From the first democratic election to the first ever FIFA World Cup to be played on African soil, South Africa has become the centre of attention since democracy in 1994. As the country celebrates 20 Years of Freedom, Vuk’uzenzele looks at some of the historic moments in the country’s history over the past two decades.
1994: South Africa’s first democratic elections
27 April was a defining moment in the country’s calendar, marking the nation’s first democratic elections. For the first time South Africans of all races were able to cast their vote and have a say in who would govern the country. Following the ANC’s victory in the elections, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected President of South Africa.
1994: National flag adopted
One of the symbolic moments in 1994 was no doubt the adoption of the National Flag.
The horizontal “Y” shaped flag with its red, white, green, yellow, black and blue colours became a symbol of national unity. The occasion marked a new beginning for a nation bruised by years of segregation and inequality. The new flag replaced the one that had been used since 1928.
Over the past two decades, the South African flag has become a regular feature during major events hosted in the country and it can be seen flying at every public building.
1995: The Rugby World Cup
Who can forget the throngs of people at Ellis Park Stadium, who chanted ‘Nelson, Nelson, Nelson’ as former President Mandela entered the stadium to congratulate the Springboks on their victory over New Zealand during the 1995 World Cup final?
It was a unifying moment for South Africa. Black people had a historic dislike for the Springboks, a team they associated with apartheid. But Mandela chose to wear a Springbok jersey and cap on that day to foster unity and reconciliation among South Africans of all race groups. It was a classic moment that will remain in the minds of many South Africans for years to come.
Mandela and Springbok captain Francois Pienaar’s involvement in the World Cup is the subject of the 2009 film Invictus.
1996: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
It was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of 1996 that made many of us realise that the truth really hurts. But as hurtful as it was, it was probably the process of the TRC that truly made South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy a unique experience, one that remains the model of the continent of Africa to this day.
The TRC was based on the final clause of the Interim Constitution of 1993 and passed in Parliament as the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act, No 34 of 1995. It was set up by the Government of National Unity to help deal with what happened under apartheid. Even though the injustices of the past could not be undone; even though families had lost loved ones, it was felt that the only way to heal as a country was to confront the past, ugly as it was. The TRC provided healing for a nation wounded by years of conflict and exploitation.
1996: Sporting victories
That same year, South Africa shone on the sports front with Bafana Bafana winning the African Cup of Nations tournament, which the country hosted.
Penny Heyns also won both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the Atlanta Olympic Games. It was the first time democratic South Africa participated in the Olympics and Heyns’ performance in the pool made her the country’s first post-apartheid Olympic gold medallist. On the track, Josia Thugwane also did the country proud by winning a gold medal at his first attempt. Thugwane won the gold medal in the marathon becoming the first black athlete to earn an Olympic gold for South Africa.
President Mandela announced 2 June as the date for South Africa’s second democratic election, a vote that marked his retirement from office. Thabo Mbeki became South Africa’s second democratically elected President. The Democratic Party became the largest opposition party, after being the 5th largest party in the 1994 elections and the number of parties represented in the National Assembly increased to 13.
On 27 April a new Coat of Arms was introduced. The motto, !ke e: /xarra //keis, is written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people and translates literally to “diverse people unite”. The new Coat of Arms replaced the one that served South Africa since 17 September 1910. The change reflected government’s aim to highlight the democratic change in South Africa and a new sense of patriotism.
The Hector Pieterson Museum is named after one of the first casualties of the march through Soweto on 16 June 1976, when police shot at demonstrating students. Pieterson was only 13 years old when he was shot dead by police.
The 2003 International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. This edition of the World Cup was the first to be played on African soil. In the final, Australia made 359 runs for the loss of two wickets - the largest ever total in a final – defeating India by 125 runs.
2004: Charlize Theron wins an Oscar
The Springboks won the Rugby World Cup for the second time, beating England (15-6) in final at the Stade France in Paris.
South Africa was selected for the fi time as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2007/08.
Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday also marked the inaugural Mandela Day. After the success of this first Mandela Day, the United Nations adopted it as a day for global humanitarian action, calling it Nelson Mandela International Day.
South Africans voted for the 4th time in 2009 general elections and Jacob Zuma was elected President.
On June 11, the FIFA World Cup kicked off at the packed Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, with hosts South Africa taking on Mexico. South Africa got its continent’s first World Cup off to a thrilling start by scoring the tournament’s opening goal in a spirited 1-1 draw with Mexico. Approximately 85 000 spectators attended the match, while millions more watched on public viewing screens all over the country.
South Africa conducted its third census. In October 2012, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the results of its 2011 census, the third official census since the advent of democracy. It revealed that between the first and the third post-apartheid census, the population grew by just over 11 million to 51.7 million and 79.6 per cent of the population is black.
On 25 May, members of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Organisation announced that the SKA telescope would be split between Africa and Australia, with a majority share of the telescope destined to be built in South Africa. All the dishes and the mid frequency aperture arrays for Phase II of the SKA will be built in Southern Africa.
That same year, South Africa was formally invited to become the fifth member of BRIC, the acronym for the association of four major emerging national economies including Brazil, Russia, India and China. With the addition of South Africa, the bloc expanded its name to BRICS.
South Africa hosted the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, for the second time after the original host Libya was stripped of its hosting rights due to the Libyan civil war. It was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations the football championship of Africa organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF)
A sad day in the history of South Africa and the world, 5 December, as South Africa’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela passed away. He was buried in Qunu in the Eastern Cape on 15 December 2013.
South Africa held its 5th democratic election on 7 May, as the country marked 20 years of Freedom. The election, which saw the ANC emerge victorious, was declared free and fair. Jacob Zuma was elected President for the second time and was inaugurated on in front of thousands of well wishers at the Unions Buildings on 24 May.
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