DESPITE THE BOLDNESS OF FW DE KLERK ON THE 2ND OF FEBRUARY 1990 OUR FREEDOM DID NOT COME CHEAP

The 2nd of February 1990 ushered a no turning point in the democratisation of our country. The announcement (see here) made by the then President of the apartheid South Africa, FW de Klerk, the unbanning of all political parties, the release of Nelson Mandela, the return of all exiles and the subsequent negotiations that led to the democratic elections in 1994, came as a result of our people struggles in our communities and in our factory floors.

The contribution of the international community of isolating the South African apartheid regime cannot be over emphasised. We owe this isolation of apartheid South Africa by the international community in the main to the mobilisation that was undertaken by our leader and President of the ANC, OR Tambo.

Whilst we appreciate the bold step that FW de Klerk took in February 1990, we nonetheless are convinced that such a step was inevitable.

It is indeed a matter of pride on all South Africans that the ANC led government has over the 16 years period after our liberation made South Africa to be a respected member of the community of nations.

We can also look back with pride over the twenty-year period on the work that has been undertaken by South Africa led by the ANC to democratise the South African society.  It is in this context that advances have been made in taking forward the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) that underpin our work in taking our country forward.  We can within the RDP programme be proud that the various pillars of the RDP programme of meeting basic needs of our people; developing our human resources; building the economy; democratising the state and society has been in the main been achieved, though there is still a lot that has to be done to make all South Africans proud of being South Africans in every aspect and facet of their lives.

Off-course, we cannot delude ourselves by thinking that the ANC led government could have in the aftermath of twenty years of unbanning and 16 years of governing, that it could have undone colonial and apartheid legacies of neglect spanning over hundreds of years since 1652, imposed amongst the South African population, particular the African majority.

We are nonetheless happy that ourselves, our government and our people have committed themselves to creating a better life for all within a foreseeable future and further advance our reconstruction and development programme.  The ANC priority of enhancing our education, our health system, fighting crime and corruption, ensuring rural development in our communities, accelerating our economic growth, thus making job opportunities for our people and stopping poverty is an attestation to our commitment to a South Africa that is united, that is democratic, that is non sexist, that is not racial but also that is prosperous to all South Africans.

What ever all of us do in the democratic space that we all enjoy now, we must keep it in our minds that there were sacrifices that ushered our democracy.  There are those who died for us to enjoy the democracy we now have, there are those who had to flee to exile for us to be free and there are those who had to endure prison life for us to be free, there are those who were maimed for use to be free.  Our freedom and democracy did not come cheap.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, African National Congress national spokesperson, February 2 2010

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