August 3 at Parliament

On Friday, August 3^rd, Haru, Wandile and I went to parliament to meet two friends who work there, Sipho and Ernestine. Inside the parliament building, we visited the House of Assembly, the Chamber of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), and the Chamber of the National Assembly (NA). A story Ernestine told about the Chamber of the NA especially impressed me. When she first began working at Parliament three years ago, she was assigned to usher for a National Assembly session. In these chambers, the majority party sits on one side of the room and the opposing parties sit on the other. The balcony level is reserved for the general public. As an usher, Ernestine waited outside during the proceedings. Standing in the quiet halls, waiting for the meeting to end, she began hearing, what was at first a chorus of a few individuals, turn into a groundswell of noise resonating from the entire chamber inside. The doors opened and a wave of sound and color hit her as the black South African delegates—many dressed in their best traditional African clothing—of the majority party, the African National Congress (ANC), poured out of the room. Joyfully, they sang and danced as they left the chambers. Ernestine could also see from her position that the minority party, all white men who had been the ruling elite prior to 1994, standing still and silent, watching the scene before them somberly. Above this was the public, some singing and dancing along with the new ruling party and some quietly looking down, empathizing with the minority. Experiencing this entire situation, Ernestine could not help but feel overwhelmed with pride for her country and her fellow countrymen. Being in South Africa now, 13 years after apartheid, I see many things that still need to change in the country. Yet, hearing stories such as Ernestine's and speaking with so many hopeful youth, I see a great future in South Africa. The people emerged from the apartheid system, not defeated, but triumphant, ready to build a real country.
- Emily Haghighi