Happy Freedom Day! South Africa is 24 years old and we spoke to young women the same age | Life

27 Apr 2018

Lebogang Mashego

Freedom Day commemorates the 27th of April 1994 when the first democratic election was held in South Africa. We now celebrate the day to mark the liberation of our country and its people from Apartheid.

It has been 24 years since South Africa entered this new age democracy which introduced new freedoms to those that had been previously denied them. The country was envisioned to become a "Rainbow Nation' – with a country full of possibilities and opportunities for everyone but it has been quite a rocky road for many.

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South Africa enjoys more freedoms than many other countries. In fact, our constitution is held in high regard globally as progressive and inclusive. These freedoms have been taught to us since we were children – and if I remember correctly I was already reciting the summarised version of the Bill of Rights in grade 6 or 7.

24 years ago everyone born into this new South Africa was declared as the generation of born-frees. Now those children are young women and men who have entered or are entering the working place and labour market. Some are currently studying towards degrees and diplomas and many face depressing futures.

It makes sense that concept of born-frees means different things to different people and 24-year-olds have come to understand the term differently for themselves.

I am 24 and even though I was born the year before I am still as old as the country is new. I still live under the same banner born-frees live under. Being born-free means that I was given an opportunity to live a life my parents were not allowed to live. It may be a ‘better’ life but it is not easier, they have been some struggles.

I can’t call myself a born-free in the strict sense but I am as old as the country is new.

Here is what a few 24-year-old women had to say about the concept of born-frees means to them.

I do relate to the concept of born-frees because they are very loud, radical and they take action in whatever they do. It's Winnie Mandela if I could say it one word

Nokuthula Maphala

I think that born free, in the strict sense means that you are the generation that was born post-apartheid. While that might be true, I don’t necessarily completely relate to it because yes, there are no apartheid regime laws that are enforced on us now but our people are not necessarily free.

Mahlatse Mogashoa

I do understand that concept of born-free there are definitely privileges and certain aspects that do come across that show me that I was born into a South Africa that is way different

Queenin Masuabi

I do relate to the concept of born frees because of rights. Everything that happens to us, we involve our rights

Khodani Sukumani

I think that my generation was the first to have been born out of Apartheid but in no way means that we were free from the apartheid legacy and what apartheid did to the country. So I think yes, we must be grateful that were born into a world without any formal structures of oppression. But I think that we are not as free as people would like to think

Priyanka Thakur

These responses from the born-free generation are quite enlightening especially because the born-free generation has been accused of having no regard for the past and people living around them and that they “are only concerned with the hedonistic and materialistic.”

If you think about there has been a radicalism that has been ignited in the young people of today who supposedly do not know struggle.

Social justice and economic freedoms are being demanded by young people.

These protests were not in vain because the John Cecil Rhodes statue was removed from the University of Cape Town Campus and last year the former president Jacob Zuma announced that government would subsidise free tertiary education for poor and working class students starting in 2018.

Now as we sit 24 years after the fact, we decided to find out how someone as old as our democratic country feels about how far they have come and how they feel about South African and the freedoms they have.

WATCH VIDEO: #Iam24 - Celebrating 24 years of democracy

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