Attack on Madiba is misguided

As we approach what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday tomorrow, it’s worth reflecting on a life of such a remarkable man.

We approach yet another Mandela Day with misguided people among us busy confusing the youth that Mandela was a sellout.

I’m glad the man himself made it clear while he was still alive that he was no saint. Anyone who takes cheap shots at dead people is disgusting. What’s even more disgusting is that people who brand him a sellout have nothing to show us with regards to their own contribution to the Struggle.

Anyone who would call a sellout someone who escaped the death sentence by a whisker and then spent 27 years in prison shouldn’t be taken seriously. Personally, I’m very thankful for the role he played in making South Africa what it is.

We have freedom of speech, and the fact that those who call him a sellout can do so publicly shows an irony that they clearly can’t see. They are using the same freedom of speech he and his comrades brought us to attack him.

Ironically, had Mandela been hanged, he would be a hero. The question therefore is, are these people angry that he was not killed by the apartheid government?

Mandela played his role and he made his mistakes like all of us do. It’s up to us to continue from where he left off. It’s up to us to right the wrongs he may have committed. Mandela and comrades of his era fought for freedom when the environment was completely different. The National Party government was ruthless and many people lost their lives.

Richardson Mzaidume, Pimville