Throngs of people, including Zulu regiments, religious and political leaders, on Tuesday converged at the Ncome War Museum, where President Cyril Ramaphosa was among the dignitaries attending KwaZulu-Natal’s main Day of Reconciliation event in eNquthu in the north of the province. The museum is a repository of information and artefacts related to the 1838 Battle of Blood River, which pitted the Voortrekkers against members of the Zulu nation, who lost more than 3 000 warriors during the clashes. Speaking at the historic site, Ramaphosa said it was important for the Battle of Blood River to be recorded in an objective manner.
Regardless of how the past portrayed certain groups, he said it was important for South Africans to confront history with honesty, “acknowledge the pain and complexity of history, and commit to building a peaceful future together”. “This province, KwaZulu-Natal, knows this pain all too well,” he said, referring to the political violence of the 1980s and 1990s that tore communities apart and claimed thousands of lives. Despite this history, Ramaphosa said South Africans chose reconciliation over vengeance at the dawn of democracy.
“Where others wanted to break, they chose to build. Where others wanted to sow division, they chose reconciliation,” he said, quoting former president Nelson Mandela’s call for freedom rooted in mutual respect. The president said returning to Ncome was not about reopening old wounds, but about reaffirming a commitment to unity and ensuring the country would never again be divided by hatred or exclusion.
Read Full Article on The Witness
[paywall]
We reconciled in 1994. We are still reconciling in 2025. “We will continue to reconcile because we are one nation,” he said.
[/paywall]
