ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on party delegates to draw inspiration from the organization's grassroots efforts in the 1950s during the height of apartheid brutality. Speaking at the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter in Boksburg, he emphasized the document's role as a moral compass for South Africa's liberation struggle. The event coincides with the ANC's 5th National General Council amid the party's declining support.
The African National Congress (ANC) marked the 70th anniversary of the Freedom Charter on December 9, 2025, in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, where the party is also hosting its 5th National General Council (NGC). ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address, urging members to revive the spirit of the 1950s when the organization thrived through active grassroots participation and deep community engagements, even as apartheid intensified after the National Party's 1948 election victory.
Ramaphosa noted the ANC's widespread presence across South Africa, stating, “Wherever you go in South Africa, you’ll find an ANC branch, whether they like it or not. Now, this moment of memorialising the Freedom Charter, we also need to memorialize and draw inspiration to how our organisation worked in the 50s when apartheid brutality was getting up to a high crescendo after the nationalists had won their election in 1948, and apartheid then started more formally and more brutally. They were able to organize even then.”
The Freedom Charter, adopted in 1955, served as a foundational document for a non-racial South Africa. Ramaphosa described it not as a historical artifact but as “an enduring vision of a free and democratic society that continues to inspire and guide our struggle.” He quoted the late President O.R. Tambo, who said, “The Freedom Charter is the sum total of our aspirations, but more, it is the road to the new life.”
This commemoration comes as the ANC grapples with electoral setbacks, having fallen below the 50% threshold in the 2024 national elections after years of declining support. Ramaphosa's address aimed to reaffirm the party's commitment to the Charter's principles amid ongoing challenges.