Little to celebrate on Freedom Day: Cope, DA
South Africa celebrates 28 years of democracy on Wednesday amid renewed questions around the gains made by the country since 1994.
This year’s Freedom Day celebrations comes amid renewed concerns over rising inequality and poverty as government struggles to ignite the sluggish economy and create the jobs needed to bring down the record unemployment rate.
While the ANC continues to point to the areas of progress over the past 28 years, especially in the provision of basic services, opposition parties maintains most South Africans have little to celebrate.
Cope says the ANC’s greed, selfishness and corruption have robbed South African of their freedom.
"When millions of Black and White South Africans streamed to the voting stations in 1994 to exercise their democratic right to vote for a better life, they never knew that they were voting for hyenas and thieves," says the party’s spokesperson Dennis Bloem.
"The oppressed majority was looking forward to a better life after years of oppression, but unfortunately, they are still looking for the fulfillment of that promise.
"Twenty-eight years later the future looks bleak, especially for women and young people.
"Crime, lawlessness and the unemployment situation coupled with the appalling living conditions in the country is a ticking time bomb that can and will explode any time.”
The DA also believes much of the excitement and optimism that greeted the first democratic election have been dashed.
"We have 30 million people living in povery, almost half our adult population are without work and there are children who are not getting a decent education," says DA leader John Steenhuisen.
"We cannot celebrate much about freedom whilst our nation remains shackled in poverty and unemployment.
"We have to focus on job creation and getting the economy moving. We need to make sure that we are a caring government and we need to do better as a country.”
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