Roundup: S. Africans mark Freedom Day with calls for radical economic transformation

South Africans marked Freedom Day on Thursday with calls for radical economic transformation so as to achieve economic freedom for blacks.

This year's Freedom Day celebrations were dedicated to Oliver Tambo, an anti-apartheid icon, under the theme: The Year of Oliver Reginald Tambo, Together Deepening Democracy and Building Safer and Crime-Free Communities.

Rallies were held in parts of the country to commemorate the end of apartheid 23 years ago.

Although South Africa has built a democratic state founded on human rights and the rule of law, the majority of black people are still economically disempowered and are dissatisfied with the economic gains from liberation.

South Africa continues to represent the most acute manifestation of most of the social fault-lines that define humanity's current challenges: race, class, gender and geographic location, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said in a statement marking Freedom Day.

"Together we have made significant strides to improve the quality of life of our people through unparalleled investment in education, health and social security services," the party said.

Albeit at a pace slower than being wished, efforts aimed at a growing and inclusive economy are bearing fruit with new investments in, among others, the manufacturing sector and encouraging projects driving deindustrialization of the country, the ANC said.

Despite these achievements, South Africa still has many challenges to overcome, said the party.

In uMhlabuyalingana near Durban, President Jacob Zuma attended a major Freedom Day rally.

In his address, Zuma acknowledged that South Africa has achieved political freedom but economic freedom still remains largely elusive.

"It is for this reason that we speak about radical economic transformation," Zuma said to the applause of thousands of participants

"Let me reiterate that by radical economic transformation, we mean fundamental change in the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favor of all South Africans, especially the poor, the majority of whom are African and female," Zuma noted.

For most South Africans, freedom means access to services that they were denied before, such as water, sanitation, housing, electricity, roads, health care and education.

"As we celebrate the progress made in the past 23 years, we also admit that there is further work to be done," Zuma said.

The level of inequality remains high as white households earn at least five times more than black households, he said.

Official figures show that only 10 percent of the top 100 companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are owned by black South Africans, directly-achieved principally, through the black empowerment codes.

In response to people's quest for land, Zuma reiterated that the government will use all available instruments necessary in expediting land restitution.

The land question will feature prominently in the policy conference discussions of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in June, including the debates on the expropriation of land without compensation.

The pace of transformation in the workplace, the implementation of affirmative action policies as required by the Employment Equity Act, also remains very slow, according to Zuma.

This year's Freedom Day coincided with Freedom Month whose theme centers on building safer and crime-free communities.

Zuma took the opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to fighting crime.

"We want to see an end to vicious attacks on women and children, the house break-ins, cash in transit heists, car hijackings, stock theft and other crimes that make life difficult for our people in many communities," Zuma said.

Freedom comes with responsibility, he stressed.

"We must continue to work together, each making their own contribution to build a South Africa that is free of poverty, inequality and unemployment," Zuma concluded. Endit