PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA SAYS SOUTH AFRICA IS A NON-RACIAL COUNTRY THAT COMPRISES ALL PEOPLE

INDIAN-ORIGIN AND COLOURED PEOPLE ARE ALSO PART OF THE BLACK MAJORITYbb

(By Subry Govender) President Jacob Zuma has taken a swipe at reactionary forces that are trying to sow seeds of division and hate against people of Indian-origin in the country. The President was addressing thousands of people at the Ammen Awards ceremony of the Shri Mariammen Temple at Mount Edgecombe on Good Friday, April 18. The Shri Mariammen Temple, which was built by Indian indentured sugar cane labourers after they arrived from 1860 onwards, recoginises community and other leaders every year on Good Friday for their services and contributions to society. President Zuma arrived at the temple soon after the Deputy President of the ruling ANC, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, also addressed the people. Mr Ramaphosa departed for another assignment before the arrival of Zuma. The Minister of Justice, Mr Jeff Radebe, and other ANC officials and leaders were present during Zuma's address. "In the context of the struggle for freedom, Indian people just like the Coloured people, have always been part of the oppressed black majority," Zuma told the people.

(Minister Jeff Radebe at the Shri Mariammen Temple on Good Friday) "Therefore, the Indian community has never been mere auxiliaries in the struggle for freedom as may be suggested by some whose sole intention is to divide the black majority for political expediency." Zuma did not refer to the forces promoting division but it was obvious who he was referring to. Zuma said the promotion of non-racialism was the strength and uniqueness of South Africa and the ruling ANC. "We pride ourselves of our track record of non-racialism. It is genuine and is tried and tested. Our non-racialism and in particular the unity of the oppressed, was inevitable, given that during our struggle for liberation, Indians, Coloureds and Africans as black people shared a common fate. "The liberation of one group was inextricably linked to that of the other."

(The crowd at the Sri Mariammen Temple listening to President Zuma) Zuma re-assured the people that the Government's post-apartheid policy formulations and perspectives were aimed redressing the inequalities and injustices of the apartheid era. "When we conceptualize policies such as Affirmative Action, Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment, Employment Equity Act and others, we proceed from the understanding that we need to correct the injustices of the past meted out against Africans, Indians, Coloureds and women. (Policies to create jobs, overcome poverty and reduce inequality) "Since the inception of democracy in 1994, we have implemented policies whose main objectives are to create jobs, eliminate poverty and reduce inequality. "The ANC government will in the next five years relentlessly pursue these policies in order to ensure that our economy truly reflects the demographics of our country. "While we have made progress on this front, much more remains to be done as indicated by the recent report released by the Commission for Employment Equity which showed that representation of black people in top management positions has only grown from 23.7 percent to 33.2 percent over the last ten years." The ANC, he said, was the only movement with the necessary "commitment, experience and capacity" to resolve the inequalities in the interest of black people. Zuma emphasised that the bias towards the Indian-origin, African and Coloured people was not meant to polarize society but was the most decisive intervention "towards redress and social cohesion". "White compatriots must never feel excluded in this important project of building a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic South Africa. (Value cultural diversity) "Working together for the past 20 years, we have managed to educate all our people to value diversity rather than see it as a source of division. "The ANC has succeeded in building a nation with an overarching national identity and which celebrates diverse cultures, religions, sexual orientation, skin colours and ethnic groups. "In everything we do, we must give practical meaning to the overarching vision of our forebears who developed the Freedom Charter that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. "This must be interpreted bearing in mind that blacks include Indians, Coloureds and Africans." Fellow congregants, We must pray for peace, progress and unity in our country during this Easter. We must express our gratitude to the Lord for all the successes we have scored, as we mark 20 years of freedom. Working together we have made South Africa a much better place to live in than it was before 1994. Zuma used the occasion to call on the people to vote on May 7 in memory of leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Yusuf Dadoo, Billy Nair, Dr Monty Naicker, and Albert Luthuli.