It marked the climax of decades of resistance and armed defiance against the oppressive grip of racist white-minority rule. Back then, though I was too young to cast my vote, I vividly recall the significance of the occasion. Election officials permitted me to mark my finger with ink—a symbol of the newfound freedom for my mother and the marginalized black majority to shape their own destiny.
In the days leading up to the polls, tension hung thick in the air, especially in Kwa-Thema, the township east of Johannesburg where I resided. The scent of tear gas wafted through the streets, armored military vehicles patrolled relentlessly, and the distant crackle of gunshots pierced the night.
On the eve of the election, as my friends and I played hopscotch, a white truck emblazoned with National Party insignia arrived, laden with merchandise. This party, which had enforced apartheid since 1948, distributed T-shirts, balls, and flags to us children. Yet, our elation was short-lived. Anti-apartheid activists swiftly intervened, seizing the items and imparting a stern lesson: never accept gifts from the oppressor.
As dawn broke on voting day, an eerie calm settled over the neighborhood. The polling station, situated opposite our dwelling at a teacher’s college, was adorned with blue and white “peace” flags. Political agents canvassed tirelessly, urging citizens to exercise their newfound right. Queues snaked for miles, a diverse throng of young and old raising their fists in solidarity, chanting “sikhululekile”—”we are free” in Zulu.
And indeed, a sense of liberation permeated the atmosphere. No longer did I feel the need to glance over my shoulder or cower in fear at the sight of white policemen on horseback. While the specter of apartheid’s savage hounds, employed by the police, still lingered in my subconscious, the streets of Soweto’s Orlando West neighborhood bore witness to the triumphs of the struggle for freedom. Vilakazi Street, adorned with historic significance as the former residences of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, now thrived with a burgeoning tourism industry.
Sakhumzi Maqubela, proprietor of a renowned restaurant on Vilakazi Street, attested to its transformation: “Tourism has breathed new life into Vilakazi Street. Witnessing visitors marvel at South Africa’s progress inspired me to venture into the culinary scene.”