On 27 April, South Africa celebrated Freedom Day, commemorating the country’s first democratic elections, which were held thirty years ago on 27 April, 1994. Although South Africa is a multicultural nation, until 1994 it was controlled by a white racist government that made sure that the nation’s white minority held all the political, social and economic power. The rest of the population, mostly blacks, was discriminated against and kept in poverty. The law not only denied black people the right to vote, but also, among other things, determined where they could live, what employment they could have, where they could go on any given day and who they could marry. This racist system was called apartheid.

Internal opposition to apartheid

South Africa’s black majority fought against this state-sanctioned racism. Organizations such as the African National Congress (ANC) opposed the system with strikes, boycotts and acts of civil disobedience. Even though these acts were nonviolent, they were nevertheless brutally repressed. Thousands of people were arrested, many were killed by the white police, and political parties such as the ANC were banned. One of the most prominent and tireless leaders of the freedom movement was a charismatic lawyer, Nelson Mandela. Although he was mostly committed to nonviolent resistance, he eventually engaged in sabotage operations aimed at damaging government property and infrastructure. Because of this, he was arrested in 1964.

International opposition to apartheid

The international community took notice of the dreadful human rights violations of the apartheid system. In 1960, the United Nations called upon South Africa to end its policies of racial discrimination. Governments, organizations and prominent figures around the world demanded the dismantling of apartheid and the release of political prisoners, especially Mandela who had become a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement. During the 1970s and 1980s, international pressure increased in the form of cultural and sporting boycotts (for example, South Africa was expelled from the Olympic Games), trade embargoes and economic sanctions. By the late 1980s, South Africa had become a pariah state.

Free elections and national reconciliation

Finally, because of the mounting domestic and international pressure, the leaders of South Africa capitulated. In 1990, President F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and other organizations, and freed political activists, including Nelson Mandela. Collaborating with Mandela, de Klerk worked to dismantle apartheid and prepare for the free elections of 1994. Twenty million South Africans cast their ballots, up from the three million white voters of the previous election. The ANC won a majority, and Mandela was elected president. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to investigate crimes committed under apartheid. The Commission was revolutionary because it sought forgiveness over prosecution and reparation over revenge, believing this to be the best way to foster national reconciliation. Victims could speak out and were given financial reparations, while perpetrators could confess their crimes and ask for amnesty.

South Africa today

Today, South Africa is a different country, a ‘rainbow nation’, once again part of the international community. However, not all problems have been resolved. The black majority is still disproportionally affected by extreme poverty. Many black people still live in run-down neighbourhoods and are affected by high rates of unemployment. Inevitably, South Africa is still repairing the harm caused by decades of apartheid. But there has been progress. Current president Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of the ANC and former anti-apartheid activist, pointed to the work done so far: “our task over the last 30 years has been to bridge the huge divides of wealth and opportunity in our country – between black and white, between men and women, between urban and rural dwellers […] It is only those who willfully will not see, who shut their eyes to progress, who will deny that South Africa today is an infinitely better place than it was thirty years ago.”

USEFUL LINKS

1) What is Freedom Day? Find out here:
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/freedom-day-27-april

2) Here is the South African Government page on Freedom Day 2024:
https://www.gov.za/FreedomDay2024

3) Watch this video on the origins and history of apartheid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke4kVFycpYY

4) Learn more on the African National Congress on the Encyclopedia Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-National-Congress

5) Watch this brief biography of Nelson Mandela:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyfOrbO0xf4

6) Are you interested in the work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Here is it’s official website:
https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/

COMPREHENSION

1) Read the article and complete the sentences with the correct alternative.

1. Apartheid was a system that favoured
a. South Africa’s multiculturalism.
b. a small group of South Africans.
c. political, social and economic equality.

2. Before 1994,
a. only white South Africans could vote.
b. all South Africans could vote.
c. only black South Africans could vote.

3. The African National Congress mostly opposed the apartheid system
a. by running in the South African elections.
b. by engaging in armed resistance against the white police.
c. with nonviolent actions such as boycotts and strikes.

4. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned because
a. he was one of the leaders of the ANC.
b. he favoured nonviolent protests.
c. he was involved in sabotage operations.

