The South African flag flies behind the Nelson Mandela statue at the entrance of the Groot Drakenstein Correctional Centre where Mandela was imprisoned for the last few years before his release. Picture: Esa Alexander/Reuters
By Dr Vusi Shongwe
NELSON Mandela’s release from prison on February 11, 1990, remains a pivotal moment in history, forever engraved in our collective memory. It wasn’t merely the release of a man, but the symbolic dawn of a new era for South Africa and a beacon of hope for oppressed people worldwide.
This week marks 35 years since Mandela’s release from Victor Verster Prison on February 11, 1990, an event symbolising the end of apartheid in South Africa. After spending 27 years in prison, this colossal icon’s release was unconditional and marked the beginning of a new era of reconciliation.
It feels like yesterday when he walked his first steps to freedom—a spectacle that will remain forever engraved in our collective memory. Enormous crowds gathered, waving ANC flags, to witness Mandela and his wife Winnie walk free. Mandela’s release, a moment of hope for South Africa and the world, paved the way for peaceful negotiations and the dismantling of apartheid.
The day Mandela walked free felt like a dream, a moment many had longed for but dared not fully believe would arrive. After decades of unjust imprisonment, here he was, a figure of immense moral rectitude and fortitude, finally able to physically join the fight for the liberation of his people. This spectacle of freedom was more than just a personal triumph for Mandela; it represented the potential for a nation to heal and reconcile.
Even in that moment of liberation, Mandela’s character shone through. He was an austere man of unquestioned moral rectitude and fortitude, inspiring deep devotion in those who worked with him. He had such vitality of personality—a vitality that was so superbly disciplined that it sometimes left the impression of cool detachment, but imbuing everything he thought or did with intense concentration and power.
He was life-affirming, life enhancing. When he entered the room, the temperature changed, and his presence was immediately felt; he quickened the sensibilities of everyone around him. Indeed, he noticed everything, responded to everything, and forgot nothing. Those close to him always admired the buoyant confidence that kept him moving forward despite the odds that were sometimes stacked against him. Unyielding in his convictions, Madiba lived every day of his life to the hilt.
Mandela, a man of royal lineage who could have easily become a king, chose instead to serve people in a different fashion. In fact, whatever task he tackled was always carried out with passionate conviction and boundless enthusiasm. This is precisely what makes Mandela’s character the more striking and attractive.
Mandela’s illustrious career was dazzlingly colorful and filled with incidents, but behind the public personality was someone of simple good nature and amiability; probably the most widely known and loved figure in the world. Mandela appealed directly to the common people because he was the embodiment of the common man.
He was a radical democrat who believed above all else in liberty and social justice. These traits with his buoyant temperament made the personality of Mandela enchanting.
Just as John F Kennedy’s presidency brought a time of renovation and renewal to the United States, Mandela’s release and subsequent presidency marked a transformative period for South Africa. There is a temptation to conclude that Kennedy and Mandela will be remembered as the great presidents of the modern era—though it could be argued that Mandela will be remembered as the greatest leader of our time.
It seems that Kennedy’s time in office, for all its tragic shortness, was nonetheless a time of renovation and renewal comparable to the transformation that took place in South Africa as a result of Mandela’s presidency—when our country found a new and better course after long and arduous years of search and struggle.
After years of struggle, the country stood on the precipice of a new course. Mandela's leadership signaled the end of a dry season, bringing the promise of renewal and justice to a parched land.
Mandela’s release from prison was not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. It was an opportunity to vindicate the values of reconciliation, civility, and compassion that he embodied throughout his life. The best way to serve his memory is to redeem and vindicate the values of reconciliation, civility and the compassion that he stood for throughout his life. Mandela left a legacy of love. Ours is to expand on this legacy of love for future generations.
His release called on all South Africans to embrace a legacy of love and to work towards a future where all people, especially those from poverty-stricken backgrounds, could thrive. Mandela’s release reminds us of the importance of education. Lest we forget that Mandela put a high premium on education.
When people talk about the defence statement Mandela made during his treason trial, the famous paragraph that is easily remembered and well-known is the last paragraph of the defence statement Mandela made during the Rivonia treason trial.
The paragraph goes: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
The paragraph that we all choose to ignore is the first paragraph, where he says: “I am black African age 49, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and practiced as an attorney in Johannesburg for a number of years.” By not stressing the importance of education, especially to our youth, we are blotting the legacy of a man who wrote and passed his LLB exams while awaiting sentencing.
Mandela’s release was more than just a moment; it was a catalyst for change. It reminds us that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, the pursuit of justice and equality is always worth fighting for. He was a change-agent, necessary to his times. On his centenary, it is right that his fellow citizens should remember and reflect on his rich legacy.
As Maya Angelou so aptly put it: “A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” Nelson Mandela, a phenomenon like him, comes along once in a lifetime. George Burns’s quotation equally applies to Nelson Mandela when he says: “A phenomenon like him comes along once in a lifetime.”
Let me also close by paraphrasing the last lines of Maya Angelou’s poem – “When the Great Trees fall” that I hope helps to show how much Madiba’s life’s legacy will reverberate. “We can be. Be and be better because Mandela existed.”
Mandela's release continues to inspire us to be better, to strive for a more just and equitable world, and to remember the enduring power of the human spirit.
* Dr Vusi Shongwe works in the Department of Arts and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal and writes in his personal capacity.
** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media or IOL.
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