ANC TODAY VOICE OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS 6–12 November 2020 Conversations with the President Wishing the matric class of 2020 the very best of luck n By President Cyril Ramaphosa HE MATRIC CLASS of 2020 This year’s exam is being written un- To accommodate the disruptions, sat for the National Senior der unprecedented conditions. We the June Senior Certificate exams Certificate examinations this are in the midst of a global pandemic. were postponed and are now being week. written together with the National Se- T The nationwide lockdown we had nior Certificate. More than a million It is the culmination of twelve years to impose in March to contain the candidates are sitting for the exam- of schooling and a grueling final year spread of the coronavirus caused inations. of preparation. For many, this is an immense disruption to everyday life exciting moment, but one that is also and cost valuable hours of learning This makes this combined examina- fraught with anxiety. and study. tion the largest public exam ever ad- Dear Mr President OLIVER REGINALD TRIBUTE TO COMRADE WANTED: A LEADER TAMBO: OUR VUYISILE MINI BY WHO KNOWS BLACK PRESIDENT ANC VETERANS LIVES MATTER 4 6 LEAGUE 9 2 ANC Today Remembering CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT ministered in South Africa. sential to a well-rounded life that re- school to salvage what was left of lieve the stresses of prolonged study. the academic year. The provincial and national Depart- ments of Basic Education are to Yet, despite having the odds stacked They presented for work every day be congratulated for their sterling against them, our learners are deter- to support our matriculants. They put preparation to ensure things pro- mined to present for this exam that is in the extra hours to get our learners ceed smoothly. These include the the pinnacle of their schooling. over the finish line, making the most independent and public auditing of of the resources they had to ensure examination centres, finding extra It has been equally difficult for our learning continued. venues to accommodate the large educators. Despite the risk posed by number of candidates, and the de- the virus and resource challenges in- I salute our educators who have velopment of protocols to ensure side our schools, the majority of our been there for their students when compliance by candidates and offi- teachers heeded the call to return to they were needed most. They have cials with COVID-19 regulations. given so much, personally and pro- fessionally. They put our learners The Class of 2020 has had to endure Without the support first and in doing so, affirmed once conditions their predecessors never more that our teachers are among had to confront. They had to adapt in of parents, families and our finest public servants. real time not just to finish the curricu- lum but to catch up with the learning communities, our young This pandemic has brought our na- hours lost. Though some had access tion together in ways not experienced to online learning platforms and oth- people’s path to the matric before, and this was demonstrated in er resources, many had to struggle the matriculation examination prepa- with access to learning material and exam would have been rations. teaching. considerably harder. Many businesses played a support- They had to endure the mental strain ive role, assisting with the provision ‘ of social isolation, and for many We thank them‘ for of technology like tablets to schools months were cut off from friends and and assisting to resource school their teachers. They were not able to their support. multimedia centres. Mobile network participate in sporting, recreational operators established e-school plat- and leisure activities that are so es- forms during the lockdown carrying Matriculants gettimg ready to write the first paper 3 ANC Today Remembering CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT free learning content, including subject con- tent for matriculants. University graduates set up tutoring plat- forms online, making much needed supple- mentary learning sup- port available for free. The SABC and other TV providers have car- ried catch-up lessons for matric learners through the Depart- ment of Basic Educa- tion’s Woza Matrics Programme, enabling learners to prepare for the examinations. There is the heart-warming story of Dendron Secondary School in Limpopo, where a group of dedi- cated teachers opened their own homes to their students. During the early days of the lockdown, they provid- ed food and accommo- dation to small groups of matriculants, and supervised their To the Class of 2020, I wish you the You have overcome difficulties that studies. very best. would test the resolve of even the There are no doubt many such sto- most experienced and hardened ries in other parts of our country; of adults. educators convening home-study At your tender age, there are so groups with their students and of many demands upon you. There are parents providing food, learning the pressures of rigorous study, the space and other resources to their pressure to excel and to achieve the children’s friends. results you need to study further. And Without the support of parents, fam- yet you have come this far. ilies and communities, our young people’s path to the matric exam When you enter the exam room in would have been considerably hard- the days ahead, you will be carrying er. We thank them for their support. not just your own hopes for success and those of your families. You will Despite all the challenges this year also carry the hopes of us, the South has brought, I call on the Class of African people. 2020 to summon their great reserves of courage and strength in this, the We are immensely proud of you and final push. wish you the very best of luck. 4 ANC Today Remembering COMMENT & ANALYSIS Wanted: A leader who knows Black Lives Matter Dear Mr President ucts on whatever pretext, such as it did with Tik Tok recently and China HIS WEEK, we have cast our responded in kind. glance across the Atlantic as the people of the United One of the biggest South African com- States of America (US) vote panies is Naspers, which has heavily Tfor who would lead their country for invested in Tencent, the Chinese in- the next four years. ternet giant. Tencent shares slumped in August upon the announcement by It matters who leads the US since that Trump to ban WeChat. Fortunately, country has the world’s biggest econ- sanity prevailed and the company omy and muscle to influence events was assured that they could still use at home and abroad. the WeChat platform in China. At the time of writing, Mr President, it So, it matters greatly who becomes was not yet clear who would triumph the president of the US. In the wake of between the incumbent, Donald the Black Lives Matter that shook the Trump and his challenger from the Comrade Pule Mabe world earlier this year, it is in the in- Democratic Party, Joe Biden. terests of the oppressed that whoever As the African National Congress becomes president understands race These unfortunate relations have had relations and is committed to building (ANC), we are mindful of the fact that a negative impact beyond the two whoever triumphs will likely pursue bridges, acknowledging that black countries and this will have dire con- people suffer disproportionately from the same policies that have put Africa sequences to the rest of the world. on the periphery. a system designed to subjugate them. The US has banned Chinese prod- While there have been progressive America went up in flames this year policies from the White House over when a white policeman brutally killed the years, such as the US President’s The manner in which the George Floyd in Wisconsin. The sub- Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pep- sequent and justifiable outrage by the far) programme, there has been a re- outgoing US administration people of all races in America was gression on so many fronts. mishandled by the government which missed the opportunity to mend rela- The US has left the rest of the world handled the Coronavirus is tions. in a lurch after it abandoned the Par- is Agreement that aimed to combat well-documented as the worst Mr President, the place of black climate change. As one of the big- people in America has always been gest polluters in the world, the US in contention since the days of slav- abdicated its role as a leader when it possible reaction to a ery. While our people were trafficked pulled out of the international climate across the Atlantic ocean to build the change forum. economies of the Europe and Amer- ‘ pandemic that has‘ ravaged ica, it is deplorable that they are still As the ANC, we are mindful of de- being treated as second class citi- bilitating spats between two of the the rest of the world. zens to this day. As a matter of fact, world’s biggest economies, China Mr President, in continental US, there and the US, during the last four years. were Africans who came before slav- 5 ANC Today Remembering COMMENT & ANALYSIS ery, before Columbus and thousands of years before Christ. They were engaged in boat building, seafaring, trade and commerce. In many parts of America today, there are still people of African Negritic racial background who continue to exist either blended into larger African-American popu- lation or are part of separate indige- nous groups living on their own lands with their own unique culture and languages. One such example is the Washitaw Nation (official name: Em- pire Washitaw de Dugdamoundyah) Voters in the USA casting their ballots who owned about one million acres of the former Louisiana Territory.