NATIONAL NEWS - Morolong was speaking at the Limpopo leg of the national Milestones of Freedom campaign at the University of Limpopo on Tuesday.

The campaign commemorates 30 years since the adoption of South Africa’s democratic Constitution, 50 years since the 1976 youth uprising, 70 years since the historic Women’s March of 1956 and 60 years since the forced removals from District Six.

“We mark 30 years since the adoption of our democratic Constitution, 50 years since the 1976 youth uprising, 70 years since the historic Women’s March of 1956 and 60 years since the forced removals from District Six,” Morolong said.

“They are milestones in the long journey of our people from oppression under apartheid, to a society founded on equality, dignity and human rights.”

The national Milestones of Freedom campaign was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings earlier this year under the theme “Honouring the Past. Delivering the Future”.

Morolong said the campaign provides an opportunity for South Africans to remember those who fought for freedom while reflecting on the responsibilities that come with democracy.

Protecting the gains of democracy

“This Milestones of Freedom campaign challenges all of us to protect the hard-won rights of our people and to work together to build the just, equitable and prosperous South Africa envisioned in our Constitution,” he said.

“It is also a call to action to strengthen service delivery, deepen social cohesion, expand opportunity and ensure that the tangible gains of our democracy reach every community.”

Morolong said Limpopo had played an important role in the country's struggle for freedom, with women, young people, traditional leaders, workers and rural communities contributing to South Africa's history.

“The road to South Africa’s freedom runs deep through this province,” he said.

“Its women, its youth, its traditional leaders, its workers and its rural communities have helped write some of the most important chapters of our national story.”

Honouring the women of 1956

Reflecting on the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March, Morolong described the protest as “one of the most powerful acts of courage in our history”.

On 9 August 1956, about 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against apartheid pass laws.

“They came from cities, towns, townships and rural communities carrying the hopes of generations. Among them were the daughters of this province,” Morolong said.

He paid tribute to Lilian Ngoyi, one of the four leaders of the historic march, as well as Charlotte Maxeke, the pioneering activist born in 1874 in Ga-Ramokgopa.

Maxeke became the first black South African woman to earn a university degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University in Ohio, United States, in the early 1900s.

Morolong said the contribution of women to the liberation struggle demonstrated that the fight for dignity and freedom extended far beyond the streets of Pretoria.

“When Limpopo speaks of the Women’s March of 1956, it does not speak of distant historical figures. It speaks of mothers, grandmothers and freedom fighters, whose courage and sacrifice helped shape the democratic South Africa we know today,” he said.

He said the rights women enjoy today, including the right to vote, equality before the law and equal treatment in the workplace, were among the gains that must be protected and advanced.

Women remain central to Limpopo’s economy

Morolong also highlighted the economic contribution of women in Limpopo.

According to figures he cited, the province recorded 289 860 female-headed agricultural households in 2022, compared with 230 272 male-headed agricultural households.

“These figures underscore the indispensable role of women in food production, rural livelihoods and the local economy,” he said.

“These achievements remind us that the courage of the women of 1956 was not in vain. They opened doors through which generations of women have walked.”

Morolong said the responsibility now was to ensure those opportunities remained open for future generations.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that those doors remain open and that every young girl growing up in Limpopo can see a future in which her dreams are not limited by her gender, her circumstances, or the place where she was born,” he said.

Remembering the youth of 1976

Turning to the 1976 youth uprising, Morolong highlighted the role played by the then University of the North, now the University of Limpopo, in shaping the political consciousness of young people.

“Here in Limpopo, at the then University of the North, affectionately known as Turfloop, was where a generation of Black Consciousness activists had already been shaping ideas that would help ignite a national movement,” he said.

“It is here, on this very campus, that intellectual resistance met political courage, and where the seeds of a national awakening were firmly planted.”

Struggle veteran and former university student Azwinndini Mutheiwana recalled his involvement as an activist and said students had fought discrimination by university management.

“Our revolution is not complete; the struggle continues. We fought so that all can enjoy the fruits of democracy,” Mutheiwana said.

Torch of Freedom honours those who came before

Before the formal programme, Morolong conducted a walkabout through the university precinct and visited an area that was once used as a meeting place for politicians.

He later proceeded to the university square, where he lit the Torch of Freedom in honour of those who sacrificed and fought for South Africa’s liberation.

The Deputy Minister used the occasion to call on a new generation to protect, uphold and advance the gains of democracy.

As South Africa reflects on four defining milestones in its history, the campaign seeks to connect the sacrifices of previous generations with the work still required to build the country envisioned in the Constitution.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

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