Justice Minister Ronald Lamola says freedom has made it possible for South Africa to fight injustices anywhere in the world.
He says freedom has also made it possible for many black people realise their dreams to be whatever they want to be.
Freedom seemed like a pipe dream. On this day, 30 years ago, a new dawn of hope was ushered in through the first democratic elections. Freedom connected us with our roots, hence the confident declaration by former President Mbeki that I am an African. Freedom reconnected us with constitutional democracies across the globe, hence the declaration by our current President that the Constitution is the DNA of our country.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is at the Union Buildings in Pretoria where hes leading National Freedom Day celebrations. People have gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the countrys first democratic elections and the end of the apartheid rule. Despite three decades of democracy, many South Africans are facing challenges such as poverty, unemployment, crime and a lack of basic services.
