The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth. – Section 9:3 Constitution of South Africa
This opportunity to reflect on the life of Nelson Mandela is unique in that none of us will ever again have the opportunity to observe an individual whose “greatness” is as global as his. Certainly there are other historic figures from whom we can learn, but in the case of Mandela, his life impacted on the 20th and 21st Centuries in a way that no other mortal is likely to.
Mandela was born in 1918 in Mevzo, a tiny South African village and while his father was a local Chief, he was in many ways an “ordinary” man, born of a woman, but one life impacted on just about every other human who is alive today, and indeed many of those who are yet to be born.
As such, we should not see his passing as a sad occasion over which we should mourn, but instead we should celebrate the life of this man whose 95 years on this earth have been a distinguished contribution to humanity that will remain relevant to many who have not yet been conceived.
Like any man, Mandela was not perfect, and I have always considered this reality to be that which distinguished him since we often think that a person has to be perfect to be an inspiration. I prefer to think that it is because he was not perfect, that he can inspire us who are equally imperfect.
We therefore need to examine his life’s work and seek to understand the lessons he taught and the enduring relevance to us, and this process is perhaps the greatest tribute that can be paid to him.
The lessons are many and at this time I will speak to three, the most important of which is the way in which he related to his oppressors and preferred reconciliation over revenge, which is curiously one of the more profound lessons of the New Testament.
Mandela was imprisoned with hard labour for 27 years and was forced to surrender his best years to an oppressive regime. He was never able to watch his children grow and ultimately lost his wife on account of his prolonged and unnecessary incarceration. Within five years of his release, Mandela assumed the most powerful position in South Africa, which was and still is a wealthy country with considerable military strength.
He, however, never saw his ascension as an opportunity to “get back” at his oppressors, but instead was an opportunity to encourage healing and reconciliation. Mandela effectively argued that a nation which has been as divided as South Africa could not afford to be “settling scores” but needed to focus on healing and building a rainbow nation in which all races could live harmoniously and thrive together.
As such Mandela assigned Desmond Tutu the chairmanship of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was suitably led by someone who shared Mandela’s vision of a new South Africa in which vengeance would not be tolerated. The personal principle was simple – confess and be forgiven.
The developmental principle was also simple and profound, as the nation was encouraged to understand the mistakes of the past so that its tomorrow could be better than its yesterday.
In all of this there was also an important lesson for African governance that Mandela taught by serving for one single term. There is little doubt in my mind that if Mandela wanted to, he could have been president until last Thursday. However, he properly understood that this would be most unhelpful to the development of a new culture of governance if he ensconced himself in the role of president for life.
There is certainly a tinge of self-sacrifice in his decision to move on, since he basically sacrificed heavily to bring a country to democracy, only to hand it over to someone else for the greater good. This is an important lesson that should not be lost on his African neighbours, few of whom are prepared to understand that their extended tenure has become counterproductive.
The final major lesson to my mind is embodied in the Constitution of South African which is easily the most progressive on that continent, and indeed anywhere in the world.
Mandela understood the pain caused by discrimination and therefore took the opportunity to ensure that the new Constitution effectively spoke to all known forms of discrimination and therefore did not expunge one variety, while preserving another. Section 9:3 is reprinted above and it is perhaps the best lasting testament to Mandela’s vision.
The simple message of this section is powerful and teaches that all discrimination is wrong and no variety should be tolerable in any modern society. Like the other two messages however, it is clear we perhaps do not fully understand the ways in which these lessons should change our life. One can only hope that as we celebrate Madiba’s life we can pay tribute to him by weaving these principles into our governance and development.
• Peter W. Wickham is a political consultant and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).
