Freedom Day
Connie Makgabo
Sibusiso Khumalo
English
First paragraphs

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In South Africa, Freedom Day is a public holiday on 27 April.
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This is the story of Freedom Day.
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You will read about its history, and why it is an important day.
1
South Africa got its freedom on the 27th of April 1994.
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It was the first time that Black people voted in South Africa’s elections.
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We celebrated the end of apartheid, and the start of democracy.
2
Democracy is a system where anyone can vote if they are old enough.
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People vote in elections to choose their leaders and the government.
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During apartheid, the South African government did not let Black people vote.
3
Many freedom fighters fought against the apartheid government.
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Nelson Mandela is our most famous freedom fighter. He fought for equal rights for all South Africans.
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The apartheid government sent him to jail for 27 years because he fought for democracy.
4
On 27th of April in 1994, South Africans started to queue early at polling stations across the country.
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A polling station is the place where we go to vote.
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When we vote, we choose the people who we want to run our government.
5
Everyone was excited to vote in South Africa’s first democratic election.
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The queues got longer and longer.
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The day got hotter and hotter.
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But everyone was happy because they felt free.
6
Nelson Mandela remembered this beautiful day with admiration.
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He could not forget the long queues of people in the streets.
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He remembered the many people waiting to vote in the first free election. These memories always stayed in his mind.
7
This is the day when all South Africans older than 18 could vote.
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Across the country, we waited patiently to enter the polling stations.
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We queued until late that night, until everyone in the queue had voted.
8
Then, the polling stations closed. It was time to count the votes.
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It was time to find out who the people wanted to govern South Africa.
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About 20 million people voted on the 27th April 1994. We voted for a new government.
9
The African National Congress was the party that got the most votes.
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The ANC won the first democratic election by far!
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Nelson Mandela was the ANC’s leader. He was the first democratic president of South Africa.
10
The new government made 27 of April a public holiday so that South Africans can celebrate this day every year. We celebrate democracy and the new laws.
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We celebrate by gathering at stadiums for special events. We celebrate with music, poetry, and speeches.
11
On Freedom Day, we honour our freedom fighters.
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We celebrate the end of apartheid.
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We celebrate that everyone has the right to vote.
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We promise to make sure that everyone is equal and free. That is democracy!
12
Elections in South Africa are organised by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
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This organisation makes sure that elections are “free and fair”. What do you think that means?
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Find out about the Independent Electoral Commission.
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——Questions


  1. What happened on the 27th of April in 1994 in South Africa?
  2. Who can vote in a democracy?
  3. Why is the 27 April a public holiday?
  4. What is democracy?
  5. Who was the first democratic president of South Africa?
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——Books in this series


  • Freedom Day
  • Heritage Day
  • Human Rights Day
  • Reconciliation Day
  • Women’s Day
  • Workers' Day
  • Youth Day
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The storybook was created and written in Sepedi, as part of the Zenex Ulwazi Lwethu reading materials project in 2020.
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Attribution CC BY
Your attribution should include the following:
Title: Freedom Day
Author/s: Connie Makgabo
Translator/s: Connie Makgabo
Illustrator/s: Sibusiso Khumalo
Assurer/s: Sarah Lekganyane, African Storybook
Language: English

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CC BY includes the following elements:
 BY   – Credit must be given to the creator