People must be given the power to take control of their lives and destiny

We have to create a new cultural and lifestyle context where focus is on the victims of inequality

THE theme for this year’s Freedom Day is “Unity in Action” to celebrate the legacy of Oliver Tambo, who played a pivotal role to prepare the ANC to be ready to govern.

Over the past 22 years too much attention has been paid to far too few former liberation Struggle stalwarts who fought for freedom.

But with the attainment of freedom in 1994, it was important to immediately move to the next phase of mental liberation through educational programmes, to empower people with information and knowledge of what freedom means.

This had the potential to empower people to re-imagine themselves and recreate a new future. It would have been the best way to preserve the legacy of men like Tambo, among others.

The people are thankful that they now have a democratic government, whose primarily responsibility and mandate is to eradicate economic inequality, spatial division and lack of social solidarity among the citizens.

Simply put, the exhausted role of former liberation stalwarts who fought for freedom was to establish a democratic government and create an enabling environment for the people to chart the path forward beyond 1994.

Rightfully, all people have a right to enjoy freedom through employment, education, healthy lifestyles, safety and comfort, skills development and opportunities to fulfil their individual potential.

Much as freedom was a great achievement, what has always been lacking was umrabulo – that is, information and education programmes to empower the people on how to claim and assert their freedom and human rights as defined and protected by the constitution – without violence.

It is only when people, especially the disadvantaged, truly understand and know their human rights and the benefits of living in a democratic state that there will be a true measure of the success of the freedom Struggle.

The overthrow of apartheid should have, presumably, levelled off the field to bring an end to economic inequality, spatial divisions, lack of unity and divisions based on prejudice and other stereotypes.

It would seem this promise has not been fulfilled, despite the increase of the black bourgeoisie comprised largely of former liberation Struggle heroes, their families and colleagues, who live off the fat of the land.

They are now the bourgeoisie who enjoy decent and well-paying jobs in government and state-owned enterprises, but also indulge in good food, designer clothes, have children in private schools, one or two cars and can afford Easter holidays despite the economic junk status.

But the fattening of the so-called black middle class with former Struggle heroes does not mean everyone is free to enjoy the benefits of living in a democratic state.

In fact, a society that cannot support the starving masses cannot guarantee the safety of its few fat cats. As Struggle artist Jonas Gwangwa sings, Freedom for some is freedom for none.

To realise the vision of a new caring and proud society, we have to create a new cultural and lifestyle context where the focus is on the victims of inequality that are condemned to joblessness, unemployment and poverty.

We can begin to do this by ensuring that ordinary citizens are informed and educated about their rights and begin to internalise the principles, ideals and values espoused by a man of the calibre of Tambo. These are now enshrined in the constitution.

Rather than indulge in infighting for access to state resources and battling over succession to President Jacob Zuma, it is time leaders and activists channel energies, time and resources to informational umrabulo workshops and educational programmes that teach the citizens of our country about active citizenship to save themselves.

The last 22 years of freedom had seen many former liberation heroes assimilated into the unjust economic status quo that they fought against.

In fact, they are now perceived as guardians of economic inequality and social injustice, except for the new rhetoric on radical economic transformation.

But assimilation or co-option is, of course, totally unacceptable in a democratic political environment where the majority continue to be assaulted, exploited and dispossessed.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the bloodily tragic events of Marikana in North West, where almost 50 mine workers were brutally killed almost five years ago.

Over the last few months, we have witnessed deep rumbles of anger and impatience that have unleashed an unending series of protest marches.

This means the contribution and value of former Struggle heroes like Tambo is now questioned.

The cry is to explain what freedom means when there has been no radical economic transformation except for a handful of black economic enrichment beneficiaries.

The ways in which many people who fought for freedom now act in complicity with the existing unjust economic structures and status quo has been brought to the fore.

The new war cry is against what is called “white monopoly capital” (WMC).

There are far too few former freedom fighters who are responding to these crises to demand the implementation of what Tambo lived and died for: economic equality and social justice. We are the most unequal society on Earth.

If it is not too much to ask, the focus should rightfully be to empower folks with information and knowledge to know, claim and assert their human rights. Somebody needs to explain “radical economic transformation” and WMC concepts, for instance.

Most people will agree that we have to promote the legacy of Tambo. In fact, his ideals should shape our attitude, behaviour and conduct towards ourselves and others.

Some detractors of the ANC now want to suggest that we view the role and contribution of Tambo, for example, as suspect because leading ANC figures have become part of WMC through black economic self-enrichment. But this is betrayal of what the man stood for.

Tambo gave his life not to protect narrow capitalist interests or justify being part of a history that the Struggle fought against.

The rightful beneficiaries of the freedom Struggle need to be an informed and knowledge-based class of people – comprising the youth, women, people with disabilities, the diseased, unemployed, hungry and naked and the homeless.

They must fully understand their rights as fought for by the liberation movement and defined by people like Tambo and Chris Hani, among others.

Above all, they need to know their responsibilities as active citizens.

To get to that level, the government should take it easy on portraying the celebration of Freedom Day as a political partisan programme of the ANC. Instead, it should unite all the people beyond political creed or affiliation.

Often those who stay away from Freedom Day celebrations or resort to violence do so simply because they neither embrace the way the ANC does things nor understand the systems that work to their advantage to express their dissatisfaction. This development is enough to make a man like Tambo turn in his grave.

Increasingly, the people are refusing to be cowed and intimidated by those who are perceived as having failed the vision of Tambo by being co-opted into an inherently unjust economic system.

What makes things worse is the lack of educational programmes to empower the people with relevant information and skills. The people who are rightful heirs to Tambo’s vision have chosen to take the Struggle to new heights to make practical his ideals.

What is required is intellectual transformation to open their minds to what they can get the state and its apparatchiks do for them through constitutional and legal means. It is difficult to imagine people who will understand and appreciate true freedom if they have neither the information nor the knowledge of what their rights are.

Indeed, we may have to break out of this culture of glorifying the late Tambo or Chris Hani, for instance, when their people are still trapped in ignorance.

Both Tambo and Hani died for this freedom. It is time it became visible.

This constitutional democracy is considered the best in the world. In fact, it is the bedrock of people’s power not only to directly elect their own leaders but to demand that they be servants accountable to the people.

It is the historical role and mission of those in power – especially government officials – to provide, by any means necessary, everything that is in the constitution: right to life, houses, schools, clinics, meals and culture, among others. This would make Tambo’s vision visible to the majority.

There can be no freedom without information and knowledge.

Tambo was an educated man, a teacher who was passionate about knowledge and debate.

It is time to set the people free by giving them the power of umrabulo and knowledge to take control of their lives and destiny.

Memela is a Writer, Cultural Critic and Public Servant. He writes in his personal capacity