It’s been a wild ride since 1994, but South Africans must keep on voting

  • 📰 mailandguardian
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 63 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 28%
  • Publisher: 92%

South Africa Headlines News

South Africa Latest News,South Africa Headlines

Beyond elections, active citizenship is needed. Voting is just one way to take responsibility for the outcomes of our democracy

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.. remember going with my parents to vote on 27 April 1994. It was a Wednesday. I was still in primary school and did not comprehend the full gravity of the moment, but I knew it was important and exciting.

The Mandela years were as romantic as our story will ever get. A government of national unity, liberation heroes in key portfolios, a sari-wearing Frene Ginwala as our speaker, the tears of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the influx of global investment. We were the postcolonial darlings of the West, evolving at dizzying speed. Madiba’s magic made us believe in unicorns.

When the ANC fired Mbeki in September 2008, I was ironically at a leadership workshop in Stellenbosch, ambitiously learning how to best contribute to Africa’s growth and development. Mbeki’s recall was a shock reminder that politics changes like the weather. No sooner had I written a column reluctantly saying, “give Zuma a chance”, I was mobilising a cohort of my peers to sign an

Indeed. South Africa continues to have peaceful, timeous, free, fair and credible elections. The IEC works. We have a multi-party democracy. We have freedom of speech. We have thriving opposition parties. We can criticise whoever we want without being jailed. We have an online and offline public sphere that is engaged in the happenings of our fledgling nation-state. As I’ve arguedDespite Tlakula’s confidence, I was flabbergasted that Zuma was re-elected.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 2. in ZA

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

South Africa 1994: Gift of the Givers’ Sooliman reminisces on banner election yearThirty years ago, when Nelson Mandela and the ANC swept to victory in South Africa’s first democratic elections, Imtiaz Sooliman was also on the ballot paper, representing the African Muslim Party. He remembers the winds of hope that blew at the time.
Source: TheAfricaReport - 🏆 29. / 55 Read more »

Did the South African economy triple since 1994?Although we have faced challenges, both beyond our borders and here at home, our economy has tripled in size since 1994, the president said.
Source: TheCitizen_News - 🏆 6. / 75 Read more »

How many presidents has South Africa had since 1994?The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa.
Source: TheSAnews - 🏆 25. / 59 Read more »

MK is getting free election PRAs 2024 elections mirror 1994's uncertainty, a familiar party challenges South Africa's electoral process.
Source: TheCitizen_News - 🏆 6. / 75 Read more »

South Africa: ANC-Aligned Cosatu Confirms It Is an Enemy of Unemployed South AfricansPress Release - A statement released yesterday by the ANC proxies in labour federation COSATU is a timely reminder that the ANC alliance - composed of the ANC, COSATU and the SACP - is the primary enemy of the 10 million unemployed people in South Africa. What a nonsensical article. It does not even quote COSATU’s statement nor give a chance for COSATU to comment. If this is an op then your platform should say so and indicate who is the author. Otherwise this platform is little better than graffiti on a bus station.
Source: allafrica - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

South Africa: DA Announces Ground-Breaking New Economic Policy to Rescue South Africans From UnemploymentPress Release - Unemployment is the single greatest crisis facing South Africa.
Source: allafrica - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »