Mandela – a tribute to an icon
At the passing away of a giant among men, it serves as an opportunity to once again reflect and remind ourselves of what Nelson Mandela stood for and achieved as an icon of reconciliation and peace.
So much has been said and written of Mandela, from his early days of struggling to survive the Apartheid era, his 27 years imprisonment and his presidential tenure, during which he served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
He was after all the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully-representative, multi-racial election.
His government focused on dismantling the legacy of Apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation.
Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he also served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997.
What can one say of Mandela, who, according to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, has received more than 695 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the US Congressional Medal.
This is despite right-wing critics denouncing Mandela as a terrorist and communist sympathiser.
He also has scores of honorary degrees, honorary citizenships and honorary memberships of organisations.
What more can attest to his legacy than the multitude of streets, roads, boulevards, avenues, bridges, highways, stadia, squares, plazas, parks, gardens, trails, halls, buildings, housing developments, schools, universities and other educational institutions that have been named after Mandela.
This is a man who was driven by an unshakeable belief in the equality of all people, and even though shrouded in controversy for what he believed and fought for, Mandela remains a world icon that breathed fresh air of hope, tolerance and reconciliation in South Africa.
As the former leader, he saw sport as critical to reconciliation (Rugby World Cup of 1995), he helped to establish a democratic constitution and a comprehensive bill of rights, while he set out to heal the hurts of the past through efforts such as the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission.
During his presidential term, a battery of progressive legislation was introduced under the auspices of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which aimed to address poverty, restore the dignity of citizens, and allow for the creation of a unified national identity through a focus on meeting basic needs, building the economy and democratising the State.
Importantly, he saw media as a frontier of transformation (which is now being threatened to be derailed by the Secrecy Bill), as he emphasised that the press needed to be the mirror through which society could see itself. He supported free press especially at a time when it was being threatened all over Africa.
Still today, when the world thinks of Mandela, they reflect on a man who sought to settle disputes with intellect and peace, not bloodshed. After all, he saw himself with a moral mission to spread peace and tolerance around the world.
Mandela will always be remembered as a reconciliation force, who considered it a priority to consolidate a new nation to hold it together and to transform it into a multi-racial democracy.
The means by which he took over the presidency will always remain admirable, for there were complications and many obstacles to forge a new democratic country, but it was done with Madiba charm and charisma.
He will be lauded for the way he generated an atmosphere of normality and stability, which dispelled white fears about black majority rule.
For example, he was in no hurry to rename streets, suburbs and airports, some of which commemorated Afrikaner heroes such as PW Botha and DF Malan.
Still today, he remains through organisations and charitable organisations, such as the 46664 campaign, along with the Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela-Rhodes Foundation on the forefront of fighting the HIV/Aids pandemic, injustice, inequality and impoverishment.
The ideal of a Rainbow Nation belongs to Mandela, and despite some of the lingering controversies surrounding him, his dream of a united South Africa remains admirable.
Mandela Day on July 18 will remain a time to remember how one man called a nation to unite in an effort to strive to uphold his ideals of bettering the lives of all people living under the Rainbow Nation.
