President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a reminder to the nation on Monday that heritage is not only a cause for celebration but a critical battleground that citizens must actively defend, as he stressed that South Africans cannot allow gender-based violence, xenophobia and racial division to define the country’s character.

Writing in his weekly newsletter, the President’s message comes at a time of heightened security concerns, particularly following a grim series of crimes in the Gauteng province.

Addressing the crisis of gender-based violence (GBV), Ramaphosa described the ongoing abuse, rape, and murder of women as a "stain on the national conscience".

Between July and September 2026, the bodies of nine women were discovered dumped across the Ekurhuleni municipality, east of Johannesburg. Last week, the South African Police Service made a significant breakthrough when members of the Gauteng Murder and Robbery Unit arrested one man and two women in connection with the ninth victim's murder.

Ramaphosa warned that the public humiliation of women, often dismissed as harmless, directly reinforces the dangerous attitudes that sustain discrimination and violence.

Turning to regional relations and migration, the President recalled the support African nations provided during South Africa's liberation struggle.

He reaffirmed that democratic South Africa remains deeply committed to advancing African unity and integration, explicitly rejecting xenophobia and intolerance.

However, Ramaphosa balanced this commitment with a firm stance on immigration compliance.

He noted that the government has a fundamental responsibility to manage its borders effectively, emphasising that migration must occur within the parameters of the law and that everyone living in South Africa must respect its legal framework.

He labelled inflammatory statements about foreign nationals as dangerous and irresponsible, particularly during periods when undocumented migration fuels social friction.

Ramaphosa also defended the country's constitutional transformation policies, drawing a sharp line between democratic redress and past oppression.

"We are determined never to return to the racial division and oppression of our apartheid past," Ramaphosa wrote, urging citizens to continuously renew the choice made in 1994 to build a unified nation from diverse backgrounds.

In a final warning against political and social polarisation, the President reminded citizens that while the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, it demands equal responsibility.

He condemned inflammatory language that glorifies violence or stokes community tensions, and took aim at figures traveling abroad to sabotage the country's economic prospects.

"At a time when unemployment is high and we need to grow our economy and attract investment, travelling to foreign capitals to spread the falsehood of a 'white genocide' and discourage investment in one’s own country is neither responsible nor patriotic," Ramaphosa said.

He urged all South Africans to remain vigilant against “divisive forces”, protect the country's social fabric, and guard against actions that threaten to reopen the wounds of the past.