Are we really free?
Trevor Hlungwani
April 27 is national celebrated as Freedom Day. This year marks 19 years of freedom from the apartheid-led government. I have always wanted to scratch the surface a bit regarding this day.
To me this most noted date recognizes the fact that the dignity and equality of individuals is both an objective which society must pursue.
But freedom to me is divided into two parts. The first “free” part is the liberation part. This means that we are free from the bondages of the past, be it psychological, physical or economical. It provides the opportunity to enable each one and all to state their views, promote their implementation in the process of governance without fear that a contrary view will be met will repression
The other “free” means that we are free to better ourselves. This includes creating a corrupt-free environment, creates employment and also advances strategies which seek to boast our communities. It also includes getting away from the habit of dependence from the government.
To measure the benefits of our freedom we should always look at the changes our freedom has brought unto our lives.
People argue that the new dispensation has not brought much to the lives of the civilians. I believe it will take two to three decades of majority elected government to redress the imbalances inherited from the apartheid-led government
Perhaps we should ask ourselves a couple of questions before we criticize the government. We should ask ourselves that how do we offer hope of civilization to the citizenry? This means that we all have the responsibility to make our communities a better place to live in.
Another question should be: how do we keep the ANC-led government relevant in these challenging times? I believe the government needs a vigorous participation of people from the grass roots level in order to avoid the misdirection of efforts in the quest to improve service delivery. As citizens we should get actively involved in governmental processes to make our country a good one.
Another question should be: how do we occupy the vacuum left by the apartheid-led government? Blaming the government for the racial imbalances and the economic setup shows that South Africans are failing to better the current political climate.
But truth be told, no political party in South Africa can compete with ANC on struggle credentials. Competing with pre and post-1994 ANC is a misguided strategy.
To all the people who never made newspaper headlines, all those who marched facing bullets, those whose graves were never found and couldn’t be relocated by Khumbule’ekhaya, whose lives were cut short. To all those who died terrible deaths alone. To all the kids who grew up without parents, all the domestic workers who endured swearing words from the sons and daughters of the ‘madam’.
To all who shunned privileges due to them for their colour, all who knew that freedom knows no colour, and all who died in exile and in prison. To all who never became government ministers and DGs, all those who never benefited through BEE.
To all who still don't know what happened to their parents, kids, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends. To all who put the safety of their families on risk. To all the mothers who kept the families going while the fathers were in the struggle.
To all who were disowned by churches because they could not reconcile a just God with an unjust system, all who hid the freedom fighters at the risk of losing their own lives, those not in the history books. And to a just God who gave all the strength in a very difficult time. THANK YOU FOR FREEDOM.
No comments:
Post a Comment