28.04.2026
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Mixed views as South Africans mark Freedom Day celebrations

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  • President Cyril Ramaphosa in Bloemfontein for the Freedom Day celebration.

South Africans who are celebrating Freedom Day at Freedom Park Heritage in Pretoria say this day should be embraced with honour and dignity.

They say the day marks a significant milestone for the end of segregation in the country.

Freedom Day commemorates the first post-apartheid elections held on that day in 1994.

This is what visitors at Freedom Park had to say: “This is a special day for us South Africans to celebrate together; it means unity and diversity, and it shows us where we come from. We can finally walk with pride as Black people; freedom means being free. The 32 years, wow, yes, we are given voices to voice out how we feel. And how are we actually supposed to expect what government is giving to us? But they are not listening to us; they are listening but not listening in the same breath.”

The Limpopo province

uMkhonto we Sizwe Liberation War veteran Masingita Maakana has expressed his views about the country’s democratic dispensation.

Maakana, who is from Mafarana village outside Tzaneen in Limpopo, says political independence hasn’t translated into economic freedom.

He says the democratic system that the country adopted in 1994 has drifted from the ideals that he and his comrades fought for.

Maakana joined the MK at a young age and was later incorporated into the SANDF in 1994.

He believes that political independence does not reflect economic freedom for ordinary South Africans…

“The democracy that we have is from Oxford University and the World Economic Forum. This is not what we fought for, because it did not lead this country to be self-sustainable. Every time the parliament discusses the presidency, I have never come across our parliament discussing any developmental project. It’s about positions. They are wasting our time.”

Furthermore, Maakana says that the citizens must write their own path instead of relying on political structures.

“South Africans must run the country for the interests of the South Africans. We don’t want other political parties who are representing foreign countries here, because this is our country. We have to decide for ourselves, for our minerals, for our agriculture. We have to do things for ourselves.”

Eastern Cape province

The Eastern Cape provincial government is holding its Freedom Day celebrations at Nonkqubela Location, Alexandria, in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, highlighting progress in service delivery across the province.

The event aims to reflect on strides made in improving access to basic services and education as part of the broader gains of democracy in South Africa.

Provincial government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie says the occasion also provides an opportunity for engagement with communities and allows government to assess progress, reflect on challenges, and understand what more residents expect going forward.

Rantjie elaborates, “For the people of the Eastern Cape, we go back and reflect on what we have been able to achieve in terms of service delivery. We know that in 2026, we have over 90 percent of people in our communities that have access to electricity. We have over 85 percent of people that have access to water. We have our learners that are marginalising in big numbers with over eighty-four per cent of achievement. So that is something to celebrate. That is something that we must reflect on.”

North West Province

Some residents of Mahikeng in the North West say high levels of crime are impacting on their right to freedom of movement. As the country observes Freedom Day, residents believe that more still needs to be done for them to fully experience democracy.

They say they are forced to voluntarily restrict their own movement, such as avoiding walking on the streets early in the morning or at night.

This makes it difficult for residents like Boitshepo Gabogope to exercise this fundamental right.

“Those people caused me trauma because now I fear to walk at night because I fear that what if this time these people will actually harm me, use those knives against me, because maybe I wouldn’t have a phone or something that they can take from me and then they decide to stab me, so now I am so scared to walk at night; I am traumatised. It is only there on paper, but in real life, in practice, there is no free movement as it is said to be.”

National Freedom Day 2026 Celebrations:

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