Let’s Not Be Delusional About Freedom for Majority of South Africans

Every year, South Africans are afforded a public holiday to celebrate Freedom Day. We do this in remembrance of our first democratic elections that were held on 27 April 1994.

At the time, it marked the end of 300 years of colonialism and Apartheid. Over 19 million people voted on that day, signalling the transition of a constitutional democracy instead of the country descending into civil war.

This feat quickly elevated South Africa’s status to that of a global standard for democracy, transitional justice, and human rights. I remember very well how travelling the world before the attainment of freedom was like a curse. It was difficult to engage about the political situation of racial division in my country. It did not make sense to most of the international community that I engaged. To me, it was embarrassing for man to subject his fellow man to such brutal laws because of the colour of his skin in the 19^th century.

The achievement of a democratic dispensation, having the right to vote, black and white, side by side, was just an amazing experience. This is something most of us never thought would happen in our lifetime. With the Mandela euphoria in full effect across the country, voting to me meant a new dawn of opportunity for the black majority. I envisaged the explosion of black talent oppressed, by brutal force, over centuries.

South Africa became a beacon of hope, not only for South Africa, but the entire global community. The world saw a country emerging from a debilitating history being able to unite, showcasing the spirit of what Archbishop Desmond Tutu termed the Rainbow Nation. It was not a surprise to see how the world opened its hearts to a South Africa that was united in its diversity.

Let’s fast forward to this day 32 years ago to review the country with an open and objective mind.  As we observe this significant day, it would be remiss not to ask: are majority of South Africans in a position to celebrate this day, the 27^th April 2026, under the current living conditions?

It is 32 years since the triumphant fall of Apartheid, yet South Africans are facing a myriad of challenges – the highest sustainable unemployment in the world, we are the murder and rape capital of the world. The less one speaks of how corruption has embedded itself, the better.

Our towns, cities and villages are collapsing in front of our eyes. Our dams are overflowing, but the taps are dry. Many townships and villages are without electricity while the government spreads propaganda that the days of loadshedding are behind us. Unreliable electricity supply has crippled businesses and destroyed livelihoods of honest business people.

South Africans are daily witnesses of the extent of the capture of the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates. Some of our country’s road infrastructure, which has not been maintained for years, makes driving impossible. Our porous borders places pressure on social benefits that are meant for citizens, and places us all at risk of crime by undocumented migrants. Our hospitals, schools, and state institutions issuing grants are inundated by foreigners who burden public funds that should benefit working class citizens who need support from government.

This state of affairs continues while majority of South Africans are experiencing abject poverty, living in squalor in squatter camps (called informal settlements). Our education system produces, to a large extent, a youth that is not ready for the new world economy. We have thousands of doctors and engineers who face unemployment. These critical skills are now leading to brain drain and migration to countries such as Australia and the UAE. International drug syndicates have found and identified South Africa as their playground, destroying the lives of the vulnerable and unemployed youth. We are still the most unequal society in the world, a country of the haves and the have nots.

Amidst all these challenges, South Africa has the biggest Cabinet on earth, through the Government of National Unity, with no visible results coming from such an expensive arrangement. I have said it before that Deputy Ministers bring no value to effective government performance. Instead, the bloated cabinet comes with increased international travel and a larger continent of support staff with benefits that are unjustified for an economy that is not growing. The GNU is nothing but a spending spree at the expense of taxpayers.

Freedom, is understood as self-determination, dignity, and opportunity. What then, do we refer to as the democratic dividend of freedom for law-abiding South Africans when they become victims of failing systems? What kind of freedom is it when young people cannot find work, when businesses are suffocated by corruption and inefficiency, and when basic services like electricity and water are unreliable? This is not the freedom South Africans voted for in 1994.

It is only a matter of time until disappointment and frustration turn into anger. The poor living conditions across townships such as Alexandra, Soweto, and Orange Farm are indicative of a government that has given up on delivering services. Earlier this week, I hosted a public meeting in Tjovitjo Informal Settlement, Orange Farm.

The shacks have been erected on a wetland that makes mobility non-existent when it rains. Most shocking is the use of mobile toilets and large Jojo tanks as provision of water and sanitation. As for opportunities for trading or employment, there are none to speak of.

A visibly frustrated resident promised to block the highway with burning tyres to express his anger with the neglect from the City of Joburg. Most concerning was his declaration to not vote as part of his protest. I used this engagement as an opportunity to highlight the importance of voting. I emphasised that civil disobedience that damages infrastructure will only be to their detriment. I dissuaded him from withholding his vote, highlighting that a government will be formed, with or without his vote. A decision to not vote disempowers him from taking ownership of hard-won liberties to hold leaders accountable to citizens.

The reality is that South Africa is not a free society in any meaningful sense if its people are trapped in poverty, are unsafe in their communities, and unable to access opportunity for upward mobility.

True freedom requires more than elections. It requires a capable, ethical government that delivers jobs, protects citizens, and upholds the rule of law. Until then, Freedom Day risks becoming a symbolic ritual rather than a lived reality.

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