No part of SA should be considered ‘inalienable turf’ of any one party

16 February 2016 - 21:11 By TMG Digital
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'SHOW RESPECT': Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Highstead residence, Groote Schuur Estate
'SHOW RESPECT': Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Highstead residence, Groote Schuur Estate
Image: ESA ALEXANDER

No part of the country should be considered the inalienable political turf of any one party and no-go areas cannot be tolerated‚ Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says.

He was speaking at the handover of the Atlas of Results for the 2014 national and provincial elections at Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday which he said should inform the government’s efforts to “overcome the spatial distortions of racial segregation”.

“Apartheid’s spatial geography continues to thwart our efforts to reverse the economic marginalisation of many South Africans.

“The apartheid regime sought to divide our people along racial and ethnic lines based on artificially created boundaries.

“This remains an affront to our firmly held view that South Africa belongs to all who live in it – black and white‚” said Ramaphosa.

While the Atlas of Results showed how votes were politically distributed within certain geographies in the country‚ it must be clear that these concentrations must not be considered immutable‚ he added.

“No part of the country should be considered the inalienable political turf of any one party.

“We cannot tolerate no-go areas.

“We must remember that elections are not primarily about the fortunes of parties.

“Elections are‚ first and foremost‚ about improving the lives of South Africans‚” Ramaphosa said.

“This Atlas is therefore an instrument to reinforce public confidence in the political process.

“It allows voters and those seeking election to make informed political decisions.

“We must use it to reinforce the right of all parties and candidates to campaign freely in all constituencies‚” he added.

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