Mandla remembers Madiba’s legacy in Castro’s light
IN COMMEMORATING the third anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s passing, the Mandela family recommits to serving and honouring his legacy and his causes, said his grandson Chief Mandla Mandela.
“This year’s commemoration comes in the wake of the departure of another champion of the poor – internationalist revolutionary and global hero Commandante Fidel Castro. There can be no more poignant reminder of our debt to Madiba’s legacy than a cursory reflection on Fidel and the Cuban people’s legacy and contribution in three key areas – unwavering patriotism, service to the people and international solidarity.”
Mandla said South African patriotism was at its lowest since the dawn of democracy.
“Yet it is the very edifice upon which Nkosi Dalibhunga premised his dreams of reconciliation, nation building and social cohesion. Unlike the Cuban example of patriotism growing beyond liberation and growing from strength to strength, our experience has seen waxing and waning: undoubtedly two of the highest peaks has been the victorious Rugby World Cup of 1995 and the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This calls for reflection and an honest assessment of where the South African Project finds itself today,” said the Mvezo chief.
He said Mandela always deferred to the wisdom of the collective and was dedicated to serving the people.
“He considered serving the people and being an agent of the will of the people his highest calling in life. This was evident in every aspect of his life and with whomsoever he interacted, regardless of their social stature, position or station in life,” he said.
Mandla said South African political life had become “insipid with a sense of entitlement with too many public servants and political office-bearers imagining that our freedom guaranteed the right for people to serve them rather than vice-versa,” said Chief Mandla. He said South Africans could learn from the post-liberation Cuban experience and rededicate themselves to flying the flag of international solidarity.
He said Madiba never supported international solidarity in hushed tones. “On the contrary, he swore allegiance to his friends in the face of major opposition.
“He called the Palestinian struggle ‘the greatest moral issue of our time’ and beckoned us to be a moral compass for Africa and the world.’’ —