News24.com | Oscar van Heerden | In saying farewell to my mother, I am reminded of the importance of Freedom Day

Following the death of his mother, Oscar van Heerden reminisces about her life, and is reminded of the significance of celebrating Freedom Day.

It was a sad day at the Van Heerden's home on the fateful evening of 28 April 2023. It was the day my mother died quietly in her bed. She had been suffering from emphysema, a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness, due to excessive smoking. She was my rock, my biggest admirer and confidante - and, now, she was no more. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

Naturally, I found myself reminiscing about her life and the many trials and tribulations I had caused her over the years. Police raids of our home during the '80s, my arrests, and so much more. My mother constantly panicking about my whereabouts during the 'black on black' violence on the Vaal and in the North where I was studying at Turfloop in the early '90s. Those were indeed the heydays of apartheid, but the thoughts that overwhelmed me on this sad day were what had happened the previous day on 27 April, 29 years prior.

As a student activist, having been involved in the noble and honourable pursuit of ending the heinous crime against humanity - apartheid - I found myself applying my craft in an organisation that now concerned itself with the freedom of the media, speech and association. The student organisation was the South African Student Press Union (SASPU).

Making a contribution

The head office was located on the West campus of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). The core objective of which was to ensure that students at institutions of higher learning would become 'de facto' media activists. Activists from the various student newspapers on campuses, as well as student radio stations, were trained in the art of journalism, writing skills, investigative traits, disc jockeying and technical skills of telecommunications, satellite functioning, and so much more. It was exciting work.

A few months prior to our first democratic elections in South Africa, we received a phone call at our head office. It was from Shell House, the headquarters of the African National Congress in 1994, inquiring whether SASPU could please avail five comrades to come and assist at the ANC elections nerve centre until after the elections were concluded. The centre would be located at the Carlton Hotel in downtown Johannesburg.

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Naturally, we were excited at the prospect of making our little contribution to such a historic moment. We agreed and promptly decided that the five individuals would be, JP Louw, Lutske Newton, Blessing Manale, Mpho Mosimane and myself.

The job meant executing the media and communications strategy in the run-up, during and after the 1994 elections. We were in the presence of giants in the anti-apartheid struggle, often engaging in meetings involving Nelson Mandela and other Rivonia trialists, Pallo Jordan, Jesse Duarte, Ronnie Mamoepa and, at that time, a rather disciplined Carl Niehaus around strategy, messaging and media briefings.

We had to keep Reuters in the loop and ensure that the messaging on the SAPA wire was carefully crafted. We had to contend at one point and respond to the bombing downtown, not far from the ANC HQ building, which injured dozens of people.

Car bomb 

At the time, the Los Angeles Times reported that a massive car bomb had exploded, leaving nine people dead and about 100 injured, just two days before the tense nation went to the polls in its first free and democratic elections. Shortly after that, on elections day, a bomb was detonated at then Jan Smuts International Airport (OR Tambo International), injuring dozens of people as well.

It was set off by extreme rightwing elements, who disagreed with the 'winds of change' sweeping through our beloved country.

All this also notwithstanding that a month prior, on my birthday, 28 March, the Inkatha Freedom Party supporters marched to Shell House to protest against the 1994 elections and in no small measure also to intimidate the ANC and its supporters. Needless to say, this, too, ended in bloodshed, with 19 people from the IFP dying after ANC staff opened fire at the advancing crowd. In short, at the ANC elections nerve centre, we had our work cut out.

On one of the evenings during the elections, which, as you may recall, had to be extended due to the very long queues of our people wanting to exercise that elusive right denied for centuries, their right to vote, the five of us had just returned home to Berea Hillbrow in the early hours. Suddenly, our bleepers made that annoying sound again. The message read, "Come back now. Trouble in KZN".

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We had to get dressed again, grab something to eat, and make our way back to the Carlton Hotel. Upon arriving, the place was abuzz. It seems everyone was recalled back to the centre.

Mandela and others were briefed about the situation.

"What’s going on," I inquired of Ronnie Mamoepa.

"We have evidence of the IFP stuffing ballot boxes in and around KZN, photographic evidence and first witness accounts," he said.

Blow by blow account 

"This will certainly disqualify them from the elections. We are preparing to make representation to Judge Kriegler (head of the IEC) and state our case. You guys must get the media briefing under way, prepare statements in this regard and begin to write stories for the tabloids and radio stations."

We sprang into action.

It was a few hours later that the three men would return with morbid-looking faces. Evidently, the excitement of earlier this morning was gone. I waited for the right moment and again approached Ronnie to ask what was going on and why everything had been halted.

He gave me a blow-by-blow account of their encounter with the judge. He said: "We stated our case, gave him the evidence and demanded that considered action be taken. 'There has to be consequence management, Judge'."

While Ronnie was speaking, the judge lit his pipe, took a few deep puffs, and bent over to reach for his leather satchel bag, from which he pulled a file.

"Gentlemen," the judge remarked, "I have here a file in which ANC supporters are engaged in similar misdemeanours throughout the country as well.

"You would agree that this is a rather historic moment in our country's history. I mean, the first democratic elections ever. IT WILL BE FREE AND FAIR. Wouldn't you agree, gentlemen?"

We had to leave with our tails between our legs and agree with the inescapable reality of the significance of the historic moment, there is simply no room for silly politicking. It was the surest indication that leadership is what was required at seminal moments during transition. Whether it was the talks about talks, the CODESA moment or indeed the assassination of a great leader such as Chris Hani.

Leadership is such a scarce commodity these days when, in fact, we had such an abundance of it during such a critical period in our country. Kudos to Judge Kriegler for his foresight and fortitude during that difficult moments.

Perhaps when we recall all these dark days and what we all had to endure for our freedom during the anti-apartheid struggle, it makes us all realise the importance of leadership and taking difficult and unpopular decisions to advance a particular objective. Our people must be led.

It's funny that, as I say my final farewell to my mother, I should be reminded of the significance of celebrating our Freedom Day and remember the sacrifices to be had all round. I remember telling her of the request from the ANC that her son would be part of a small part of history in 1994, to which she simply replied: "Well done, my son, just don't embarrass the family."

Farewell, Yvonne Cecilia Smith.  

- Dr Oscar van Heerden is a scholar of international relations (IR), where he focuses on international political economy, with an emphasis on Africa, and SADC in particular.

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