Unfreedom Day hits at the heart of South Africa’s unfinished democratic project

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On April 25, 2025, thousands of members and supporters from the shack dwellers movement gathered in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to commemorate Unfreedom Day by marching from Curry's Fountain to the Durban City Hall. This event brought together a diverse coalition including street traders, informal settlement residents, fisherfolk, taxi drivers, farm dwellers, and unemployed individuals who presented a memorandum of demands to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The protest serves as a sharp critique of South Africa's unfinished democratic project, asserting that true freedom cannot exist while the working class and marginalized communities continue to suffer under the current government's neglect. The demonstrators argued that the celebration of Freedom Day is hollow without addressing fundamental issues such as land redistribution, housing rights, and access to basic services like water, sanitation, electricity, and refuse collection. They emphasized that freedom is meaningless without economic emancipation, jobs, and dignity, noting that millions of people live in deep poverty within informal settlements with no hope for a better future. The march highlighted the stark inequality within South Africa, where a small elite enjoys prosperity while the majority remains trapped in cycles of deprivation, effectively showing that the country has been divided into two distinct realities rather than being a unified nation. Beyond domestic grievances, the protest placed significant emphasis on international solidarity, particularly with the people of Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. Protesters marched with flags calling for an immediate end to apartheid and genocide, stating that South Africa cannot claim freedom while Palestinians face oppression and killing under the Israeli regime. They recalled the historical role Palestinians played in dismantling South Africa's own apartheid system and declared that the nation remains unfree until liberation is achieved globally, urging the world to continue raising voices against regimes that oppress millions of people. Significantly, this year's commemoration marked two decades of relentless struggle for land, housing, and dignity by the shack dwellers movement. The organizers stressed the importance of keeping the movement owned by the people themselves, ensuring that their voices remain central rather than being led by politicians who seek votes instead of genuine change. By standing openly in public spaces rather than hiding behind shacks or holes, the participants aimed to showcase their strength and demand recognition from the government of national unity. Ultimately, the event sent a clear message that South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world and that true freedom will only be realized when everyone feels it within themselves without needing constant lectures about liberty.

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Today I'm not today. I'm not singing On 25th April 2025, thousands of members and supporters of the shack dwellers movement ablasim jeano marched through the streets of Durban Quazulu Natal to commemorate an freedom day. Street traders, hostile dwellers, fisher folk, taxi drivers, farm dwellers, unemployed [music] people and more marched from Curry's fountain to the Durban city hall [music] where a memorandum of demands was handed over to the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs. Abatan freedom day is a sharp critique that [music] hits at the heart of South Africa's unfinished democratic project. So we are saying today as a progressive forces from the left of this country we have to use this day as the day the country celebrating the freedom of this country. We are saying we cannot the land issue [screaming] after the regime. So we are here today. It's very important that we put the masses together and make sure the GU government that people of South Africa are tired for not being sist themselves in the we are here to say that people who live in the poor and marginalized particularly the working class continue to suffer under this government in the informal settlement we don't have in the house more people in this government we are saying that we are denounce All right. City freedom. service. Amen. Everyone [laughter] [screaming] We are marching because an freedom day for all citizens of South Africa free Panistan. We are marching for we are marching for right. We are marching for dignity is to >> they have not delivered. They have not delivered a democracy that people are waiting for. We stand together as one nation as one community throughout German throughout the province. Solidarity with the people of Palestine and the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were central to this year's unfreedom day actions with protesters marching with flags [music] calling for an immediate end to apartate and genocide. >> Today is very important to us as we going to embark in the [screaming] declaring the heart of people as we are saying this country is not free. We are saying even if we cannot be free if people of Palestine are still facing those things. And then we are saying today the people of GC of Congo is not to the citizens of Congo. saying we cannot before system the chemical system millions of people that are making. So we are saying today we also call those saying we are in solidarity with people of people of people of Sudan. Today we are saying that also going to be their hearts to say we are with the congress in Palestine. We were in solidarity with Congress in the Democratic who continue to serve under the United States of America comes and take our mining that the people of Palestine are not free not free. [screaming] We are still not free. We will always remember the role the Palestinians have played in our democracy and freedom from the apartheid system of South Africa that we were suffering under. So we cannot be free while Palestine is not free and we call upon the world's people to continue to raise their voices against the Zionist and against the Israeli regime that is oppressing and killing mill thousands of of Palestinians. On 27th April, Abatali also held rallies in Suetto's Mountain View occupation [music] and in Pumalanga's Enanini occupation. Comrades here in Suetto in Janisburg, the Republic of South Africa reject freedom. They are here today to denounce freedom and say what can we make of freedom without land, without descent housing, without access to basic services such as water sanitation, electricity, refuge collection and road access. what kind of freedom is without jobs and without economic emancipation. So we are here today to mourn uh what is to be um a freedom day and we are saying pancy f say freedom py until we are free until there is a huru until everyone feels freedom within ourselves instead of being lectured out and be told about freedom. So we are sending a clear message to the government of national unity in South Africa to the country and the world that South Africa remains one of the most unequal society in the world. Uh people are living in deep poverty in shock set agreements they are without jobs. They are without hope for a better future. This is show that the other side of South Africa in South Africa has been made poor. We hear that there is a symptom but we can't uh we can't say there is a South Africa that's why we just come here to to to to come together as the pure people of South Africa living is an organization that is fighting for people because at the end of the day we find that politicians are not fighting for us what they want is for us to vote for them. So the significance of this unfreedom and the 20th that is going to be celebrated for by avatar is for us to show to showcase that we are there and we are not hiding h behind shacks or behind holes that they put us on. So we standing here for our voices. We want them to notice to feel our might. Significantly, this year Abatali commemorates 20 years of relentless struggle [music] for land, housing and dignity. [screaming] We pray to still organizing to ensure that the movement is owned by the people that people their voices are [screaming] in our movement and our people are the ones who are stewards and also to um uh place the power in our so we've managed to sustain the movement because our power of the people from is what counts the most in our movement. away. I'm going to let go. >> [singing]