Madiba’s legacy needs much more than 67 minutes

IN THE week that we celebrated what would have been the 99th birthday of former president Nelson Mandela, I found myself wondering about the hypocrisy of many people who believe all they need to do is dedicate themselves to do good for 67 minutes every year.

The rest of the time they continue with their lives, hardly thinking about how to make a difference and bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots in our radically divided society.

There are also people who try to tell us how we should emulate Mandela when they don’t do so. Chief among these are politicians, who spend most of their time undermining Mandela’s legacy but, on July 18 every year, suddenly remember what made Madiba great.

In many ways, it is not Mandela’s political values that endeared him to South Africans, but rather his humanity and humility, something modern-day politicians seem to lack.

I have never believed in doing something for 67 minutes. I believe goodness is not something you can switch on and then switch off 67 minutes later. Goodness is something that should become part of who and what you are.

I am not trying to dismiss the good work done by many people throughout South Africa which often makes a difference to the people who benefit.

The point I am making is that one should not display a badge for doing good for 67 minutes when you do otherwise the rest of the time.

I also worry about corporates who get their staff to perform certain good deeds and then expect to be applauded for this. If you are going to be true to Mandela’s legacy, then you will do good because it is what needs to be done, and not because somebody is going to write something nice about you in the newspaper or take a photo of your activity.

I have seen some companies asking their staff to make contributions, which the company then contributes to some charity on their behalf. Surely the point is about making contributions oneself, so what is the point of getting employees to do the work and then claiming the credit?

I have also seen politicians cleaning up a street in a township and then climbing into their fancy cars to go to a fancy lunch for VIPs only.

The other thing that irritates me immensely when it comes to the topic of Nelson Mandela is the question of who owns his legacy.

Like most people who grew up in the Struggle, I agree that Mandela was, first and foremost, a loyal ANC member and made his contribution to society in that capacity. But the impact of what he did surpassed the ANC. In many ways, Mandela became bigger than the political party he represented.

Mandela belonged to the people of South Africa, including those who never voted for him but felt inspired by him. He embraced people who differed from him politically and, in some cases, won them over.

In any case, poor people do not ask for the political credentials of those who help them. They are usually just glad to be helped. This is why some people wear the T-shirts of political parties without necessarily being party loyalists. They’re just glad to have a T-shirt that keeps out the cold.

I try not to do anything special for Mandela Day. I believe that whatever I do, whether it is workrelated or personal, I should do it in the spirit exemplified by somebody like Madiba.

South Africa is in a difficult space. We are beginning to see the effects of the recession and downgrades. We are clobbered daily by allegations of corruption, mainly involving the government.

Part of what people like me do is to make sure that people are informed of what is wrong in our society, in the hope that we can use these lessons to improve the situation.This is not something that starts and ends at any point, and not everybody considers it to be good.

The ANC has made much noise about celebrating the 100th birthday of former ANC president Oliver Tambo this year. I would hope they would do the same for Madiba next year and not wait for next year to understand the lessons of Madiba’s leadership.

They should interrogate this now. Maybe this will help them better understand the problems in our society and provide them with the tools to deal with these.

Mandela never put politics ahead of people, something which our politicians do not seem to understand nowadays. Let’s live Mandela’s legacy – and not only for 67 minutes every year.