South Africa Marks 20 Years of Freedom

South Africa marked 20 years of multi-racial democracy on Sunday, still feeling the loss of Nelson Mandela, with President Jacob Zuma, advising them to guide the freedom jealously.

The celebrations is coming 10 days before elections which are expected to keep the African National

Congress (ANC) party in power.

Sunday’s celebrations held a special poignancy as this is the first “Freedom Day” since the passing of Mandela, the anti-apartheid icon who died in December at the age of 95.

His name was evoked several times by South Africa’s current president, Jacob Zuma, during a ceremony attended by around 5,000 people under bright autumn skies outside of the ornate Union Buildings, the seat of government.

“Our country continues to contribute to building a better Africa and a better world, building on Madiba’s legacy,” Zuma said, referring to Mandela by his clan name.

The ANC under Zuma has seen its star fade since the heady days of the liberation struggle against white domination and the one term in office served by Mandela, who devoted his formidable charisma and charm to the cause of racial reconciliation.

A cartoon in the Sunday Independent newspaper depicted a black female voter happily putting a check mark on Mandela’s picture in 1994 next to the letters ANC. In 2014, the same woman angrily marks an X over Zuma’s picture.

Critics say graft is widespread and that many ANC politicians are more interested in self-enrichment than service.

“For most South Africans things are not as clear as they were back in 1994,” the Sunday World newspaper, which has a mostly black readership, said in an editorial.

“Now we face the cold hard facts of corruption, condescension and naked contempt from those in power.”

Zuma himself is in the spotlight because of security renovations worth over $20 million that were made on his private rural homestead which included a chicken run and swimming pool.

South Africa’s top anti-graft watchdog, the public protector, said in a report last month that Zuma should pay back some of the money spent on the upgrade.