South Africa celebrates 20 years of end of apartheid

Pretoria, Sunday.  South Africa today celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first ever all-race, democratic election that ended decades of sanctioned racial oppression under the apartheid system.

The day was set to be marked by street parades, speeches, prayers, music and military salutes and displays.

President Jacob Zuma leads the main festivities at the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria, where generations of apartheid leaders penned many of the racial laws that South Africa’s first black leader Nelson Mandela fought most of his life.

After the historic April 27, 1994, the day has been retained as a holiday and named Freedom Day.

For many South Africans it brings back sweet memories of the euphoria as black, Indian and mixed race voters stood in long meandering lines -- alongside whites -- to cast their first ballots.

Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu said the day felt like “falling in love”.

FW de Klerk, apartheid South Africa’s last president, described the day as “our proudest moment as South Africans”. But 20 years on, the euphoria has died down and the country is counting both the gains and failures of the democratic era.

South Africa boasts among other things, one of the strongest constitutions in the world, an independent judiciary and is probably the most developed country on the continent.

But the successes are tainted by mismanagement and high level corruption blamed largely on the ANC-led administration.

Seen as a moral beacon of South Africa Tutu has described the two decades of freedom in South Africa as a “heck of an achievement”, but vows not to vote for the ANC in the upcoming polls.

This year’s anniversary of democracy coincides with South Africa’s fifth democratic election on May 7 where voters will cast ballots in a fiercely fought contest. (AFP)