Speaking at Heritage Day celebrations in Galeshewe in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, he said Heritage Day should also serve as a reminder that education was not only Africa’s proud heritage, but remained the most potent asset in the hands of the people to restore their dignity.

“We must cherish the opportunity to learn and we must jealously guard the instruments of learning. Burning books, schools, and lecture halls is an assault on our collective being and the foundations of our society.

“Just as we proclaim what we treasure as a nation we must also condemn social conduct that is akin to spitting on the graves of those who built the civilisations of Great Zimbabwe, Mapungubwe, and Timbuktu. We must condemn attitudes, practices, and institutions that perpetuate social exclusion,” he said.

South Africa would attain social cohesion and prosperity when the fruits of democracy were equally shared with those trapped in a cycle of poverty. Social cohesion would be achieved when people’s words, teachings, and conduct ceased to insult and dehumanise those who did not have the same skin colour or hair texture as themselves.

“When we refuse to offer refuge to bigots who preach hatred against vulnerable communities, we will say we are making progress in building a cohesive society free from the chains of prejudice. In this South Africa of our dreams there must be no tolerance of sexism, tribalism, and racial prejudice,” Ramaphosa said.

The National Development Plan enjoined South Africans to continue to build a new, united nation that paid allegiance only to the cries and dreams of the people of Africa.

“Heritage Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on our history, our cultural heritage, our rituals, and our languages. It obliges us to pay attention to the values upon which we seek to build a united and prosperous nation. It reminds us that we are all Africans, not just individuals and groups who happened to occupy the same geographical space,” he said.

“It must also remind us that from a history of racial division and social exclusion we need to work tirelessly to forge a common future founded on equality, compassion, and social justice.

“Recalling the havoc wrought on communities by our brutal past, we must refuse to be silent when we witness violence against women, children, the elderly, and the vulnerable. Now, as we strive together – black and white – to build a new, united society the spirit of ubuntu needs to permeate everything we do.

“If we tolerate extreme inequality, high levels of joblessness, stealing from the poor, and conspicuous consumption in a sea of poverty we have no prospect of flourishing as a nation. Ubuntu teaches us that we can only affirm our own humanity by recognising the humanity of others.

“The seeds of our economic renaissance will be rooted in a cultural revolution that will rekindle the values of kindness, generosity, selflessness, and magnanimity. 

“By paying closer attention to indigenous knowledge, traditional ways of mediating conflict, and African restorative justice, we stand a better chance of ending the unacceptably high levels of violence in our society,” Ramaphosa said.

– African News Agency (ANA)