Johannesburg – South Africans needed to work to preserve the country's "hard earned freedom", Brand South Africa said on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the birth of a democratic South Africa.
South Africa commemorates Freedom Day on April 27 which marks the country's first democratic elections in 1994.
In a statement, Brand SA said April 27 was the day which marked the end of apartheid, "a day, a new democratic government led by Nelson Mandela and a new constitution was born".
"For that, the country is admired for its remarkable history and accomplishments, in particular, obtaining its freedom and for its human rights."
Brand SA, the official marketing agency of SA, with a mandate to build the country's brand reputation in order to improve its global competitiveness, said the country had faced positive as well as negative challenges post-1994.
But it said the challenges faced by the country "need not disintegrate the sacrifices made by our heroes", and it called on all South Africans to join in celebrating Freedom Day responsibly across the country and the continent.
"South Africans need to preserve its hard earned freedom despite the challenges we currently face, let us remember that the price of freedom was never cheap. It is of vital importance that the youth of today take charge of their future and opportunities to lead towards finding ways in working together to resolve societal issues that we currently face and to build a better tomorrow," said Brand SA CEO, Dr Kingsley Makhubela.
Brand South Africa is partnering with Freedom Park in Pretoria to celebrate 23 years of freedom in South Africa on Thursday.
Freedom Park is the cultural institution housing a museum and a memorial dedicated to chronicling and honouring the many who contributed to South Africa's liberation.