South Africa: The people shall govern

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2024

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

South Africa is marking 30 years of democracy this year, reflecting on the remarkable transition from apartheid that captivated the world. While some South Africans are celebrating, others are questioning whether the promises of democracy have delivered. The BBC’s Nomsa Maseko embarks on a personal journey, starting from the polling station she accompanied her mother to in April 1994, to meet the people who fought for South Africa’s freedom, built its democratic institutions, and are seeking to improve their own lives today. She asks all of them: what does 30 years of democracy mean to you?

Transcript

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0:17.0	Human Rights Day is a public holiday here in South Africa. It used to be known as Sharpeville Day, a massacre that took place in March 1960, where the apartheid regime shot and killed unarmed
0:26.1	black protesters indiscriminately. The day commemorates sacrifices made in the fight for democracy. Here on the streets of Johannesburg,
0:37.0	hundreds of people of all races participated in a walk to remember what it took for the country to get to this point.
0:44.0	And this year was a special one because it's exactly 30 years since the end of
0:49.7	apartheid.
0:51.7	Hello, how are you? I My name's Lombsa from BBC News. Tell me why are you a part of the
0:59.2	march today? Well it is human rights day and it's very easy to just have it as a day off, but I think the Constitution is really important.
1:09.0	And so I came to do the walk to show that I think it's really important.
1:14.0	And with South Africa celebrating 30 years of democracy, what are your thoughts in there?
1:18.0	Well, I think a lot of us are feeling quite disillusioned at this stage. A lot of human rights have not been acknowledged.
1:26.8	There's been a lot of corruption, but yeah, we've got to use those like today to refocus ourselves.
1:32.4	Why are you here today? There are plenty of
1:36.4	prisons but one that stands out right now. There's a lot of basic needs that
1:42.2	are not met.
1:43.0	So one of the biggest demand is access to water.
1:47.0	Look at Melville right now.
1:49.0	People do not have water, and it's been a long time.
1:52.0	That is a violation of the same human rights that
1:56.8	we are working for.
1:57.8	Hello, can I talk to you quickly? What does 30 years of democracy mean to you?
2:04.2	Yeah, it's quite a sensitive one.
2:08.0	As much as we would have hoped that our people would have achieved so much in the 30 years.
	...

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