mhudi (1930), the first full-length novel in English by a black South African; translated four of Shakespeare’s plays into Setswana; and served as founding corresponding secretary of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) that would become the…