The date is nearer

I spent the afternoon of Freedom Day, 27^th April 2011 in Grahamstown. I attended an ANC rally in commemoration of this special day where the main aim was to celebrate this day.

The double story Tanyi Hall was not packed to capacity as the weather that day was 4 degrees, allowing people to rather stay in the comfort of their homes and watch the Freedom Day celebrations on television. ANC comrades sung songs of liberation and what impressed me the most is that the majority of the people who attended this rally were members of the youth and volunteers of the ANC. My father, Mr M.D Nondzube, a former policeman and ANC veteran opened in prayer, asking the Lord to bless this congress and reminded the crowd of how quick we are to forget. He said that we forget our blessings and most of all; we forget where we came from and what it means to be free.

I see freedom as being privileged and having an opportunity to own something that belongs to me and me only. I have the power to control my day and my life in general and to me, I couldn’t ask for more. The main focus of the rally was to remember those who died in the struggle for our freedom, mainly Chris Hani, who is one of my respected heroes. Many issues within the ANC were discussed, including the fact that members are shifting to other parties who promise to deliver. This is not only a threat to the party, but is rather a challenge. I believe that if there was less fighting within the structures of the ANC and people were more united, then things would have been much better in this country.

I am young and have an opportunity to change this country. I am still a member of the ANC and will vote for them in these Local Government elections coming up, but I will not tolerate the basic human right being stolen from a member of society by those who aim to enrich themselves. Voting is an important process all over the world and one should realise that you can’t complain about how this country is run if you do not vote.

Attending this rally was an eye-opener for me as I learnt more about the history of the ANC and also the things that went wrong during the seventeen years of our democracy. I have faith that the black people in particular of our society will read in-between the lines and make an informed decision when it comes to voting during these upcoming elections. It doesn’t matter who you vote for, what matters is to exercise the freedom of your voice.

AMANDLA!