Mandela Day 2014 -– a chance to continue Madiba’s legacy

However, the Nelson Mandela Foundation noted that the day now also served as an opportunity to ensure that Mandela’s legacy lived on.

Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Sello Hatang highlighted the significance of Mandela Day as an event that honoured South Africa’s late statesman and provided an opportunity for all to emulate his role as a public servant.

“Mandela Day is not only about doing good, it is about service,” he said. “It is an opportunity to build upon Mr Mandela’s lifelong belief that we must live to serve every day, in whatever we do,” he said.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe officially launched the 2014 International Nelson Mandela Day Campaign at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton on 8 April.

Noting that 2014 would be the first celebration of the commemorative day since Mandela had died, Motlanthe said, “This is all the more reason why we must renew our commitment in ensuring that this day is imbued with durable meaning that reverberates across time and space.”

“Indeed, with Nelson Mandela having fought for social justice for 67 years, it is not much… that we should devote 67 minutes of each day in each year to a good cause. This would seem an appropriate way to honour the legacy of this icon of our times.

“Mandela Day creates an opportunity for both the haves and the have-nots to work together in confronting social ills and building a better world.”

The campaign this year will focus on three themes; literacy, shelter and food security.

Motlanthe said the campaign was unique because it did not dictate how to mark the day.

“The founding rationale of the campaign is that it should open Madiba’s legacy to interpretation by people all around the world in their own contexts, and that it should open the legacy to application in widely differing contexts.”

He urged individuals and institutions across the world to use any resources at their disposal, to do whatever was applicable in addressing the needs of their communities.