One of the best ways to describe Madiba would be to call him ‘an effortless leader’; by that I mean he saw himself as a servant rather than someone who deserved to be treated higher than others because of his position. In his own words, he said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
Since February 11, 1990 South Africa has progressed drastically to be the kind of a democratic country it is today; this freedom can be attributed to the contribution of Nelson Mandela. Not that he was a saint, but his vision for South Africa did not only inspire others to do better, it continues to be the driving force behind our democracy today.
As we reflect on what his life means for us South Africans, we need to keep in mind the values he stood for, and for it is how much he did not only seek to promote the values of the ANC more than any other view – he believed everyone had a role in building the South Africa we want to live in.
However, questions around what the current leadership is doing has left many outraged and in some cases disappointed. One does not need to look far into history; leader of the new political party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema said his party is planning to lodge a complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after ANC members allegedly intimidated its members.
South Africa’s constitution allows anyone freedom of association and political affiliation. With this said, another issue worth looking at is the planned march to Luthuli House by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Although their reasons may sound worth listening to, the move is nothing less than cheap politicking; despite the amount of explanations given – the ANC should not be attacked on their manifesto. If the DA is serious about taking a stand for jobs, they should march to the provincial legislature.
Unfortunately when politics cloud your vision, you lose direction of the path you should be taking. I would go as far as saying, what the DA is doing is simply disrespecting ANC’s rights to campaign freely. Besides, the promise of six million jobs is put forward as an ANC manifesto – it is a promise of what they will do if elected.
Marching to Lithuli House and giving jobs as a reason to march as a reason is not only disrespectful but premature.
Thinking about these cases makes me realise how we have derailed from the values Mandela stood for. Yes, robust campaigning will happen; but it should not happen at the expense of us losing our core values.
This day should inspire us to do better, provide South African people with quality services, while we build an inclusive country, with this I say… Long live Madiba, long live.
