By the SayPro Royal Committee Deputy Treasurer-Jane Ndlovu
Fellow Citizens of SayPro, Honorable Guests, Respected Leaders, Members of the SayPro Royal Committee, and Friends Across Our Nation,
Good day to you all, and thank you for being part of this year’s Freedom Day 2025 commemoration. I am deeply honored to stand before you as the Deputy Treasurer of the SayPro Royal Committee on a day that holds such meaning for every citizen—regardless of age, background, or status.
Freedom Day is more than a celebration. It is a moment of reflection, a moment of gratitude, and most importantly, a moment of responsibility. It is a day when we honor the path our nation has walked and recommit ourselves to carrying that legacy forward with integrity, courage, and fairness.
Freedom and Economic Justice: Inseparable Values
Freedom is not just about political rights or civil liberties—it is also about the power to live with dignity. True freedom includes economic justice—the ability to put food on the table, to access education, to own a home, to find work, and to build a future. These are not luxuries. They are human rights.
As the Deputy Treasurer, I am entrusted with ensuring that the nation’s finances work for the people, not against them. That our budgeting reflects the real needs of our citizens. That every rand spent goes towards making lives better, not enriching the few at the expense of the many.
Let us be clear: we cannot speak of freedom in full while millions still live in poverty, while youth remain unemployed, and while inequality continues to define opportunity. The struggle for liberation must now become the struggle for equity—and that is a struggle we must face head-on.
Uplifting Communities Through Transparent Spending
In the past year, we have worked hard within the Royal Committee to push for more transparent, community-focused resource allocation. We’ve taken steps to ensure that public funds are directed toward:
- Improving basic infrastructure in underserved areas,
- Supporting youth entrepreneurship programs,
- Strengthening public schools and clinics, and
- Expanding food and housing assistance to vulnerable families.
We have also supported calls for more financial literacy and training opportunities—because empowering our people means equipping them with the tools to succeed.
And yet, we know our work is far from done.
A Budget That Builds Freedom
Our message today is simple: freedom must be funded. It cannot exist in a vacuum. It needs a budget that puts people first, a treasury that reflects the voices of our communities, and a financial system that is inclusive, not exclusive.
We are committed to ensuring that every financial decision made in SayPro contributes to reducing inequality and expanding access—especially for those who have been historically left behind: women, young people, persons with disabilities, and rural communities.
We must break the cycle of poverty—not through promises, but through smart investments, responsible leadership, and shared ownership of our future.
Freedom as a Shared Responsibility
Let us remember: financial freedom is not something the government creates alone. It lives in our collective decisions. It lives in how we support local businesses. In how we pay our taxes with integrity. In how we hold leaders accountable and demand transparency at every level.
Whether you’re a student, a worker, an entrepreneur, or a public servant—you are part of SayPro’s economic story. And your voice, your choices, and your contributions matter.
Closing: Let’s Finance the Future We Deserve
As we celebrate Freedom Day 2025, let us do more than remember the past. Let us actively finance the future we deserve. A future where:
- No child goes to bed hungry,
- No elder is left without care,
- No dream is denied because of a lack of access.
This is the kind of freedom we must fight for now—not with fists, but with focus, fairness, and financial vision.
From the desk of the Deputy Treasurer, I commit to doing my part. And I call on all of you—leaders, youth, communities, and citizens—to stand with us as we invest in a SayPro that truly belongs to all who live in it.
Let us build a nation where freedom is not only celebrated—but experienced, every single day.
Thank you, and Happy Freedom Day!
May SayPro prosper. May our people rise. May true freedom prevail.
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