Justice Albert "Albie" Sachs, former judge from the Constitutional Court of South Africa, is interviewed by Jessica Achberger, Africana librarian at Michigan State University Libraries, about the Leonard Freed South African Elections photography collection in Michigan State University Libraries' Special Collections. Justice Sachs reflects on the importance of the 1994 elections, the role of the ANC media, and shares some of his personal experiences from before the end of apartheid in South Africa. He describes ANC's process coming up with its slogan 'A better life for all' and how its leadership wanted something associated dignity, humanity, and a peaceful transition rather than breakdown or destruction. He discusses the living conditions portrayed in the photographs, how the makeshift stalls, littered streets and shanties that a quarter of the population lived in have been replaced by brick and mortar homes, running water, sewage, and new challenges due to long commutes and lack of community. Justice Sachs also addresses the boycott of Outspan Oranges, his courts decision that Railway Transfer Authority had legal duty to protect its passengers, a massacre that occurred in front of ANC offices, and how today's younger generation has no idea how heavy and pervasive 'white over-lordship' was during apartheid. The photos inspire him to recall his expectations leading up to the election, his shared fondness with Nelson Mandela for Madiba shirts, and Mandela's response to the constitutional amendment proposal that would have allowed for ethnic homelands in South Africa.
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