COMMEMORATING 20 YEARS OF DEMOCRACYOn 27 April 1994, South Africa put aside centuries of discrimination and oppression to form a new society built on the foundations of freedom and democracy. The last 20 years of freedom have made it possible to stand together and start building a country that belongs to all who live in it. President Jacob Zuma has said that South Africa is a much better place to live than it was in 1994 (quoting theguardian .com, 2014). The year twenty-fourteen offers society the opportunity to rejoice in the successes that the country has passed on. This essay serves to clarify how the country has progressed in achieving the goals set in 1994, such as education, health system, transformation, economic growth and sustainability. However, one must never forget that the road to democracy was not easy, as South Africa was colonized by the British government after 1948 responsible for the apartheid rule, said Davenport (2007:36). Society did not have equal rights and the law favored the white minority. Black people were systematically deprived of their basic human rights, including the right to vote. The company had to carry documents with them that were used to control where they lived and where they could work. Apartheid denied Africans the opportunity to open their own businesses. Most people were not given access to basic municipal services such as clean water and sanitation. Health services were limited, with inadequate facilities and a shortage of health workers and medical providers. No black students were admitted to private universities and schools. South Africa's democrats inherited a racially diverse education system and differentiated education departments to also accommodate disabled people...... middle of paper ...... thefts of our young nation. It is also part of the country's roadmap to work for the next 20 years. This 20-year commemoration is also a tribute to a fallen hero who was the first president of a democratic South Africa.REFERENCEDavenport, TRH, 2007, South Africa: a modern History, California: Macmillan, 36Grant Thornton International Business Report-Q3:2013Jonathan D , Jansen, Yusurf Sayed, 2001, Implementing Education Systems: The South African Experience, Cape Town, Juta and Company, 2001:74National Treasury, (2013). “Budget Review”Owen Gibson, 2013, The Guardian, Tuesday 18 March Jonisayi Maromo, Mail&Gurdian, 27 April Statistics South Africa, (2012). Statistical publication “Census, 2011”, Po3014.South Africa History online: Freedom Day: 27 April (online), accessed January 2014. Available from http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/freedom-day-27 -April.