Follow Madiba’s example, says UN
Citizens urged to work for peace on Mandela Day
The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) has urged South Africans to heed the call by the UN to champion for peace, vaccination equality and the struggle against poverty to grow the legacy of the former statesman.
Speaking to Sowetan yesterday on Nelson Mandela International Day, foundation CEO Sello Hatang said SA citizens should come up with more ways to celebrate the life of the former president.
“Covid has actually impacted many countries. As the UN secretary-general said over the weekend, each and every one of us should make sure there is peace in the world and vaccination equality. We should not think that because you have resources, you should neglect those who don’t have,” Hatang said.
“So for us as South Africans, we should now be remembering that this initiative started in two cities – Johannesburg and New York. Today it is in over 150 countries. It is important that as we remind ourselves of that we ask how do we grow Madiba’s legacy. And I am hoping it will continue to grow despite the challenges we have.”
Hatang’s support for the call for peace comes in the wake of violent looting protests that engulfed parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal last week, causing the deaths of more than 200 people and more than 2,550 arrests for the unrest.
He said practical activities to commemorate the antiapartheid activist are growing and continuing.
“Like today [Sunday], there is a marathon in Spain in honour of Madiba. There are also activities in Portugal and New York to honour Madiba. It tells you that Mandela Day is continuing to grow,” said Hatang.
“One of the nicest things about Mandela Day is that it starts off at 67 minutes. People think that it is just 67 minutes. We have been trying to discourage that. It should be more than 67 minutes. Beyond that, each one of us must grow the legacy through helping those who have suffered one storm or another. Like next week, we will be in Mpumalanga where we will be starting a process to build two homes for families which have lost everything. There are people who are planting trees. Today, we are planting 67 trees in recognition of climate change. There are a group of mountain climbers who are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the Trek4Mandela campaign. We also have people providing food and water.”
Similarly, sportswear company Hi-Tec is honouring the life of the struggle icon by auctioning Freedom 67 – a recreated pair of sneakers Mandela wore in the 1990s, in a bid to raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF). The virtual auction started yesterday and ends on Wednesday at 5pm.
“We are very appreciative of Hi-Tec for the support they are giving us. We are hoping that the auction will raise enough funds so that we continue to contribute towards the safety and protection of children, their health outcomes and raising the voice of children and youth,” said NMCF CEO Konehali Gugushe.
At the time of going to print yesterday, R47,500 had been raised from the auction.
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It is important to ask how we grow Madiba’s legacy