MyPE

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Africa Day – A day of unity

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Dear Editor

I attended the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature’s Africa Day Dialogue that was held in the Raymond Mhlaba Chamber on Monday, 25 May 2015, in Bhisho.

Public discussion led by various civil society representatives on peace, unity, challenges and integration on the continent. Most informative!

Listening to the dialogue it became clear to me given our divided past, we need to encourage those who have difficulty with different perspectives, different views, or just the concept of difference that dialogue is the most mature way that our society can progress.

I have also learned that our country’s celebration of Africa Day is a time for us to celebrate the progress that we – as Africans – have made, while reflecting upon the common challenges we face in our country, continent and the global environment.

The sobering realisation is that it is a time for us, light or dark skinned people, to take part in deepening integration and unity in our country, continent and to support plans to develop a better Africa and a better world for tomorrow within a constitutional framework that protects everyone.

It is also a time for us to remember that it was only in 1994 that South Africa unshackled itself from oppressive, race-based minority rule and became part of the OAU and the community of nations of the world.

Congratulations to all South Africans, we did it! And yes, we will, and we can, be a winning prosperous nation, united in our diversity. One nation with one future!

Regards

Kobus Botha, DA MPL and a proud African
Bhisho

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Port Elizabethan

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