Johannesburg – The annual observance of Freedom Day is about reflecting on how far South Africans have come, the ANC said on Thursday.

South Africa in 2017 is an infinitely better place to live in than it was in 1994, the party’s spokesperson Khusela Sangoni said in a statement. 

“The freedoms we enjoy today were not free but the function of sacrifices of our forbearers that laid the foundation for the country in which we live today and we should never take them for granted,” Sangoni said.

She said the party’s efforts aimed at growing the economy were bearing fruits with new investments.

However, despite this, the nation still had many challenges to overcome, Sangoni said.

“As we have noted before South Africa continues to represent the most acute manifestation of most of the social fault-lines that define humanity’s current challenges: race, class, gender and geographic location.

“Income inequality and inequitable distribution of assets are at their most intense. Poverty and unbridled opulence live side by side.”

Sangoni said Freedom Day was also meant to assess the work that needed to be done to build national democratic society.

“We must at all times remain vigilant of certain sections of our population who were the beneficiaries of the old order and are bent on either reversing this achievement or at best stall the progress.”