ANC's 'better life for all' mantra remains a pipedream

ON JUNE 26, 1955, the Freedom Charter was adopted in Kliptown, Soweto, in Johannesburg. This document envisioned a free South Africa post-apartheid. It gave hope of a better future where people's dignity would be restored, and racial stratification be a thing of the past. This gave hope for a better life for all South Africans. Of the 10 clauses in the Freedom Charter as the focal points, a few stood out and have been ventilated over the years.

- PROF BHEKI MNGOMEZULU

The first clause stated that “the people shall govern”. This assumed that a government of the people would be constituted, not the apartheid government which represented a white minority. The fourth promise was that “the land shall be shared among those who work it”. Implicit in this vision was that the black majority who tilled the land would own it.

The eighth clause stated that “the doors of learning and culture shall be opened”. This brought a glimmer of hope to the students. There were other promises of the sharing of the country’s wealth and assurance that all racial groups would have equal rights.

It has been 70 years since the adoption of the Freedom Charter. This happens at a time when the ANC is no longer the governing party but is part of a multiparty coalition government following its failure to obtain the required fifty-plus-one threshold in the 2024 general election.

However, the ANC has led South Africa during the first six administrations since 1994. As such, it had enough time to implement the promises of the Freedom Charter.

Five questions arise. The first is: How far have the promises of the Freedom Charter been achieved under the ANC government? Secondly, to what extent have opposition political parties held the ANC accountable so that it could deliver on the promises contained in the Freedom Charter?