Clement Manyathela sits down with Dr Mavuso Msimang, an ANC veteran, to dive into his life, journey and career.

As South Africa observes Human Rights Day on 21 March, reflecting on the sacrifices made, Manyathela raises an important question:

Do we truly appreciate the rights we now enjoy – rights that Msimang fought for to ensure equality for all South Africans?

Are we fully aware of the lives lost to secure these freedoms that we often take for granted? He also wonders whether younger generations truly understand the sacrifices that made our imperfect democracy possible.

"It's easy to blame young people, and quite honestly, I think part of the ignorance is a consequence of our not telling the story... The racism was raw," says Msimang.

Msimang reflects on the period when the ANC was banned in 1960, explaining that the only options available were either to die or to resist, which meant going underground and taking up arms. 

However, he emphasises that it was never easy for South African groups to overthrow the government through force, as apartheid ensured that Black people were excluded from the military.

"That's why in the end, so many people had to go to exile to learn how to fight," he says.

Ultimately, Msimang believes that it was a combination of international pressure and the defiant actions of South African organisations that brought down the apartheid regime.

"Affirmative action or empowerment was essential, and I think it still is today," he says.

Yet, despite 30 years of democracy, he argues that Black people still 'remain the underdog in all spheres of development'.

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