Issued by: Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology
FREEDOM DAY, 27 APRIL 1998
Every year on 27 april South Africans celebrate Freedom Day. Freedom Day festivities will be held this year in each of the nine provinces under a common national theme, "Unity, Peace and Prosperity."
It has become tradition that each province is given the opportunity to host national Freedom Day celebrations. This national holiday provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of South Africa. This year, all provinces will highlight the artistic and cultural heritage of their particular region while the main focus will fall on the Western Cape where the President will be present.
President Mandela will make an address from the balcony of the City Hall in Cape town at the Grand Parade, a site of considerable historical significance as it is the same venue from which he addressed a welcome rally after his release from Victor Verster Prison on 11 February 1990.
The President will be joined by Cabinet Ministers, provincial government leaders and a range of other dignitaries. A programme of cultural festivities has been organised at the Grand Parade to commemorate this holiday to which the public is invited. The festivities will commence with a performance by the Cape Town band the Rockets and during the morning, there will be a procession of amongst others, brass bands, youth groups, Christmas bands and Malay Choirs. A plaque commemorating President Mandela's historic speech at the City Hall in 1990, will be unveiled during the ceremony and there will also be a flypast of an airliner organised by SAA and helicopters belonging to the SANDF. Once the formal part of the programme is completed, festivities continue in the afternoon with a concert including choirs, gumboot dancers, magicians and other local Cape Town bands.
For more information concerning Freedom Day celebrations please contact Andile Xaba at tel. (012) 314-6313/6497 or Fax (012) 323-0165 or Mack Lewele at tel. (012) 314-6173/6497 or Deon van Tonder (012) 314-6122/6497.
Details about the festivities taking place in each province are obtainable from the following provincial offices:
Eastern Cape; (0433) 34986 Gauteng: (011) 355-2500 Mpumalanga: (013) 755-1150 Northern Cape: (0531) 34353 Western Cape: (021) 483-3186 Free State: (051) 403-3080/1 KwaZulu/Natal: (0358) 874 3433 North West: (0140) 87-3493 Northern Province: (0152) 295-9052