South Africans observed the 10th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death on Tuesday with a mixture of love for his integrity and disappointment over what has happened since, with murals of his smiling face still decorating numerous structures.
While no formal events were planned to commemorate South Africa’s first black president, many people remembered the leader who came from prison in 1991 to bring apartheid to an end.
Malala Yousafzai, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, was scheduled to give a talk for the Mandela Foundation late Tuesday.
Mandela, who died after a protracted illness at the age of 95, provided pride and optimism to a country torn apart by more than four decades of brutal white minority rule.
However, after nearly three decades of governance by his African National Congress (ANC), inequality has increased, according to the World Bank, corruption is rampant, and severe power outages occur on a daily basis.
“We love what he (Mandela) has done, we love the freedom that he has given us,” said Prosper Nkosi, who lives close to Mandela’s old house in the Soweto township near Johannesburg.
Mandela ‘spirit’
“Ten years on we still haven’t changed much, I wish things could just improve,” he added.
Johannesburg resident Njabulo Mngadi said South Africa had to rediscover the “Mandela spirit” to bring more reforms.
“All the work that he’s done, we (should) continue with it where he finished off,” said Mngadi. “Things are still bad here in South Africa, things are still not right.”
A national election is scheduled for the first half of 2024, and surveys indicate that the ANC’s vote share may slip below 50% for the first time.
Opposition parties are ramping up their criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s scandal-plagued ANC.
Despite the uncertainties and difficulties, many people remain optimistic about the future.
The Nobel Peace Prize was shared by Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, the white president who allowed Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 and then negotiated the end of minority rule.
According to Dave Steward, emeritus head of the F.W. De Klerk Foundation, Mandela will be remembered for his efforts to bring democracy to South Africa.
“While we are experiencing many problems that would not make Nelson Mandela happy, he would be happy that we are still a constitutional democracy with functioning courts and a government that obeys the law,” Steward told AFP.
“However many years pass, Nelson Mandela’s legacy and example will remain important to the present and future of South Africa.”
Mandela’s battle during his 27-year prison sentence and his presidency from 1994 to 1999, with de Klerk as his vice president, will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Mandela is featured on banknotes, and there are murals and statues dedicated to him in cities throughout South Africa and around the world.
The Mandela Foundation, on the other hand, has worked to soften criticism of his legacy, which has primarily come from younger South Africans.
The foundation has organized a “Mandela is Dead” exhibition in Johannesburg to enable South Africans identify new ways to reform the country.
The foundation’s interim president, Verne Harris, warned that the “deep nostalgia” that followed Mandela’s death could turn into “destructive energy.”
“Maybe we need to let him go. And look for new role models,” said Harris.