I once came across a picture on social media. The picture was a collage of about four or five world leaders from the past, including Malcolm X, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and our very own Nelson Mandela.
The picture had a caption which read, “You are given the opportunity to have dinner with any one one of them, who are you picking?”
I for one did not at all believe this was an easy choice because they all have changed the world with their views. However, for me it was a no brainer.
I shared the post on my timeline and with a caption, that read, “I’d pick Mandela, there’s a lot he has to answer for”.
If Nelson Mandela were alive today, he’d be celebrating his 103rd birthday.
However, seeing as the ‘Father of our nation’ is no longer with us I can only write this open letter to share some of my questions, which I believe carry extra significance considering what has gone on in the past week, with regards to the rioting and looting.
First things first, I believe there are two Mandelas in history.
No, this is not one if those ‘the real Mandela died and was cloned’ conspiracies.
I do however believe that after 27 years in prison, with 18 of those on Robben Island, who could ever be the same.
The man who stood at the Rivonia trials and stated that he would be willing to die for the democracy which he fought for, was not the same man who was released in 1990.
I say this because the man who was arrested believed that peace can be attained through justice and equality, and the expropriation of all the country’s resources equally.
Instead, seemingly the only democracy and freedom that was bestowed on South Africans was the right to go and live wherever one pleases.
So, my first question to him would be, what happened to you in prison? What did they do to you? What did they promise you or threaten you with?
Why couldn’t you, Cyril Ramaphosa, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma broker the right deal for your people – and why was Chris Hani left out of negotiations?
My next question for you is, when the ANC came into power, did you really trust anyone outside of Thabo Mbeki to have the country’s best interest at heart?
Even Mbeki’s own intentions were at a time questionable – were you of the belief that all those you left in power, with some still in power today, would properly take care of this country?
If the struggle is indeed over, why have your fellow comrades been stealing from their own people.
Mr Mandela, if you were alive I’d like to know if you would be on Jacob Zuma’s side or not.
According to Zuma, all that’s going on is a character assassination on him, something that has has been going on since the early 2000s.
As your former head of intelligence, what are the secrets that Zuma knows that he often speaks of?
Is he really being made a scapegoat or is he genuinely a fraud who deserves to be jailed?
How would you have felt knowing that children who were the first beneficiaries of the Nelson Mandela Children’s home, us the born frees, were shot at and beaten by police and university private security during the 2016 #FeesMustFall protests? On the orders of members from your cabinet.
Do you really think those people deserve to be in positions of power for what is going on to be 30 years now?
I grew up thinking you were the perfect leader, then I grew up to realise that to expect perfection out of any human is absurd and that we all have flaws.
However I must say, your legacy is in trouble.
Many born frees feel like you sold their parents out.
If it wasn’t you, then tell me what you have to say about your comrades selling us out as children who are now young adults, the first generation of the democracy.
All I’m saying is don’t be surprised when people who grew up idolising you, start to realise that Steve Biko’s ideologies, may have made more sense.
I’ll let that simmer.
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