Morolong urges South Africans to honour past and build the future

Morolong highlighted the return of more than 627 hectares to the Mtshoeni/Mtsweni family in Mpumalanga, involving 18 households and 86 beneficiaries.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong has urged South Africans to remember the sacrifices that shaped the country's democracy while ensuring that freedom is reflected in better services, restored dignity and greater economic opportunity.

Morolong made the call as he officially launched the Milestones of Freedom campaign in Mpumalanga on Friday, addressing residents in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in the Gert Sibande District. President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the national campaign in June under the theme, "Honouring the Past. Delivering the Future".

The campaign marks four major anniversaries in South Africa's history: 30 years since the adoption of the Constitution, 50 years since the 1976 youth uprising, 70 years since the 1956 Women's March and 60 years since the forced removals from District Six.

Mpumalanga liberation figures remembered

Morolong used the provincial launch to remember activists connected to Mpumalanga, including Gert Sibande, Nokuthula Simelane and Nomoya Christina Masilela, whose lives tell different parts of the province's struggle against apartheid.

Sibande, known as the "Lion of the East", fought for farm workers and African communities and was among 156 anti-apartheid leaders arrested and charged with treason in 1956. Morolong also remembered Simelane, who was abducted, tortured and killed by apartheid-era Security Branch members in 1983 when she was 23.

He called for truth, accountability and justice in Simelane's case and other unresolved apartheid-era crimes, pointing to the judicial commission of inquiry established by Ramaphosa to examine whether attempts were made to prevent investigations and prosecutions.

Masilela, who was killed by apartheid security forces in 1985, was also honoured, with Morolong highlighting the Nomoya Masilela Museum and Cultural Precinct as important spaces for preserving liberation history.

Land restitution gives freedom a material meaning

Land reform featured prominently in Morolong's address as the country prepares to commemorate 60 years since the forced removals from District Six, with the Deputy Minister arguing that freedom must also be measured through the restoration of land and economic opportunities. By March last year, 83 205 land claims had been settled nationally and about 3.9 million hectares restored to dispossessed communities and individuals since 1995.

Morolong highlighted the return of more than 627 hectares to the Mtshoeni/Mtsweni family in Mpumalanga, involving 18 households and 86 beneficiaries. The Communal Property Association responsible for the restored land is using it for maize and soybean cultivation as well as livestock farming.

Government has provided more than R16.5 million in post-settlement support covering livestock farming, grain production and skills development, showing how restitution can extend beyond returning property when beneficiaries receive resources to make land economically productive.

Progress in education and women's representation

Morolong also reflected on improvements in education, noting that the matric pass rate increased from 58% in 1994 to 88% in 2025, while more than two-thirds of bachelor passes last year came from learners attending previously disadvantaged schools.

Access to tertiary education has expanded through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, which had funded more than five million students up to the 2025/26 financial year. The 2025 General Household Survey also found that 91.3% of people aged five and older in Mpumalanga attended school, while more than 80% of learners in the province and several others benefited from school nutrition programmes.

Women now account for about 43.5% of Members of Parliament, while 32 of the country's 75 executive members are women, including 14 Cabinet Ministers and 18 Deputy Ministers. Morolong also highlighted Justice Mandisa Maya becoming South Africa's first female Chief Justice in 2024 and government's 40% public procurement target for women-owned businesses.

Transformation remains unfinished

Despite these gains, Morolong acknowledged that many communities still experience electricity interruptions, gaps in basic services and reliance on traditional fuels such as wood for cooking, while women continue to face poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, unequal economic opportunities and limited land ownership.

Mpumalanga MEC for Transport Thulasizwe Thomo said Bethal was a fitting location for the provincial launch because its history brings together the struggles of farm workers, political activists and young people who resisted apartheid.

Morolong said the Milestones of Freedom campaign should give South Africans space to remember those who fought for democracy without losing sight of present-day responsibilities. For him, honouring the country's liberation history also means continuing the work needed to ensure democratic gains are experienced in the everyday lives of citizens.