Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday aged 95, was a man of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness who showed the world an incredible vision of leadership. His remarkable political career had a profound impact not only on South Africa, but on the African continent and the whole world.
For his opposition to apartheid, Mr Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Yet, when he was finally released in 1990, he was a pillar of grace and magnanimity. He was equally gracious when he was elected South Africa’s President in 1994 and reached out to the country’s white minority without the slightest hint of bitterness. US President Barack Obama perhaps best summed the public mood when he said on Thursday: “We have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth.”
Mr Mandela’s role in guiding his country through a peaceful transition from the apartheid era in the mid-1990s can never be underestimated. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu had said: “If this man wasn’t there, the whole country would have gone up in flames”.
Remarkably, Mr Mandela managed to convince the country’s black majority to put aside past injustices and work with the white minority to create a democratic, multiracial society.
With his emphasis on reconciliation he was also able to make people of all races feel part of the new South Africa. It was perhaps because of this overriding priority that as President he tended to neglect some other important issues, such as the fight against Aids, something to which he admitted in retirement.
Mr Mandela was one of the few leaders on the continent to step down voluntarily, in 1999, setting an example for other African heads of government to follow suit. Although problems of poverty and economic inequality remained, and the crime rate shot up considerably, South Africa made great strides forward under Mandela’s presidency. He also remained, right until his death, a father figure for South Africa, the country’s moral leader and a guarantor of stability.
Unfortunately, however, Mr Mandela’s successors in the ruling African National Congress have struggled to live up to his legacy. Sadly, the ANC has become associated with corruption and internal political fights, millions of people have been abandoned to lives of destitution, and the economy is performing far below its potential. Mr Mandela himself would often criticise some of his successors’ policies.
Now that Mr Mandela has died, it would be sensible for the South African government to emphasise that his commitment to a free, all-inclusive multiracial society will continue and that his legacy will be honoured. However, it is also time for some serious soul-searching by the ANC, especially with regard to Mr Mandela’s commitment to social justice and a fair society. The level of corruption and social inequality in South Africa today are certainly not compatible with Mr Mandela’s legacy.
Unsurprisingly, Mr Mandela’s funeral next Sunday is expected to attract an unprecedented gathering of world leaders – from politics, religion, royalty, business, sport and the arts – all of whom will want to pay tribute to his great legacy. This is only right, for he is without doubt Africa’s greatest ever statesman and one of the world’s greatest political figures of all time.
Mr Mandela’s legacy will hopefully continue to have a profound effect on the whole of humanity. In today’s world of bloody revolutions, his example shows that reconciliation and forgiveness can indeed triumph over hatred and violence. Archbishop Tutu’s parting shot is a sentiment we all share: “God, thank you for the gift of Madiba.”