Museum CEO Says South Africa's 'Freedom Was Not Free' As Country Marks End Of Apartheid

(@FahadShabbir)

Museum CEO Says South Africa's 'Freedom Was Not Free' as Country Marks End of Apartheid

The CEO of Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum in the South African capital of Pretoria, Jane Mufamadi, told Sputnik on Tuesday that the nation's liberation from apartheid on April 27 1994 came with a cost of human sacrifices

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2021) The CEO of Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum in the South African capital of Pretoria, Jane Mufamadi, told Sputnik on Tuesday that the nation's liberation from apartheid on April 27 1994 came with a cost of human sacrifices.

South Africa celebrates Freedom Day annually on April 27, on the day when the first post-apartheid and non-racial democratic elections were held back in 1994. The racial segregation in the country ended with the election of Nelson Mandela as the president.

"It is very important to remind South Africans that our freedom was not free and as you can see we are doing it in a celebratory mode. We have the Tshwane Gospel Choir entertaining and educating us because the songs they are singing today is not just gospel but they were choreographed in remembering struggle stalwart Charlotte Maxeke in line with this year's theme 'The year of Charlotte Maxeke: the Meaning of Freedom under COVID-19,' and also reflecting on our freedom during this time of COVID-19," Mufamadi said.

Charlotte Maxeke is South Africa's struggle icon. She was a human rights activist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and fought against racial oppression.

This year's Freedom Month and Freedom Day commemorations come at a time when the country launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive. The immunization campaign includes three stages, with the first one covering frontline health care staff and the second one essential workers, seniors and people with comorbidities. The country is currently using Johnson & Johnson's vaccine instead of AstraZeneca's, which dropped off the campaign due to efficacy concerns against the South African coronavirus variant.