It’s 27 April 2008. It is a special day in South Africa’s history because it is Freedom Day. A day that should be considered to be the birthday of this country, as it was on this day back in 1994 that the whole country had a free voice for the first time.

We have so much to be grateful for, but mostly we have to remember that it took the special character of South Africans to sit down, and come up with a plan that would take this country and all its people forward into the next century. They sat at a table; they agreed and disagreed with each other, but eventually stood side by side shaking hands to seal a pact that although it will be a hard road, we will work at making the country a better place for all.

There was no war. There were battles won and lost on both sides of the political divide, but dialogue was the biggest overall winner, and basis from which we as people need to build this country.

I wrote a post for SA Rocks last week, fantasizing about what we could come up with as a people; idea’s that we could take forward into the future; idea’s that we can easily come up with ourselves without having to wait for handouts from the powers that be on the day; and I continue to think that it would be the most exciting forum for ideas. Be they wacky and weird (www 20 years ago…?), or simple and brilliant (how much has a Kreepy Krawly changed in 30 years?) we need inspirational people to come up with inspirational ideas!

But, today is our birthday. It’s a celebration of 14 years of democracy – not just in the political sense, but us, as a people. So many have stood up both nationally and internationally, proud to be counted and acknowledged as South Africans, but I wouldn’t do justice to the people I leave out if I tried to make a listing.

Most importantly, South Africa has produced you Peak’les. You don’t all look the same, you don’t all think the same and you don’t all speak the same. But I think it should be remembered that we all just want the same. Opportunity to be able to better ourselves enough to secure a safe and prosperous future for our children.

So celebrate South Africa. We have the custody of this teenager and we need to make sure that we get through these years without falling into the dangerous pitfalls that we all know can make the best of us stumble and fall. Sometimes tough love is necessary, but there has to be a basis for love, to allow an adult to develop that we can all be proud of.

Instead of blowing out all the freedom candles and chucking them, keep them for a few romantic candle-lit evenings this week – it’s better than being blinded by power!

I still regard this speech by Thabo Mbeki, made back in May 1996, as being a brilliant summation of who we are as South Africans, and Africans. Listen to him as a man who speaks as a man, and not a politician, and you will hear the words of any one of us who love this country. Happy Freedom Day South Africa. Live long, and live beautifully.