Pres. Jacob Zuma hits out at critics of SA’s progress
President Jacob Zuma told a Freedom Day audience in Limpopo on Wednesday that government would not rest until all households in the country lived in dignity and had access to basic services.
Addressing thousands of people in the Giyani Stadium, Zuma said: “We will continue to work with all communities towards this end, together building better communities and improving the functioning of municipalities so that they can better provide these services.
“Remember that local government is everybody’s business. So we have to work together to bring about a better life for all,” he said.
With local government elections scheduled for August 3, Zuma said government would “not rest until all households in our country live in dignity and obtain basic services”.
Zuma also took aim at critics whom he said were ignoring the progress the country had made and called for them to ignored.
“As a country, comparatively speaking, we are doing very well, we are trying to solve all the problems that were not created by us, but by the oppressor apartheid and colonialism,” said Zuma.
“People speak today as if we created today’s problem. No. We are solving current problems that were created by colonialism and the apartheid government.”
He appealed to supporters not to be deceived by detractors.
“Let us not allow those who decide to ignore the achievements to make us think that we are a failure.”
“We know where we are going as country, but nothing can be done on a single day,” he said, resorting to the analysis of a child who did not grow up overnight.
“South Africa is just 22 years (old).
“And it is against science to give birth in the morning and then expect to see a grown man in the afternoon,” he said. “South Africa is just 22 years into democracy … imagine if it was a human being, one would still have to help that person grow.”