Zeerust - President Jacob Zuma arrived to a rousing welcome in Gopane near Zeerust on Friday for the National Day of Reconciliation celebrations.
An ecstatic crowd chanted “Zuma, Zuma, Zuma” as he made his way to the stage flanked by North West premier Supra Mahumapelo and Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and some cabinet ministers.
Members of the SA Police Service formed a human barrier between the crowd and Zuma’s entourage.
President Zuma was expected to speak at the National Day of Reconciliation event held at a sport ground in Gopane.
The event was being held in Gopane to commemorate the bravery of women in 1957 in Zeerust in the villages of Dinokana, Lekgopung and Motswedi villages, who had revolted against the apartheid laws that required them to at all times have their pass books on them.
Prior to Zuma’s arrival, a sod-turning ceremony was held in Groot Marico at the very place where he was was arrested in 1963 by the apartheid police on his way to skip the country. A monument is expected to be built at the site.
North West premier Supra Mahumapelo said the provincial government had started a programme of reconciliation, healing and renewal aimed at strenghtening unity in the province.
Day of Reconciliation was celebrated as a public holiday for the first time in 1995. The new government chose to represent national unity by choosing a date that had significance for both the Afrikaner and liberation struggle traditions.
For Afrikaners, December 16 was commemorated as the Day of the Vow, also known as Day of the Covenant or Dingaan’s Dag (Dingaan’s Day).
The African National Congress (ANC) military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) was formed on December 16, 1961. MK was integrated into the South African National Defence Force.
When Apartheid ended, it was decided to keep 16 December as a public holiday, but to infuse it with the purpose of fostering reconciliation and national unity. It was established by the government in 1994.