South Africa expands Milestones of Freedom campaign to Western and Eastern Cape

The South African government’s Milestones of Freedom campaign, themed ‘Honouring the Past. Delivering the Future’, has expanded to the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. The year-long initiative, launched nationally by President Cyril Ramaphosa, commemorates significant democratic milestones, including the 30th anniversary of the Constitution, the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Youth Uprising, the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March, and the 60th anniversary of the District Six forced removals.

In the Western Cape, Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong led events in Cape Town, including wreath-laying ceremonies at Maitland Cemetery to honor Christopher Truter and Xolile Mosie, both of whom died during the 1976 student uprisings. The program also included the lighting of a symbolic Torch of Freedom and an intergenerational conversation at Langa High School.

In the Eastern Cape, the campaign included a wreath-laying ceremony in Hankey to honor Sarah Baartman. During the event, Eastern Cape MEC Nonkgubeka Pieters used the occasion to call for collective action against gender-based violence and femicide, drawing parallels between the historical humiliation of Baartman and modern violence against women.