SA calls for reparations for slave trade victims
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for reparations for victims of slave trade.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link.
He said with the country’s constitution South Africans were called upon to build a society based on social justice and fundamental human rights to correct the injustices of the past.
Ramaphosa said slavery was one of the darkest periods in the history of humankind and a crime of unparalleled ‘barbarity’, saying its legacy persists in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and in Africa itself.
“Millions of the descendants of Africans who were sold into slavery remain trapped in lives of underdevelopment, disadvantage, discrimination and poverty. We support the adoption of special measures, including affirmative action programmes and targeted financial assistance, as restitution to communities whose ancestors were sold into slavery.”
Ramaphosa said representation of people of African descent in global institutions and in positions of leadership should be increased.
As we strive to correct the wrongs of the past, we must combat the racism, sexism, and national chauvinism of the present. Racism directed at ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, the LGBTQI+ community and other marginalised groups has led to the denial of opportunity, to institutionalised discrimination, and to violence.” Said Ramaphosa.ALSO READ:
