Thirty Years Ago I Voted In The First All-Race Election In South Africa

This is a very special day indeed: 30 years ago, this morning I was in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The morning was bright and sunny. There was not a cloud in the sky. I was sharing a very humble lower middle-class apartment with two other men. I was very poor. I did not own a car. A most unusual thing happened. A three-series BMW pulled up in front of my apartment building. A captain in the South African army came to my door and knocked. He introduced himself. He told me that he had been sent by the African National Congress to take me to vote in South Africa’s first all-race election. I left and got in the captain’s car. We drove several miles to the polling place. Tanks and armored cars were everywhere. Soldiers could be seen with assault rifles. Clearly those in power were expecting the worst. When we got to the polling place, I went in with the captain. I presented my South African Identity Book for Life. The female election clerk told me that I could not vote because I was not a citizen. The army captain assumed a very authoritarian pose. He instructed the lady to let me vote. I was given a paper ballot. I was told where to write out my vote and leave it for counting. The ballot was on a large sheet of white paper. Many first-time voters could not read and write. There were pictures of each candidate. I made my selection of candidates and deposited my ballot. The army captain drove me to my workplace. We all tried to act as if it was just another day at work. Secretly we were all frightened that a civil war would erupt with incredible violence. Sadly, a couple of bombs did go off. There were a couple of isolated shootings. Overall things went quite well. The polls closed all over South Africa at 7:00 that evening. By 10:00 PM, all votes had been counted. Nelson Mandela was officially declared to be State President of South Africa. I spent 5 years of my life in South Africa. Despite all the social problems there, I can assure you that if you live there, you will have an incredible social life. There always seems to be something to do or someone to go see. A wild party erupted nationwide. People were up all night long rejoicing and giving thanks that the election had gone smoothly. The most touching moment that night came when an African woman was interviewed on television. She said these simple and profound words: “Finally they are going to start treating us like adults and stop treating us like children.” Thirty years later I treasure the memory of that day and the small part that a played in a momentous moment in history. The constitution that Nelson Mandela wrote still exists and it basically works. Elections happen regularly. There is always a peaceful transition of power. People’s rights and property are protected. Sadly, Nelson Mandela’s dream of making life better for the poor of South Africa has not been achieved. There is still massive unemployment and poverty. In some areas there is a very high crime rate. Government corruption is a way of life. Long before the election a South African writer named Alan Paton wrote a literary classic: “Cry The Beloved Land.” I will leave you to reflect on those words.