CAPE TOWN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's governing party the African National Congress (ANC) on Wednesday launched its 113th anniversary celebrations on Robben Island, reaffirming its commitment to the complete liberation of all South Africans.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa who also serves as the president of South Africa, along with other top party officials, visited Robben Island on Wednesday morning. Several former ANC leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Kgalema Motlanthe, and Jacob Zuma, were imprisoned on the island by the apartheid regime before its fall in 1994.
During his visit, Ramaphosa paid a visit to Mandela's prison cell, calling it a symbol of the enduring legacy of sacrifice and struggle for freedom. He also placed a stone at the lime quarry where Mandela, also referred to as Madiba, an honorary title, and other freedom fighters toiled under harsh conditions.
"To remember Madiba and to remember the formation of the ANC. So happy birthday ANC, and that you were formed and you struggled to make us all free," said Ramaphosa.
He noted that Robben Island not only occupies an important place in the history of the ANC but also carries great lessons for the party as it charts a path of renewal and rebuilding.
"By visiting Robben Island on this most important of days in the life of our movement, we are reaffirming our determination to advance the struggle for the complete liberation of all South Africans from all forms of oppression," Ramaphosa said.
According to him, the main anniversary celebration will take place on Saturday at Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, where the party will deliver its traditional "Jan. 8 Statement," outlining its key priorities and objectives for the coming year.
The ANC, founded on Jan. 8, 1912, has governed South Africa since the country's first democratic elections in 1994, which ended apartheid. In the 2024 general elections, it failed to secure an outright majority, leading to the formation of the Government of National Unity. ■
