9 May 2025

Honourable Chairperson, Honourable Members,

Let me start by saying each successive generation in our country has had to grapple with the question: What kind of nation do we want to be? This question carries constitutional and political connotations, but also personal ones – it speaks to every one of us. It is a question that has a bearing on the child walking 10 km to school each day, the worker that rises at 4 am to get to work on time, the farmer toiling on his land, and the youth scrolling on their phone. The question of who I am and what kind of country I wish to live in affects us all. In some way, we are all both shaped by and currently shaping this country, and the ideals that unite us – or should unite us.

Our Constitution (Chapter 2) enshrines the right to equality, human dignity, and freedom from discrimination. These are not abstract ideals – they are legal commitments guiding our public conduct, policy, and institutions. Our National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (2019–2024) provides a framework to address systemic racism and emerging extremist ideologies.

I believe all of us gathered here today share a common understanding that our country must not be divided along lines of race, class, or identity. We all wish to put that way of life behind us and move towards a united country, in which every person is accorded the value they deserve simply because they are human beings. However, we are currently witnessing a longing in some quarters, it would appear, to return to this former discriminatory, racially divided social structure. Those who spread this way of thinking  disguise their intentions, sometimes using terms picked up from our very Constitution, such as “cultural rights” and  “minority protection”, but their intentions, and certainly their results, are to create division, through the age-old tactic of  divide and conquer. Their hate-filled ideologies are spread largely through social media, and they appeal to people who are cannot tolerate differences, nor having to share power and the country’s economic resources with those whom they formerly oppressed.  

South Africa is also party to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), binding us to prevent and address racial hate speech, incitement, and extremist mobilization. This must be matched with proactive education reform, civic dialogue, and digital literacy initiatives – as outlined in our Social Cohesion and Nation Building policy framework.

Honourable Members,

Around the world we are witnessing how rapid fragmentations can grow when people feel nervous, separated, or unheard. Ways of thinking that used to be in the margins are now finding ways to enter the mainstream discourse, not only through violence but through misinformation, manipulation, and the quiet normalisation of exclusion.

On the domestic front we have worked very hard to build something different. Our democratic dispensation was never just about universal suffrage; it was, and is, a system designed to ensure that the inherent dignity of every person is recognised, and that all have equal access to opportunities.

Our democracy was built on the principle that all South Africans have a rightful place in our country. That principle must never be underestimated, as it is what binds us together as a people. A united nation cannot be built on rhetoric alone. It takes the effort of every person and every sector in our society. Our nation building project is affected by what is happening in our classrooms, in our churches and mosques, on farms, in boardrooms, and in our everyday deeds. The stories we tell about ourselves have tremendous emotive power; they fill our imaginations, shaping our ideas of what is most valuable and good, and what is worth striving for. When dissatisfied and bitter people begin banding together, touting unrealistic and regressive ideologies, they muddy the national imagination, and undermine the more noble ideal of a united, diverse, non-racial country founded on justice and equality.

At this critical juncture in our history we need to ask ourselves: What stories are reaching the ears of young people? Are they being taught to embrace diversity, or to be afraid of it? Are they fully equipped with the tools of analysis to be able to think critically? Or have they fallen prey to conspiracy theories that appeal because of their simplistic answers to complex realities? Are the communities we are creating inclusive of everyone, with no one left behind?

The painful truth is that when some people feel disenfranchised as a result of being left out, whether economically, culturally, or socially, they become vulnerable to ideas that appeal to their sense of grievance, and are essentially divisive. It is critical in the fight against extremism that we advocate for inclusion. Those of us who are privileged to lead must speak up boldly and repeatedly for  inclusion, tolerance of diversity, indeed a welcoming of it, and a wholehearted embrace of the inherent value of every man, woman and child. There must be no one who feels unheard or invisible in the country of their birth.

Honourable Members, we need to acknowledge that a security-centric response alone is not sufficient to fix what is mainly a social and moral problem. Yes, it is important for the State to act when there are threats. But we also need to inculcate an ability to counteract negative forces before they occur with a better narrative; one that speaks of inclusion, diversity, excellence and valuing all of human life. 

That is why there must be cooperation between intelligence services, social development, educators, and civil society. We must be able to spot the signs early before they escalate into something bigger, whether through social media, isolated communities, or the targeting of vulnerable groups to advance these tendencies.

Honourable Members, the threats to our democracy will not always be loud or visible. Sometimes they will be subtle, and they find fertile ground  where there is doubt, mistrust and alienation. They present themselves through a widening of the cracks of the past and find a soft landing as a result of growing economic inequalities. We must not allow distorted histories to breed resentment.  We need to stand up for the dignity of all those who live in our country and actively counteract destructive narratives with a better one, and with evidence to the contrary.

It is critical that we protect the soul of our country from any forms of division.

Our purpose in this House is not only to legislate, but to provide leadership to ensure we are able to achieve our objectives of nation-building. This is so much more than legislation alone. Let us avoid being dragged into a situation where we all begin using the language of “us and them”. Such language will never allow us to prosper.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” – Nelson Mandela

This quote from President Madiba is a reminder that division is not our natural state of being; it is something that is learnt over time. In the same way that division and disrespect is taught, unity and mutual respect can be taught. We must continue to use this arm of the State to teach love over hate, and also to promote the value of truth – which in today’s quagmire of misinformation and half-truths is a revolutionary act.  We need everyone working on this project, especially our educators, who must teach young people to recognise flawed arguments, and get them critically engaging with the issues of our day. Young people who have not been taught to analyse and present logical, truth-based arguments are easy prey for manipulators.

It is critical, Honourable Members,  that we honour our Constitution in word and deed, keeping its principles of mutual respect and tolerance always uppermost in our dealings. This, coupled with a focus on excellence in service delivery,  is the only path to a united, prosperous and happily diverse national character.