No future in hate: what Mandela taught us all

Zanele Hlatshwayo

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For many South Africans, Mandela is the personification of humanity, forgiveness and non-racialism


Zanele Hlatshwayo

(Editor’s note: this article was first published in June. At the time, Nelson Mandela was in the hospital. Even then, many feared those were his last moments. We republish this iSpeak contribution by South African Zanele Hlastshwayo to honor a man who has taught us about forgiveness, harmony and many other noble ideals.)

You have probably read the news by now.

 

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s iconic liberation hero and father figure, is once again in hospital fighting a persistent lung infection. With this being his fourth hospitalization in six months, the prognosis for our 94-year-old former president is not good.

 

Our nation is now facing the psychological battle of acknowledging and accepting the inevitably imminent passing of our beloved ‘Madiba.’ In the face of political and economic uncertainty, South Africans are holding on to our ailing hero as the remaining thread of consistency in our miracle ‘rainbow nation’ story.

 

Although President Mandela left the political stage in 1999 after one term as Head of State, one would be hard-pressed to find a South African today, fourteen years later, who has not been profoundly influenced by the world’s most famous political prisoner. His 27 years spent behind bars fighting the apartheid regime followed by his reconciliatory efforts after the historic national peace and constitutional negotiations of the early 1990s, has earned him respect and admiration the world over.

 

For the average South African like myself, he has become the symbol of our better nature—the personification of humanity, forgiveness and non-racialism.

 

As a resident of Johannesburg, I often have the privilege of taking my international friends around the city when they visit. The sight I am often most excited to show off is Vilakazi Street in Orlando West, Soweto.

 

Why? My family’s first home was in the area and I was born into a resilient but deeply traumatized community. 

 

Vilakazi Street also housed a powerful symbol of liberation in the form of Mandela’s first home—a very modest four room house that was often petrol-bombed and raided by members of the police force under the apartheid regime.  Vilakazi Street also was and continues to be Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s residence, thus making it the only street in the world that has housed two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

HOME. On Vilakazi street, one can find Mandela's first home which has now been turned into a museum. Photo by Zanele Hlatshwayo 

This street is steeped in history and every time I visit I am reminded of both the injustices of apartheid but also of the overwhelming ability of human beings to endure, to overcome and most importantly, to forgive. A bloodless and democratic post-apartheid South Africa has been nothing short of a miracle. We have Madiba to thank for this.

 

His insistence on replacing anger and resentment with forgiveness and tolerance following his release from prison elevated him to iconic status. In response to a question in 1993 regarding South Africa’s post-apartheid future, Mandela famously responded ‘I see a country for everyone, a rainbow nation, a country at peace with itself and with the world. I see no future in hate’.

 

This remarkable human being was able to see the humanity in the faces of the prison warders who tortured him, of the police officers who ruthlessly killed his friends and comrades and, of the indignant westerners who turned their backs on non-white South Africans at a time when they needed them most.

 

Mandela chose forgiveness as a tool to liberate himself from the shackles of resentment and in so doing, inspired his fellow South Africans to do the same. He helped the African National Congress, the ruling party, to transition from a liberation struggle party to one that governs and accepts a government in which ex-revolutionaries sit alongside ex-enemies.

 

Simply put: Mandela helped birth a unique leadership and magnanimity which astonished and impressed the international community in equal measure.

 

As a proud South African who grew up with Madiba as a second father, it is tempting to paint him and his role in the liberation struggle in rainbow colors. However, in the interest of remaining objective, it is important to highlight the fact that Mandela, as revered as he is, is human and thus fallible. As a disciplined and astute politician, he made decisions and compromises that were not always seen to be ideologically aligned. However, much like other global icons – like Mahatma Ghandi and Aung San Suu Kyi—Mandela believed in practical politics but still applied his values consistently.

 

Our everyday realities here in South Africa still suggest that the country is far from enjoying a fairytale ending of prosperity that Mandela and the world expected after he stepped down as President in 1999.

There have been disappointments and unmet expectations of ordinary citizens, whose hopes were movingly expressed in the voter turnout during the first democratic elections in 1994. That said, there is no doubt that Mandela was instrumental in safely steering South Africa through its most dangerous transition phase and he thus set the foundation on which a vibrant and democratic society could be built.

In this moment of sadness and uncertainty regarding Madiba’s health, all I pray for is that he is surrounded by his loved ones and that he looks back on his life with full satisfaction that his political mission has been accomplished: he has given every South African of every creed and color a fair and fighting chance.

For my fellow South Africans, I pray that we embrace every lesson Madiba has shared with us—the  lesson of forgiveness, of introspection, of integrity, of resilience and most importantly, of patriotism. Life, though difficult and heartbreaking, will continue after Madiba but it should be our duty to ensure that he and all the values and virtues he represents, are never forgotten. – Rappler.com

 

 

Zanele is a South African national with a passion for politics and international affairs. Her background is in investment banking and she currently works as a Corporate Finance Associate in a financial services firm that advises governments in Africa on sovereign asset restructuring.

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