Miss Mpumalanga relives Freedom Day
Kebalepile Ramafoko may have not taken part in the first non- racial elections but 26 years later, she’s living in a democratic country.
It’s 27 April today and in South African history this means everything.
It’s Freedom Day! The day when the first non-racial elections took place in 1994, and if you ask me if I took part in it, I’d say no, but 26 years later, I’m living it!
In 20 years to come, it will still be part of our history that generations to come, we will have to appreciate and acknowledge the heroes who fought to make this day and age possible.
It wouldn’t have been there, but it is because of them that I, myself stand here today as a young black woman who knows how to exercise my rights without violating another person’s rights in return.
However, this year we’ve been denied an opportunity to celebrate and commemorate this day as a country at an event or gathering of people, but instead we are sitting at home, 31 days into the national lockdown.
Somehow, we are taken back to how it was when our African people were under the strict regime of apartheid, a regime that required a permit for movement.
However, this time we are not at war with humans, but with a novel virus known as the Covid-19 – a disease that has already claimed thousands of lives without even showing itself.
In this case, we are unable to point fingers or put the blame on someone. The Covid-19 has the whole world paused and it has everyone’s attention, I mean everyone! Black and white! Young and Old! Rich and Poor.
The lockdown is not the easiest for every one given the circumstances of different people’s problems.
It’s thus very important that as much as the government is offering services to help us ease the problems we are facing, as members of the community, we ought to help where we can as well.
If it means offering someone food to eat, clothes to wear, especially because we are heading towards winter and it’s where our numbers might increase for the worse or if we keep by the lockdown restrictions , we will be able to help flatten the curve. Let’s keep doing so.
Remember, we are Africans and during this crisis time, we should remember that umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu and we should practise it more than ever.
This is the real test to humanity, are we what we say we are?Freedom is about a chance to be better, better yourself, your family and friends and your community and if that happens, the country gets better as well.
Let’s heal our land on this historic day and stay at home!
