Struggle stalwarts Ahmed Kathrada and Laloo Chiba have called on South Africans on the 25th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison today, to renew the fight against racism.
Their statements come in the wake of the increasing number of reports of racial and xenophobic incidents, and public debate around matters relating to race over the past few weeks.
Kathrada and Chiba, both in their mid-80s, were jailed alongside Mandela for 26 and 18 years respectively.
"As Mandela walked out of prison with the 'Amandla' salute, we knew that the values of non-racialism and democracy were triumphant over apartheid. It is however, disheartening and of great concern to me, that 25 years on, we still see blatant acts of racism being perpetrated. We have made significant progress since 1994, but racism still lurks under the surface," said Kathrada.
Kathrada's sentiments were echoed by Chiba, who said that Mandela's release was the "apex" of the fight for democracy. "This in turn led to a negotiated settlement, democratic elections and the Constitution, which upholds the ideal of a non-racial, non-sexist South Africa."
Chiba said that he was "extremely disturbed to see that racial discrimination carries on in a big way. I never thought that evidence of racism would be so rife 20 years after democracy. It is absolutely essential that we carry on the struggle against racism".
Meanwhile, President Jacob Zuma said "this day continues to represent the beginning of a special period in our country when outstanding patriots from both the democratic movement and the then apartheid regime affirmed the real possibility to create a united and non-racial society based on democratic values and the rule of law."
"It is a reminder to all of us of our innate capacity as South Africans to overcome even the most daunting challenges and ensure the triumph of good over evil," said Zuma.
