APA-Johannesburg (South Africa) Tuesday marks 10 years since the death of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela whose unwavering commitment to social justice and equality made him a revered figure in South Africa and beyond.
South Africa’s first black president died on 5 December 2013 at his Johannesburg home aged 95, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire many in South Africa and around the world.
Political analyst Donald Porusingazi described Mandela as a man of “great virtue and courage who would have stood with the people as South Africa and the world go through current challenges”.
“If Mandela were here today, he would have been deeply concerned about the problems facing his country South Africa and the world at large such as poor service delivery, electricity shortages and corruption as well as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza,” Porusingazi said.
He added: “In a world beset with problems such as war, disease and growing polarisation Mandela would have been a voice of reason and compassion and would have called for peaceful solutions to conflicts and advocated for greater cooperation between nations.”
The anniversary of Mandela’s death comes at a time when the South African dream of being a Rainbow Nation where all are equals in a united society is being threatened by rising crime, top-level corruption, poor service delivery and collapsing infrastructure.
Senior officials of the governing African National Congress – including one of his successors – have been fingered in an elaborate scheme to milk state coffers through corrupt deals.
It also comes as the world is grappling with conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza that have divided the world and reignited Cold War tensions between the United States (and her Western allies) and Russia and China, on the other hand.
Porusingazi said Mandela was “a beacon of hope and a symbol of resistance against injustice.”
“South Africa and the world are indeed missing a global figure as iconic as Mandela whose unwavering commitment to social justice and equality made him a revered figure in South Africa and beyond.”
His vision of a world free from oppression and inequality is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime, the analyst said.
Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years by the then apartheid government for his political activism in South Africa. On his release in 1990 and eventual election as South Africa’s first black president in 1994, Mandela called for reconciliation and forgiveness among his compatriots.
JN/APA