Freedom Day - for all?

A google doodle. That is the illustration google puts every day on its opening page. Today I saw a que of people lining up in front of a tent. I had to think twice and still couldn't figure out the meaning.

At first I did not see the South African flag.

So, I clicked and got the explanation. Of course: South Africa celebrates Freedom Day. 21 years after the first democratic election, when people lined up to cast the ballot  - most of them for the first time in their lives.

I must admit, that I saw something else. I saw refugees. Yesterday I passed a tent in Pietermaritzburg. I am not sure, but I think it is a tent where replaced ’foreign nationals’ (as the South African public discourse often names this group) have been offered a temporary place to stay.

The photo is bad. I took it from the car, while passing. 

When I saw laundry and a green toilet next to the tent,
I understood that people actually live there.

On the surface things are going back to normal in South Africa. The xenophobic violence seemingly has stopped. It has calmed down. But what is happening under the surface?

I read criticism about king Zwelithini, who served as a spark, when he made a statement which most people interpreted as pointing a finger to ’foreign nationals’. Mail and Guardian says that he is being given preferential treatment. The Sunday Independent calls him 'the Elephant in the room'.

The ANC admits that South Africa has a challenge. According to IOLNews, the party says:

This freedom day takes place during a difficult time when our nation is reeling from the violent actions of a minority that resulted in the people of our country being wrongfully labelled as xenophobic and hostile and intolerant of our brothers [sic] and citizens from the rest of the African continent

The statement continues:

We must use these tragic events as important lessons as we continue to build a South Africa that protects the rights of all those who live in it and as we balance the grievances of the South African population with the plight of immigrants from the continent and beyond

I hope that people in South Africa make use of this public holiday to revisit the ideolgical foundation for this young democracy, namely the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996)

We, the people of South AfricaRecognise the injustices of our past;

Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;

Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country;

and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.

We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to ­

Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;

Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;

Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and

Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.

May God protect our people.

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso.God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika.