President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned against misinformation and false narratives that seek to portray South Africa as a deeply divided society, warning that such narratives are designed to sow fear, hatred and division.
Speaking at the National Day of Reconciliation commemoration at the Ncome Museum in Nquthu on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa said there are individuals and groups, both inside and outside the country, who deliberately misrepresent the state of race relations and democracy in South Africa.
“There are those who are trying their utmost to paint a false picture of us as the South African people,” he said.
The President said detractors often ignore evidence showing that most South Africans remain hopeful about the country’s democracy and believe race relations have improved since 1994.
“They do not show the pictures of African, white, Indian and coloured children learning together, studying together and playing together. They do not want to talk about the friendships, neighbourliness and kindness shown by black and white towards each other,” he said.
President Ramaphosa pointed to everyday examples of social cohesion, including cross-cultural friendships, shared communities and young South Africans embracing each other’s languages, music and traditions.
“They don’t want to play all the social media clips we are seeing of young Afrikaners in veldskoens dancing to amapiano, and white teenagers speaking fluent isiZulu with their friends.
“Our country’s detractors are not talking about successful land restitution, communities sharing the land and successful black farmers. Instead, they are painting a false picture designed to sow fear and hatred,” he said.
He urged South Africans not to allow misinformation to undermine unity, stressing that the country’s diversity should be a source of strength rather than division.
The President reiterated the importance of the National Dialogue process, which aims to bring together all sectors of society to forge a shared vision for the future.
“No person, no group and no community must be excluded from that dialogue. Let us use the National Dialogue to resolve our differences and to find common ground,” he said.
President Ramaphosa said open engagement and honest conversation were essential to addressing South Africa’s persistent challenges, including poverty, inequality, crime, corruption and gender-based violence.
“We must not try to hide our differences. We must speak about them and continue to work to bridge them,” he said.
Reflecting on the historical significance of Ncome the President said hosting the 2025 commemoration at the heritage site reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to transforming painful symbols of the past into platforms for dialogue, healing and shared nationhood.
Ncome Museum is a tribute to the Battle of Ncome of 16 December 1838, where thousands of Zulu warriors lost their lives defending their land.
“As we continue and together build our nation as South Africans, there will be no one who will be able to plant the seed of discrimination and exclusiveness amongst us,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za
