President Cyril Ramaphosa will travel to KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday to deliver a keynote address at the national commemoration of Reconciliation Day.
The government’s chosen theme for this year’s commemoration is “Reaffirming Reconciliation for Future Generations”.
The Presidency said the theme is a call for South Africans to deepen commitment to unity, healing, forgiveness and nation-building for a shared future. The selection of the Battle of Blood River heritage site at the Ncome Museum signifies the value of cherishing unity and peace collectively as South Africans.
The fierce battle between the Voortrekker invaders and the Zulu forces unfolded 187 years ago in 1838 and marked a historical episode that shaped differing and often divisive commemorative customs for more than a century. However, as a part of redressing past injustices in South Africa, the democratic government redefined the day in 1995 as the National Day of Reconciliation. It was a unifying effort to transform the day from a symbol of division into a transformative platform for truth, justice, dialogue, healing and shared nationhood.
The Presidency said hosting the 2025 programme at Ncome reaffirms the commitment and “invites the nation to engage honestly with its complex past while advancing a future rooted in inclusion, understanding and unity”.
TimesLIVE
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