Thabile Mange writes:
The 27th of April marks Freedom Day. This historic day evokes memories of 1994. The majority of people of this country cast their votes for the very first time on an above-mentioned day.
29 years later, I ask: are we free? Do we have a reason to celebrate Freedom Day? Is our democracy enhanced and thriving? Have we arrived at the Promised Land? There are no easy answers.
As things stand, the poor are poorer. The quality of life has also gone down. Unemployment is unprecedentedly high. And the economy is down. Nothing suggests that things will improve anytime soon.
In addition, freedom without economic power is useless. Blacks are politically free but economically suppressed. The economy of the country is in the hands of white people. And there is no concerted effort to deracialise the economy.
Also read: LETTER: ‘The ANC is taking this country down’
Also, freedom without land is not true freedom. Blacks don’t own the land. It is owned by the minority people of this country, who took it away from blacks. On the other hand, the government is dillydallying on the land question.
Freedom without a quality education is suppression. Education remains elusive for the majority of people in this country. They are excluded financially. Hence, every year there are protests at our universities. When will this stop?
Also read: LETTER: DA must allow democracy and transparency to prevail!
That said, we claim to be a nonracial society. However, our politics are racially inclined. Politicians represent their races, not the nation. FF Plus represents white Afrikaners. When there is an injustice against blacks perpetrated by whites, the FF Plus keeps quiet.
Citizens also vote based on sentiment. Blacks vote for ANC, whites for DA, and FF Plus. Performance and policy are not considered during voting. Yet we expect our country to develop and be progressive.
What is there to celebrate on the 27th of April? Nothing. The life of the poor masses has not improved. Instead, it has gotten worse. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
