The preamble of South Africa’s Constitution states, among other things, that the country belongs to all who live in it, united in their diversity. It, therefore, guarantees every person living in the country’s right to cultural heritage.
It means that the wide variety of languages, cultures and the heritage of every group in the country – white, coloured, Indian and the respective black population groups – all deserve recognition.
It is only through recognizing and respecting this diversity that the people can be united; as the ideal is expressed in the Constitution’s preamble.
Heritage Day is meant to be a time to recognize this diversity, but the reality is that the ANC is not following through with it. Instead, the ANC government is disregarding the diversity of the people of South Africa and consequently, there can be no hopes for unity amid diversity.
This disregard manifests in policies like Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA) that tear down the economy and lead to unemployment and a myriad other social problems, which divide rather than unite.
The government must take decisive action to heed and implement the Constitution’s pursuit of unity amid diversity.
Right from the settlement, the Afrikaner has shown himself as one who builds up. And in this regard, the Constitution stipulates that we ought to “respect those who have worked to build and develop our country”.
South Africa truly has been built up to one of the powerhouses in the world as well as a much sought after investment destination. However, the ANC has torn down what has been built up over a period of centuries in less than three decades to such an extent that investors are now turning their backs on the country.
Moreover, it is indeed important that people cherish and protect their own heritage as well. Heritage is intricately interwoven into any nation’s survival. When a nation’s heritage is destroyed, that nations itself has been destroyed.
Thus, the FF Plus is calling on Afrikaners as well as all the other nations in the country to proudly express and celebrate their culture while appreciating those of others.
The only recipe for success in South Africa is to recognize and respect all people’s diversity. That will unite the people for the benefit and progress of the country.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Dr Pieter Groenewald on FF Plus
