In the past two weeks, we have lost prominent people in our society.
Ahmed Kathrada and Joe ‘Sdumo’ Mafela both played a major role in their respective professions and their deaths left a gap that can never be filled by anyone.
When people of their calibre pass on you cannot help but wonder what you have done in your life that would make others miss you when you are gone. It does not matter whether it’s something big or small. What counts is how it touched and changed someone’s life.
We live in a time when people have lost their humanity and don’t care about how their actions affect others. We also live in a society where it is often deemed okay to bully others.
My memories of these two men are only from television and newspapers but they touched my life. We complain as a nation because we lost two great men but maybe we should also take this opportunity to reflect on our own lives.
How many people in your life have you touched positively and how many have you destroyed?
Sometimes you don’t have to move mountains to make a difference in someone’s life. A little act of kindness goes a long way. Sdumo made us laugh when we watched TV and we related to him because he took us to our happy place. He loved working with young people and believed in them.
Anti-apartheid activist, Uncle Kathy, played a huge role in the struggle and also cared about young people. Both will be remembered for their good deeds and kind hearts.
As a nation, we should learn from them and find that special thing about ourselves to give to others and be that positive change in someone’s life.
“In South Africa today, we have a number of political parties; with minor differences, all the main programmes are similar on major issues. Our enemy today is not apartheid. Our enemy is poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, crime, unemployment.”
Speech delivered on 16 April, 2010 by Ahmed Kathrada.
Read: Mrs Vee’s cup of words
