Monday 18 July saw us celebrate what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 104th birthday, a date that has become known as Mandela Day.
But Mandela Day has become a global phenomenon, with everyone the world over having a chance to celebrate this globally recognised great peacekeeper and humanitarian.
Mandela Day has since become a global rallying call to action from every individual, who it is believed has the power to make a positive difference by spending at least 67 minutes of their time uplifting the lives of those less fortunate. And this is precisely what thousands of people do every year.
But one cannot help but wonder what Nelson Mandela would think of the state his beloved country is in right now, one he was prepared to risk his life for to achieve justice and equality for all its people.
For today’s South Arica is definitely not the country Mandela lived and fought for. Unemployment is at an all-time high and ever-more citizens are being forced into poverty. Once-lucrative state-owned enterprises, such as Eskom and the Post Office, are on the brink of collapse.
Brother is murdering brother in droves. Not to mention widespread state capture and corruption, with billions ruthlessly looted from the nation’s coffers, and from the poor in particular.
SA has become a cesspit, and continues to deteriorate, far from the mythical rainbow nation Mandela and his comrades once dreamt of.
