Mandela's revolutionary spirit shall never die

| Thursday July 4, 2013 00:00

'Mogolo a a tlogelwe a itheetse'. He has played his part in the epic tale that is our peoples' struggle for liberation.  The transition from apartheid to a democratic South Africa was a delicate affair that needed men and women of superior talents and Mandela played a vital role in this process.  His role in the fight against apartheid places him among the most important Africans ever.  He remains an international icon and the epitome of a good politician and human being.

It is therefore understandable that his deteriorating health has attracted international attention.  As the world considers his legacy, there has been a focus on his role in uniting South Africa. This is a role worthy of celebrating.  The people of South Africa owe him a lot in this regard. But even most importantly, Nelson Mandela was a revolutionary.  He was not just part of a movement, the African National Congress.  Mandela was part of epic ferment, a continuation of revolutionary intent refining itself with each generation from the times of Shaka and Sechele, through the times of Sol Plaatjie.  The attempt to divorce him from not only his generation or his predecessors but from his party and the grassroots struggle is to attempt to capture his spirit and render it harmless and helpless.  The functions of state came later in his life and were but a minor aspect of his gigantic contribution to the liberation struggle in its widest sense.  Mandela sought justice.  He fought for political freedom as much as economic freedom.  The attempt to reduce Mandela to a mere face of the post-apartheid state and nothing more is to attempt to emasculate this lion of liberation struggles.

Therefore, he cannot be divorced from the revolutionary ethos, beyond even the ascendance of the African  National Congress to state power and the settlement of the latent racial war of the time. Mandela the revolutionary is the basis upon which Mandela the president came to be.  But the revolution needs to survive the presidency and the ruling ANC.   In short, any dedication to the spirit of Mandela should ultimately be a dedication to the fight against oppression of any form.  Indeed the call to honour Mandela is a call to arms, if he is to be honoured fittingly.  We are inclined to argue that this is the only way to honour Mandela.  It is to rededicate ourselves to the struggle for political and economic rights and to provide a voice for the voiceless.  In simple terms, to honour Mandela is to remain a revolutionary.

                                                            Today's thought

    'He is at the epicentre of our time, ours in South Africa, and yours, wherever you are.'

                                                     - Nadine Gordimer