Ramaphosa: South Africans stand for peace, justice, equality and solidarity

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke about changes taking place all over the world, which he said affected every aspect of human life.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the City Hall in Cape Town on Thursday night, he mentioned climate change, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, geo-political tensions and violent conflicts.

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But he said that South Africa would not bow to pressure from anyone.

"We are not daunted to navigate our path through this world that constantly changes, we will not be deterred. We are, as South Africans, a resilient people and we will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interest and our constitutional democracy."

Ramaphosa added that by standing true to our values, harnessing our unique strength, and forging a common purpose, we can turn these trying circumstances to our advantage.

"As South Africans we stand for peace and justice, we stand for equality and solidarity. We stand for a non-racial future, and we stand for democracy and tolerance as well as compassion. We stand for equal rights for women, for persons with disability, and for members of the LGBTQI+ community, we stand for our shared humanity, not for the survival of the fittest."