Members of the Mandela family, celebrities, former ANC veterans, politicians, corporate leaders and ordinary South Africans crowded the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton on 4 December for the opening of the In Tribute to Nelson Mandela exhibition.
Sello Hatang, chief executive officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, hosted the opening ceremony and introduced the various high-profile speakers.
SABC group executive Jimi Matthews reflected on the demanding coverage of Mandela’s passing. He said the news corporation had spent years preparing for the inevitable, but it was still difficult for the broadcasting staff, like many South Africans, as over the years they had developed their own personal relationship and formed strong bonds with Mandela.
“We had plans for every eventuality, but until it happened we could not see the full extent and impact of it all,” said Matthews.
Chairman of the foundation, Professor Njabulo Ndebele emphasised that Madiba was someone who was never afraid to own up to his weaknesses, and therefore his weaknesses became part of his strengths.
He added, “Memory is not [just] something in the past [it is also] a living thing, and in a way, we make the future as we remember the past.”
The most poignant speech came from the Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor who said, “We had hoped [President Jacob Zuma] would be the main speaker, but I was asked to come and speak as he is out of the country,” she said.
“As we remember Nelson Mandela’s passing, we realise that as South Africans we cannot solely claim him as our own.”
She reminded the audience not to forget Madiba’s wonderful sense of humour, and recalled that there would always be laughter in the room with him.
“He laid the foundation for a new society, [one that is] full of hope for the future… it is still an excavation, but one that he believed in. This prized inheritance, this legacy that we are celebrating, is one that each of us has a duty to nurture and support into maturity,” she said.
Pandor also commented on the criticism in the media comparing the current South Africa to Madiba’s legacy, “Rather than bemoan our inadequacies we should be asking ourselves [how much have] we done to make the legacy live? Let us not lament, let us seek to replicate.”
The minister concluded by highlighting Madiba’s most fascinating attribute of leading without bitterness. “He put South Africa and it’s people first,” she said.
The exhibition is a culmination of messages and contributions collected from all over the world in reaction to Madiba’s passing last year, the specially-curated multimedia experience will run until the end of February and is free to the public at the Centre of Memory.
Details: www.nelsonmandela.org/
