MADIBA’S LEGACY

Dear fellow South Africans and the international community, As we celebrate the life of Madiba our icon, let us strive to maintain and sustain his legacy — One Nation, One South Africa — through the promotion of the common good, tolerance, respect for the dignity of the other, the deepening of democracy through diligent observance of the checks and balances embedded in the Constitution such as the Bill of Rights, Freedom of Expression, and the Independence of the Judiciary. Remember Reinhold Neibhur’s wise words: ‘Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible; man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. As a South African, I am filled with an overwhelming appreciation for a man that gave my country so much — freedom, love, compassion, empathy, graciousness and of course, himself. His selfless determination is what we remember this great soul by, and we will continue to keep him very close to our hearts. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes all of South Africa’s children to continue the unfinished work, which the father of our constitutional democracy initiated. Let me end with a proverb “Life is a message, listen to it. Life is a belief, trust it. Life is a gift, accept it. Life is love, think about it. Life is an adventure, dare it.” May he rest in peace and rise to glory. — Samaoen Osman, South Africa