Today is Mandela Day (July 18).
What would have the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela thought of the violent unrest of the past week – it would have saddened him.
A man who fearlessly fought for democracy and equal rights for all South Africans, who spent 27 years behind bars, and who had every right to turn the tables on his incarcerators once he gained freedom, but did not.
His legacy of freedom for South Africa has certainly been tarnished with the looting and mayhem in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng instigated by those who wanted to bring about instability and chaos – that in turn has left South Africans shell-shocked.
Many people feared the dawn of democracy in 1994 thinking the country would not progress with a democratically elected government, the naysayers were proved wrong.
The past 27 years has not been plain sailing for South Africa with its myriad of problems, but can anyone put a timeline on how quickly the wrongs of the past – decades of it – can be rectified in a relatively young democracy.
Nonetheless, this week’s events has shown, it was not only the economy at risk but democracy too.
All are aware of the high rate of unemployment which has resulted in poverty-stricken circumstances for millions. But for a few to use the poor for their own gains which was thankfully curtailed at high cost, but the foundation of hard-fought democracy has remained intact.
These instigators or simply put criminals should be brought to book as soon as possible. We cannot let a few hold a nation to ransom. The fact that things could have gone horribly wrong was reality – the almost non-existent response of law enforcement and indecisiveness from government in the early stages.
While government has acknowledged its shortcomings, moving forward it needs to take a hard look at its inner workings – because in such a situation a lot is at stake, not only lives but livelihoods.
In many cases, ordinary people had to protect their own communities. South Africans from all walks of life banded together, in many instances, working with law enforcement to protect their suburbs and business districts.
While the situation has calmed down, many are still fearful of a recurrence. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned lives upside down and many are simply trying to survive – how does one survive added chaos and pandemonium.
Let’s remember this quote from Nelson Mandela: “It is not our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity, or religion or culture that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not.”
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