Ending inequality key to true reconciliation: Ramaphosa

[File image]: An informal settlement in South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa cannot achieve true reconciliation while inequality persists, and that the pursuit of inclusive economic growth and job creation are essential in achieving that goal. He says the National Dialogue that South Africa has embarked on will help bring all South Africans together to forge a shared vision of the future and to agree on actions to help build on that future.

He was speaking at the commemoration of the Day of Reconciliation at the Ncome Museum in Nquthu in the north of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday afternoon.

“By so doing, we will be able to confront the many challenges facing our nation such as poverty, inequality, crime, corruption, unemployment gender-based violence and femicide. For as long as the majority of black South Africans live in poverty, for as long as inequality persists, our country will not find reconciliation,” says Ramaphosa.

RECONCILIATION DAY | President Cyril Ramaphosa says former oppressors tried to turn South Africans against each other, fomenting violence, terror, and instability that tore communities apart. pic.twitter.com/noAIxjjOLw

— SABC News (@SABCNews) December 16, 2025