Freedom day
On the 27th of April South Africans celebrate Freedom Day to commemorate the first non-racial democratic elections of 1994. Freedom Day marks the liberation of our country and its people from a long period of colonialism and apartheid.
The road to democracy was a long and difficult one. The exclusion of the majority of South Africans from political power was at the centre of the liberation struggle and resistance to white minority rule. Apartheid ‘officially’ began in South Africa in 1948, but colonialism and oppression of the African majority had plagued South Africa since 1652.
After decades of resistance, a stalemate between the Liberation Movement and the Apartheid government was reached in 1988. Several banned political organisations were unbanned on 2 February 1990, and a non-racial constitution was agreed upon and adopted in 1993. On 27 April 1994, the nation finally cast its vote in the first democratic election.
We must remember that “freedom” means emancipation from poverty, unemployment, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Although we have a new democracy, many of these issues still remain. Freedom Day therefore serves as a reminder to us that we should be permanently vigilant against corruption and the erosion of the values, so that we can build a just society that will work towards wiping out inequality and promote of the rights embodied in our constitution to create a better life for all.