President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute on Saturday to the many countries that had supported South Africa’s liberation struggle.

Speaking at the 1018 National Orders awards ceremony in Tshwane‚ Ramaphosa said the country owed "a great deal to the devout support" of the international community for its freedom.

“Many countries offered solidarity and opened their arms to our activists. “Many people in our neighbouring countries lost life and limb for our cause‚” he said.

At the ceremony‚ the Order of the Companions of Oliver Tambo in Gold was bestowed on four former heads of state – former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano‚ the former president of Namibia‚ Sam Nujoma‚ former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and the late Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana.

“We also honour those remarkable human beings who stood alongside our people‚ at home and in exile‚ who provided material and other assistance to our students‚ activists and combatants. “In doing so‚ we express our sincere and eternal gratitude to them for joining a struggle that was not their’s‚ in a land far from their own‚ and for giving so much‚ for so long‚ to so many‚” Ramaphosa said.

He mentioned in particular Ambassador Alexander Sergeevich Dsasokhov and Dr Slava Tetekin of Russia and Ms Rosita Johnson of the United States‚ who were also honoured on Saturday.