By Debashine Thangevelo
Freedom Day on Tuesday will mark 10 years of democracy in South Africa. What do well-known figures have to say about this important day?
Catherine Mace, the well-known playwright and actress currently appearing in Stitch at the KwaSuka Theatre in Durban, says she'll be chilling out in the company of good friends on Freedom Day.
"I'm basically a homebody, so on Freedom Day I'll probably be doing what I normally do - spending time with like-minded friends and listening to music.
"However, I will certainly celebrate the fact that I have freedom of thought. Nelson Mandela once commented that the apartheid government had imprisoned his body, but not his thoughts.
"In South Africa, we have freedom of mind and soul. That's reason enough for celebration alone."
Freedom Day will definitely be a time of celebration for Lawrence Ngubane, CEO of Durban Stars.
"Freedom Day is really important for us. It reminds us of what we have now and also the years before 1994," he said.
"Although I would prefer to be in Pretoria, I'll spend April 27 with my family. We will definitely be attending one of the planned festivities in KwaZulu-Natal.
"South Africans have a lot of things to look forward to and be grateful about. Let's hope all political parties now work together for the betterment of the country."
Dancer, choreographer and arts activist Jay Pather says he'll spend the holiday rehearsing with his contingent of 45 dancers for the 10 Years Of Democracy celebration that will take place at the first Red Eye event of the year.
"To me, Freedom Day is about acknowledging the miracle of our new democracy and understanding the responsibility that comes with it.
"We still have a long way to go, but it is about shaping - and contributing to - the development of the country."
Nadine Naidoo, TV actress, filmmaker and social activist with Volunteers Via Africa, will be in front of the camera on Freedom Day.
"I'm probably going to be on the set of Isidingo. Afterwards I am going to be reporting on a group of young people visiting the apartheid museum in Johannesburg for the religious programme Spirit Sundae.
"Freedom Day for me marks a decade of personal transformation. In those 10 years I've grown from being a Durbanite with a very limited worldview and a large amount of apartheid prejudice to being a full citizen and social activist."
On Tuesday, Naidoo will be wearing her fusion garb - a sari with a traditional African print on it.
Babalwa Ngubentombi, a DJ on East Coast Radio's Late Nite Vibe show, says she would love to be in Pretoria on Freedom Day.
"I'd love be at the Union Buildings because there's going to be a huge party there. But even though I won't be there I will be celebrating with the rest of the country on an emotional level."
In a nutshell, she says, Freedom Day is as important in the history of South Africa as June 16.
More importantly, she says, it is the day when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first president of a new, democratic South Africa.
"Freedom Day should celebrate our success of the past 10 years as we look to move forward," she adds.