What is Nelson Mandela’s legacy?
Yes it is true that Nelson Mandela did not one of his
cherished goals - to drag millions of his fellow black South Africans out of
the despair of abject poverty. But he did something that most leaders in the
world since the beginning of human history have very rarely ever done - restore
the self-respect and pride of a people who have been made to feel that they are
the scum of the earth for generations!
The only other leaders who have done what Mandela did are
Martin Luther King in America to the down trodden descendants of former slaves.
The other leader was Mahtama Gandhi.
Many black South Africans are still as poor as ever, yes
but right across the length and breadth of that country all blacks will say
they are free. They are free to travel around, to interact, to express their
points of view and they all have a meaningful say in the governance of the
country.
Mandela made mistakes during his five years in power and
there were many things he could have done for SA; there is no doubt about that.
His successors Thambo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma have been a total disaster;
that is a historic fact. If it was not for Madiba who delivered a political system
that allowed all South Africans to have a meaningful say in the governance of
the country Mbeki and Zuma's blundering incompetence and love of power would
have dragged that country into the gutter.
So what is Nelson Madiba Mandela's legacy? He gave the
people of South Africa a truly democratic political system which allowed every
South African, black and white, rich and poor to have the pride,
self-confidence and self-believe that they are human and they too have a
right to be here.
Mandela did not deliver the economic prosperity for all
but he did the next best thing - provided the democratic foundation on which a
justice and prosperous SA can be built.
Even
if it was possible for Mandela to drag every South African out of
poverty in five years; without democracy Mbeki and Zuma would have dragged the
nation back into the gutter by now. After all it is a lot easier to destroy
than it is to build - Mugabe is a living example of just that!
Mandela
was certainly a man of vision; it takes a man of vision to focus the next
generation when many can only see the here and now and me. Mandela’s legacy
will inspire South Africans and the rest of the world for generations to come.
Rest
in peace Nelson Madiba Mandela; we thank the good Lord for your life!
2 comments:
@ Jim
After decades of brutal political repression SA was a bitterly divided nation and it took a lot of courage and visionary leadership to calm the waters as Madiba did. No, SA is a nation "at peace with itself and the world," as Madiba said.
To appreciate what Madiba achieved one must necessarily see the bigger picture of a SA composed of blacks, whites, colours, etc. of rich and poor and to see the short, medium and long term -no just the here and now. Balancing the often contradictory and conflicting demands of all these requires vision and real commitment.
Conceiving the whole thing was tough and it was even tougher putting it into practice.
You are being called upon to see and appreciated the finished product and all you see a dots! What a pity!
Poor Jonathan Moyo, he is trying desperately to find a reason why people should not compare Mugabe and Mandela because everyone can see what an evil leader Mugabe really is in comparison.
The whole world, regardless how they tried Mandela before, regard Mandela as a great leader with a vision and great leadership qualities. The whole world treats Mugabe, including those who thought him a great man before, as a murderous tyrant he is!
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