5. The international community
a. was indifferent to apartheid.
b. demanded the end of apartheid.
c. asked Mandela to end apartheid.

6. South Africa became a pariah state because
a. it was ostracized by the international community.
b. it withdrew from international relations.
c. it did not participate in the Olympic Games.

7. The ban on the ANC and other organizations was lifted by
a. F.W. de Klerk.
b. Nelson Mandela.
c. F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela.

8. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was significant because
a. it prosecuted and jailed the perpetrators of apartheid crimes.
b. it fostered national reconciliation through forgiveness and reparation.
c. it believed in prosecution and revenge.

9. Today, South Africa is
a. a rainbow nation where equality on all fronts finally prevails.
b. a nation still struggling with the effects of apartheid.
c. worse off than it was thirty years ago.

10. President Cyril Ramaphosa believes that
a. South Africans shut their eyes to progress.
b. there has been little progress in South Africa in the last thirty years.
c. there has been significant progress in the last thirty years.

VOCABULARY

2) Complete the sentences with the following words. Put the verbs and nouns in the right form, if necessary.

dreadful * prominent * to dismantle * pariah * to cast (a ballot) *
perpetrator * to foster * run-down * dweller * willfully

1. She stands out in the political arena because of her important contributions to reform. She is a ………………………………………. politician.
2. It’s not enough ……………………………………….. an unjust system; we must also consider how to build a just one.
3. Taking actions such as celebrating cultural differences and encouraging dialogue between communities are ways ……………………………………….. an inclusive society.
4. This is worse than bad news, it’s ……………………………………….. news!
5. We are not cave ……………………………………….. like prehistoric humans! We deserve decent housing!
6. ……………………………………….. is an important democratic action because it allows us to express our political preferences.
7. They know the facts, but they are ……………………………………….. ignoring them.
8. That park is ………………………………………..: the benches are broken, the lawns are full of weeds and there is rubbish everywhere.
9. A ……………………………………….. is a person who commits a crime.
10. The English word ……………………………………….. derives from the Indian Tamil language, and it means ‘outcast’.

GRAMMAR – Connective words

3) Complete the sentences using the right connective words from the following list.

in short * to this end * for instance * similarly * subsequently * as a consequence * on the contrary * that is to say * in addition * ultimately

1. ……………………………………….. to diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions were imposed on South Africa.
2. De Klerk and Mandela first dismantled apartheid. ……………………………………….. they called for free elections.
3. Mandela believed in a free South Africa for all. ……………………………………….. he worked tirelessly even when living in prison.
4. South Africa is a much freer country today than forty years ago; ……………………………………….., today there is universal suffrage.
5. South African police did not show restraint. ……………………………………….., they often used violent and repressive methods.
6. Mandela believed in Gandhi’s message. ……………………………………….., he believed in nonviolence.
7. Apartheid was unbiased, discriminatory and racist. ……………………………………….., it was morally evil.
8. Mandela fought against racism in South Africa while, ……………………………………….., Martin Luther King campaigned for the rights of African Americans in the United States.
9. Nelson Mandela was incarcerated ……………………………………….. of his anti-government actions.
10. ……………………………………….. South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy stands as a shining example of the power of collective action.

SHORT ESSAY

Nelson Mandela once said: “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”

4) Do you agree that poverty is not natural? Explain your point of view. (60-80 words)

5) Do you believe that there cannot be true freedom if poverty persists? Explain. (60-80 words)

DEBATE

6) While Mandela was fighting for the rights of all South Africans, another famous activist, Martin Luther King, campaigned to end discrimination against blacks in the United States. King often quoted Theodore Parker, a minister who, a hundred years before him, worked for the abolition of slavery. Pair up with one of your classmates and look at King’s quote below. Drawing on what you know of history, one of you will argue in favour of it and one of you against it.

Proposition: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image: JOHANNESBURG, AUGUST 21: Apartheid Museum Entrance on August 21, 2014 in Johannesburg. The Apartheid Museum is dedicated to illustrating apartheid and the 20th century history of South Africa, Shutterstock)