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ree State MEC for Health Mathabo Leeto marked Freedom Day (April 27) at AME Church in Virginia.

Freedom Day is commemorated every year to honour those unsung heroes and heroines who fought for freedom and paved the way for an equal, representative non-sexist, non-racial society.

The 2023 commemorative event marked the 29th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections.

These celebrations offer the nation an opportunity to reflect on progress made in transforming the South African society, while also examining the challenges.

Leeto said this year’s Freedom Day celebrations under the theme “Consolidating and Safeguarding Democratic Gain’ coincides with the 27th anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution as the supreme law of our country.

She said the national day also honours the masses of South Africans who suffered under apartheid, faced death, injury and repression from the security forces.

“Many others who were denied access to basic human rights such as access to health care, education, citizenship and economic participation battled forced removals, discrimination and other injustices, which the global communities classified as a crime against humanity.

Even though we are here today to celebrate our freedom, we are also celebrating the lives and times of the struggle icon Mama Charlotte Maxeke,” Leeto said.

She added that Maxeke is one of the struggle icons who dedicated her life to the total freedom of Africans from the bondage of oppression.

“In her early years, she became politically active with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in which she played a part in bringing to South Africa.

While in the church, Maxeke was heavily involved in teaching and preaching the gospel and advocating education for Africans and the church later elected her as President of the Women’s Missionary Society,” said Leeto.

She said they recount Maxeke’s selfless struggles for the emancipation of African and they recall that education was her passion and a non-racial, non-sexist, free and democratic society was her lifetime mission to be accomplished.

“In her absence, we are free and yet we have our own mission to accomplish as this generation, we have to consolidate and safeguard democratic gains,” said Leeto addressing the masses in the church.

Leeto who was recently appointed has from the first day set her mission as that of ensuring that in this year of Decisive Action to advance people’s interests and to save lives, her department does everything that it can to reduce mortality and curg the rising scourge of the burden of diseases.

“We must take every opportunity to talk about how we break the barriers that limit access for our people to a ‘Long and Healthy Life’.

We must remember our struggle icons and honour their works but never lose sight of the fact that every generation has its historical mission and whilst Mama Maxeke lived to pursue hers, her efforts won us this freedom,” Leeto explained.

She unfortunately never enjoyed the fruits of her lifetime of struggle, ours as this generation is to ensure that we consolidate and safeguard these gains and advance the course of our people for freedom and democratic participation,” said Leeto.