MP Mackenzie warns ANC against claiming Mandela legacy
DIEPSLOOT – MP believes Mandela belongs to all people living in South Africa.
Member of Parliament, Cameron Mackenzie has described the late statesman Nelson Mandela as a selfless man who personally sacrificed his 67 years for the nation.
Mackenzie made the utterance during an exclusive interview with Fourways Review on 17 July as Mandela Day fever grips Johannesburg.
Mackenzie donated 67 minutes of his time to the NSPCA in North Riding on 18 July.
South Africans annually celebrate 18 July by engaging in community services to honour Madiba.
He maintained that Madiba made all sacrifices as an individual, adding that he never asked anyone to walk with him. “Not once in his speech did he use the pronoun ‘we’. Madiba never asked anyone to walk with him, to sacrifice what he sacrificed.
“He stood alone and spoke only for himself. And it was in this spirit that he gave 67 years of his life to the people of our country and, in so doing, became a global icon and an inspiration to many across the world.”
Mackenzie warned political parties to desist from the habit of claiming ownership of Mandela’s legacy. “In much the same spirit, we have not politicised this, but rather left it up to our individual councillors, activists and members to take it upon themselves to contribute as they see fit.
“The 67 minutes for Mandela Day is not about ‘owning’ Mandela or ‘misappropriating’ his legacy; for me, it is simply about giving something small in remembrance of the father of our nation, who gave so much.”
