Mandela was not alone when he made his first vote

At the turn of the 20th century an intrepid and visionary South African intellectual, writer and educator, John Langalibalele Dube, returned to his home in Inanda on the outskirts of Durban after completing a period of formalised mission education at a seminary in the United States. Markedly influenced by the philosophy of Booker T Washington, an African American educationist and orator who had preached the importance of black self-determination and economic self-reliance, Dube was infused with a new political orientation.

On arrival in the Natal colony, Dube worked to establish and grow the African formal education system, seeking to address the question of social upliftment and empowerment of Africans. In a path-breaking move, given the context of systemic oppression, Dube gathers the resources to establish the Ohlange Institute, one of the first formal institutions of learning for black Africans in South Africa. This pioneering institution begins with a primary school which is later extended to the secondary level, that combines practical and academic subjects.

In the same year, Dube forms the Natal Native Congress (NNC), which brings together various regional associations and political groups to form a national organisation that reflects African political aspirations. In 1912, the organisation is rebranded as the African National Congress (ANC), and Dube is declared the first president of a movement that would become one of the most significant organisations for political liberation in African history.  

More than 80 years later, on 27 April 1994, with South Africa’s political landscape undertaking a radical and extraordinary new direction towards democracy, the verdant African township settlement of Inanda instantly captures the world’s gaze. Media personnel, photojournalists, the police and members of the army convene at the Ohlange High School to witness Nelson Mandela casting his vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections. 

Dressed in a cream-coloured, loosely fitted tunic, Mandela is followed up a hill by scores of people to the cemetery behind Ohlange High School. Here, Mandela proceeds to lay a large wreath filled with clusters of white and red flowers at the grave of Dube. Mandela is deeply aware of the symbolic meaning of this act: “This African patriot had helped found the organisation in 1912 and casting my vote near his graveside brought history full circle, for the mission he began 82 years before was about to be achieved.” 

In his memoir Mandela describes standing over Dube’s grave as a profoundly emotional moment that ignites in his mind thoughts of South Africa’s enduring legacy of political resistance. As he sauntered in fine, long strides towards the voting booth he recalls, “My mind dwelt on the heroes who had fallen so that I might be where I was that day, the men and women, who had made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause that was now finally succeeding.”

Mandela entered the doors of the school to cast his vote in private, having been stopped by what he describes as an “irreverent member of the press” who asks him: “Mr Mandela, who are you voting for?” In a razor-sharp, witty response, he replies: “You know I have been agonising over that choice all morning.” He marks an X in the box next to the letters ANC. At 76 years of age and after spending 27 years in incarceration he modestly submits: “I had cast the first vote of my life.”  

As photographers from around the world clamour for the best spot to capture this historic moment, Mandela emerges to re-enact his vote in front of the full glare of the world. With a brief dramatic build-up, Mandela delicately drops his folded ballot paper into a wooden box and with a flick of his wrist raises his right hand and smiles broadly and endearingly to the crowd. Something truly remarkable had just occurred and the whole world could feel it. 

Mandela offers a few remarks to the world stunned by the incredible nature of this moment. “This is for all South Africans an unforgettable occasion. It is the realisation of hopes and dreams that we have cherished over decades. It is the beginning of a new era, we have moved from an era of pessimism, division, limited opportunities, turmoil, and conflict,” he declares.

The sight of thousands of South Africans patiently withstanding the heat and endless queues to cast their ballot for the first time in their lives is one of the most powerful images from South Africa’s political liberation. Despite some logistical difficulties and small moments of election chaos, the overall mood was of pure jubilation. South Africa had triumphed in transitioning to a democratic future that would ensure justice and dignity for all. 

Mandela cites the names of Oliver Tambo, Chris Hani, Albert Luthuli, Bram Fischer, Josiah Gumede, GM Naicker, Dr Abdullah Abdurahman, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Yusuf Dadoo and Moses Kotane. 

“I did not go into that voting station alone on 27 April,” he asserts, “I was casting my vote with all of them.” 

Under apartheid, the majority of South Africans were systematically disenfranchised and denied basic civil and political rights. It took almost a century to reverse this abhorrent condition. As we approach 30 years of democracy with the elections in May this year, the enduring struggle for political freedom and the right to vote should be foremost in our consciousness.

Dr Ayesha Omar is a senior lecturer in political studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and a British Academy International Fellow at SOAS, University of London, working on a new book project on black intellectual history in South Africa. Her book draws from the anti-apartheid archives in South Africa and across the world.