The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has sharply criticised the Day of Goodwill, which was previously known as Boxing Day.
The party led by the former South African president Jacob Zuma stated on Friday that the holiday, which is celebrated in the country a day after Christmas, remains a hollow symbol in a society marked by extreme inequality.
MK Party stated that while the renaming of Day of Goodwill from Boxing Day was intended to foster unity, peace, and goodwill, the organisation said the reality is that the day remains deeply rooted in the legacy of British colonialism, which it called an ideological foundation fundamentally opposed to the political posture and revolutionary objectives of the party.
Poverty, dispossession, exclusion remain
“The change in name altered symbolism without dismantling the material conditions of poverty, dispossession, and exclusion. Historically rooted in practices of token charity from the wealthy to the [impoverished], this day continues to reflect an economic order in which a small minority controls the vast majority of wealth. While millions of South Africans remain excluded from meaningful economic participation,” said MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela.
The party also said that for this day to be framed around “goodwill” was moralising poverty. It is also shifting responsibility away from the state and the economic system, reducing justice to seasonal compassion.
“This reality underscores a broader truth that, South Africa’s liberation remains incomplete for all the disenfranchised. The workers, the unemployed, rural communities, women, youth, and [older people], regardless of age, gender, or creed. South Africa remains among the most unequal societies in the world despite vast resources and potential. Such deprivation is not accidental. It is the outcome of unresolved colonial and apartheid-era economic structures,” said Ndhlela.
Decisive shift from charity to justice
The organisation stated that it believes that true transformation cannot be achieved through symbolic renaming or performative celebration.
“The 26th of December must mark a decisive shift from charity to justice. Anchored in concrete action, land redistribution, food security, public employment, and wealth redress. Economic dignity must be treated as a right, not a favour. Goodwill without justice is insufficient. South Africa’s liberation will remain incomplete until economic freedom and shared prosperity are realised for all,” said Ndhlela.
