Freedom Day!

Today, 27 April 2012, marks the eigthteenth anniversary of Freedom Day.

Eighteen years ago today, 27 April 1994, I stood in a queue, along with my family, for 9 hours, waiting to put my 'X' on a small piece of paper that would help to change South Africa's way of life forever.



Our new flag over our country. (Pic thanks to Google)

 Nelson Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island as number 46664 (prisoner number 466 of 1964), a number that is almost as famous as the man himself! He was finally released from Victor Verster prison on 11 February 1990 after having spent 27 years behind bars.

Four years later we were ready for elections. By then, rumours were flying about what would happen next, there would be no food in the shops, no power, no water, we would be in deep s**t!!!! So, we did what any sensible, mature person did..............we stockpiled! We bought cooking oil, candles, peanut butter, toilet rolls, bottled water and powdered milk (I don't even like powdered milk!) and as shops began to run out under the demand, we swapped information on where these could be bought at the best prices! We searched for recipes for peanut butter biscuits that could be baked on an open fire, in case we had to burn the furniture to survive the first dark days of Freedom!!

Nelson Mandela voting, ( Pic thanks to Google)

And then Voting Day arrived! 27 April was declared a public holiday so that everybody could get to the polling stations. The school where I was teaching was a polling station and as I lived just across the road, it was very convenient! So at about 8.30 that morning we went to join the queue! Well, we first had to find the end of the queue! It snaked from the main school gate, right around the entire block and then started to double back on itself! We chatted and shuffled and saw friends and shouted to everyone who passed by. Some elderly folk brought camping chairs and we mixed and mingled with all colours and ages. Some people had radios and we listened to the news and then to music. There was a party atmosphere that I shall never forget, and such a positive feeling that, yes, we could do anything.

People queued happily for hours and hours! ( Pic thanks to Google)

Then we began to get hungry and thirsty!! After 5 hours we had managed to move to just near our flat, we were halfway there! Just as we were deciding what to do about food, one of the occupants of the flats arrived with a heap of 'vetkoek' (savoury do'nuts) stuffed with spicy mince, for sale! She was followed by another occupant who had gone to buy a load of cokes and juices and was busy walking the queue selling his wares! Those vetkoek were gone in a flash and she went off to make more..........and more...........and more!

Finally just before dark we entered the hall, were checked against the register, had our thumb dyed to stop us trying to cast another vote somewhere else, given our ballot paper and shown to the booth.

The rest, as they say, is history!

Happy Freedom Day, I wonder what we shall be doing in another 18 years?