Ramaphosa laments apartheid monuments, GBV and black hair prejudice

On Thursday, Ramaphosa delivered this year's Heritage Day address virtually amid the Covid-19 pandemic. 

During his address, Ramaphosa took aim at the ongoing scourge of gender-based violence, racism and the slow pace of transformation. 

“It is important that generations that come after us must fully grasp the importance of the freedom we have all achieved. The men, women and children of tomorrow must be proud to have inherited a democracy that affirms the worth and dignity of all our citizens. 

“So long as this country’s women and children live in fear from violence, we cannot regard ourselves as totally free. So long as women are being harassed, abused, beaten, raped and murdered, we cannot say we are a civilised society.” 

He added: “Abusing women is not our tradition, nor is it our custom. It is not, and will never be, our heritage. Throughout the history of this continent, women have built and shaped our societies. They have ruled kingdoms. They have been highly respected and valued.”  

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Ramaphosa slammed the oppression and ill treatment of women. 

He also addressed the controversial Clicks hair campaign for the first time since the start of the month. 

Earlier this month, health and beauty retailer Clicks came under fire for labelling black people’s hair as “dry, damaged, frizzy and dull” and white people’s hair as “normal” in an ad campaign. 

“An offensive hair advertisement that was recently published shows that we still have a long way to go. The apartheid government denigrated our cultures and tried to make us ashamed of our cultures, our traditions, our languages and our very appearances,” he said. 

“The social cohesion we seek in this country means we must be mindful of the legacy of our past, whether we are businesses selling products, whether we are producers of content for television, or otherwise.” 

Clicks has since apologised for the widely circulated images and suspended employees linked to the controversial ad. 

Ramaphosa admitted transformation is slow is some spheres.  

He said that as the country forged ahead to build a united nation, naming and renaming of towns and cities will form part of the necessary transformation. 

“Building a united nation means we must be aware of and check our own acts of racism and prejudice continuously. We come from a history of prejudice and exclusion, and since democracy we have worked to transform the heritage landscape of our country. 

“The naming and renaming of towns and cities forms part of this, as well as the erection of new statues and monuments. Monuments glorifying our divisive past should be repositioned and relocated. This has generated controversy, with some saying we are trying to erase our history.”