Foreword
by Cuan Elgin
“Freedom!”
This is a cry which has echoed down through the centuries,
in various forms: Freedom from slavery. Freedom from oppres-
sion. Freedom from exploitation. Freedom from unjust laws and
unjust taxes. Freedom from … etc.
It is also a cry which has been expressed in modern times in
various “of” forms: Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Associa-
tion. Freedom of Religion etc.
Many South Africans suffered greatly under Apartheid. This was
a system of laws which, to a large extent, restricted freedom
of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of association, etc., for a large portion of the population; officially for some
40 years, until 1990, by which time virtually all those oppressive
laws had been scrapped.
Then came “freedom” in the form of a new, fully democratically
elected government. The promise was of a new dawn, in which
all citizens of the Beloved Country would experience “freedom”:
discrimination and oppression would be “a thing of the past”.
Sadly, the reality today is far removed from that ideal. The
minorities of this country find themselves not just marginal-
ised, but actively discriminated against by a corrupt, inept and blatantly racist regime. A slew of race-based laws are being enforced, and the Western Cape Province—in particular—finds
itself in the unenviable situation where it, as the only province
which has managed to remain out of the authoritarian grasp of
the current regime in terms of voting, is still subject to its heavy-
handed rule.
The Western Cape Province’s population is made up largely
of ethnic minorities, who share much of the same culture, lan-
guage and ideals—alien to the country at large—and yet, is
subject to the same, centralised governance that has brought
such poverty, unemployment, mismanagement, corruption and
crime, to the country as a whole. Now, even private property is
under threat by an avaricious and unjust regime.
This is a province which is largely self-sufficient in terms of
agricultural production, manufacturing and the like, and is a
tourism Mecca. The people of the Western Cape wish to free
themselves from the shackles which hold them back from true
freedom, and in this, they can point to many examples of suc-
cessful countries which have, in a peaceful, orderly and demo-
cratic manner, succeeded in doing exactly that.
Is it any wonder then, that the cry of “Freedom!” now echoes
louder and louder, in the Western Cape?
It is an idea whose time has come.
Cuan Elgin, Author of Bulala and Return to the Covenant. Cape of Good Hope.
[email protected]