Today marks South Africa’s Freedom Day, 30 years since the end of 46 years of the brutal system of racial discrimination known as apartheid and the birth of its democracy. Wishing it a happy Freedom Day. It took many years of brave resistance to bring this inhuman system to an end. The struggle against apartheid, South Africa's systematic regime of racial segregation and discrimination, was a long and arduous journey marked by the resilience of its people and the leadership of several key figures.
The South African apartheid regime implemented policies of racial segregation and discrimination against the majority black population, controlling them through various means, including legislation and law enforcement, rather than regular military strikes. The apartheid government used its security forces to enforce segregation, suppress dissent, and maintain control, often leading to violence, such as the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 and the Soweto Uprising in 1976. These actions were part of a broader system of institutionalized racial discrimination designed to maintain white minority rule over the black majority,
The dismantling of apartheid began in earnest in the early 1990s, primarily under the stewardship of two influential leaders: the then South African President F.W. de Klerk and the indefatigable freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. De Klerk, recognizing the unsustainability of apartheid, initiated the repeal of racially discriminatory laws. Simultaneously, released from a 27-year prison term in 1990, Mandela emerged as a symbol of resistance and reconciliation.
However resistance to the end of apartheid was fierce. Hardliners within De Klerk's National Party and extremist groups such as the Conservative Party and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging vehemently opposed the transition, fearing loss of power and perceived erosion of Afrikaner culture. Violence, unfortunately, was a by-product of these transitions, culminating in events like the Boipatong massacre in 1992.
South Africa has made substantial strides since the end of apartheid. Political and social equality has improved, and South Africans enjoy a significantly higher degree of civil liberties. However, challenges persist, including economic inequality and lingering racial tension..
The journey of South Africa has been vividly captured in cinema. "Cry Freedom" (1987), featuring Denzel Washington, tells the story of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko and journalist Donald Woods. "Invictus" (2009), with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, portrays Mandela's use of the Rugby World Cup as a unifying force. Both movies were critically acclaimed and well-received by the public, shedding light on the complexities of apartheid.
The Independence of South Africa South Africa's independence from Britain was formalized in 1934, although the country remained a dominion until it was fully sovereign in 1961. However, apartheid, which began in 1948, stifled true independence until its dissolution in 1994.
Overcoming apartheid required widespread domestic resistance and international pressure, including economic sanctions. Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) and other groups played pivotal roles in peaceful protests and armed resistance.
After the African National Congress (ANC) won South Africa’s first democratic elections in April 1994, world-wide jubilation commenced to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s victory.Since apartheid, South Africa has become a beacon of democratic hope in Africa, although it continues to grapple with economic disparities and other societal challenges. The official unemployment rate of 32% is the highest in the world, and the rate for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 is higher than 60%. More than 16 million South Africans – 25% of the country – rely on monthly welfare grants for survival.
South Africa is still the most unequal country in the world in terms of wealth distribution, according to the World Bank, with race a key factor. While the damage of apartheid remains difficult to undo, the ANC is increasingly being blamed for South Africa’s current problems.
In the week leading up to the anniversary, countless South Africans were asked what 30 years of freedom from apartheid meant to them. The dominant response was that while 1994 was a historic moment, it is now overshadowed by the joblessness, violent crime, corruption and near-collapse of basic services such as electricity and water that plagues South Africa in 2024.
Despite all this, the spirit of Ubuntu, a philosophy emphasizing common humanity, remains strong. While we celebrate this historic milestone today, Palestinians meanwhile continue to suffer under the brutal Israeli Apartheid, regime.
Apartheid is a particularly severe form of institutional discrimination and systematic oppression based on race or ethnicity, and is prohibited by international law. While apartheid was coined in relation to South Africa, international treaties, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, UN resolutions, and many countries’ domestic laws define it as a universal legal term that applies globally.
Apartheid is also a crime against humanity, as set out both in the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It consists of three primary elements: An intent to maintain domination by one racial group over another; A context of systematic oppression by the dominant group over the marginalized group; Inhumane acts such as “forcible transfer” and “expropriation of landed property.” Under international law, race and racial discrimination have been interpreted to mean more than skin color or genetic traits.
South Africa's unique history with Apartheid has led it to a position of solidarity with the Palestinians, recognizing similar forms of segregation and oppression. This perspective has even led South Africa to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) under the Genocide Convention regarding acts committed by Israel in its conflict in Gaza, highlighting a shared experience of systemic injustice and the importance of international solidarity. The comparison between the Israeli military actions in tthe Occupied Palestinian Territories and the South African apartheid regime's treatment of black South Africans reveals both similarities and differences,
There can be no room for double standards. Human rights must prevail, demanding justice, accountability, and the dismantling of apartheid in Palestine. like we did in South Africa The world is watching. Denying millions of Palestinians their fundamental rights, solely because they are Palestinian, is a violation of international law, and that reality is becoming more and more clear to much of the international community.
Israel, despite its historical support for the previous South African apartheid regime, always denied the term "Israeli Apartheid", arguing that the situation is fundamentally different from Apartheid South Africa, primarily because the conflict is nationalistic and territorial rather than racial. They point to the Arab citizens of Israel, having the same legal rights as Jewish citizens, including the right to vote and be elected to the Israeli parliament, as evidence against the apartheid analogy.
However Israel's practices in Gaza, similar to the wider Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) have drawn intense scrutiny and criticism, with numerous human rights organizations and experts drawing parallels to apartheid systems. These practices include systemic discrimination, segregation, and policies aimed at controlling and oppressing the Palestinian population. Amnesty International in 2022 highlightted the deep discrimination embedded within Israel's policies towards Palestinians, including home demolitions, forced evictions, and a legal and political system designed to privilege Jewish Israelis at the expense of Palestinians. The organization points to Israel's strategies of fragmentation, dispossession, segregation, and economic deprivation as central to maintaining this system of oppression.
Human Rights Watch's analysis underlines that the crime of Apartheid involves three primary elements: an intent to maintain domination by one racial group over another, systematic oppression by one racial group over another, and inhumane acts carried out pursuant to these policies. It notes that Israeli policies towards Palestinians, including forcible transfer, expropriation of land, and creation of separate reserves, fit within these criteria,The United Nations has also voiced concern, with a UN expert on human rights stating that Israel's 55-year occupation of Palestinian territories constitutes Apartheid.
We must continue to oppose attempts to thwart opposition to Israel’s apartheid regime. The international movement against South African apartheid faced similar attacks, but the end of apartheid in South Africa was made possible by the international community’s continued solidarity.
In Palestine, as in South Africa, it is only right that we stand again alongside the oppressed. We know that, just as before, it will be the courage of those living under apartheid, alongside the efforts of countless activists around the world compelled to act by the force of injustice, that will end apartheid. Palestinians have never stopped demanding their freedom. We must support them: by building a movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people and compelling those in power to act.
The people of the world stand with the students fighting for an end to the funding of Israeli genocide and apartheid at their universities and join them in their firm commitment to a liberated Palestine!
Anyone that has studied the history of South Africa and remembers the anti apartheid movement that rocked college campuses in the 80s knows that this is the beginning of the end for Israel. like it was for apartheid South Africa
Support the resistance and be on the right side of history. Remember how South Africa's Apartheid regime was defeated. Change is possible..Saluting all who fought to end apartheid in South Africa It's time to act. Israel’s racist system of apartheid and the genocide against the Palestinians must end now too! Let our solidarity with the Palestinian people be unbreakable! Free, Free Palestine,
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