Wednesday, 27 April 1994
27 April commemorates the day in 1994 when
the first democratic election was held in South
Africa. Today, South Africa celebrates Freedom
Day to mark the liberation of its country and its
people from a long period of colonialism and
White minority domination ( apartheid ).
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Apartheid 'officially' began in South Africa in
1948, but colonialism and oppression of the
African majority had plagued South Africa since
- After decades of resistance, a stalemate
between the Liberation Movement and the
Apartheid government was reached in 1988.
The ANC, South African Communist Party
(SACP) , Pan African Congress (PAC) and other
organisations were later unbanned on 2 February
1990, and a non-racial constitution was
eventually agreed upon and adopted in 1993. On
27 April 1994, the nation finally cast its vote in
the first democratic election in the country. The
ANC was then voted into power, and Nelson
Mandela was inaugurated as the President of
South Africa on 10 May.
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It is important to note however, that "freedom"
should mean emancipation from poverty,
unemployment, racism, sexism and other forms
of discrimination. We are 15 years into our new
democracy and many of these issues are still rife
in our country. We are still a long way away from
solving many of the legacies of Apartheid and
now face new challenges, like the growing
inequality among South Africans and political and
economic instability in the region caused by a
new elite who are interested in pursuing their
own interests.
Freedom Day therefore serves as a reminder to
us that the guarantee of our freedom requires us
to remain permanently vigilant against corruption
and the erosion of the values of the Freedom
Struggle and to build an active citizenry that will
work towards wiping out the legacy of racism,
inequality and the promotion of the rights
embodied in our constitution.
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We steemians joins the world as we celebrate black African History and Freedom for the south African people.
#HappyFreedomDay