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STRUGGLE ICON: Former president Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia Trial in 1964.

 Mandela fought, was jailed and even willing to die for a just nation and world as well as a society with equal opportunities, a world of harmony and peace. 

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Of course, July 18 has been declared an international day and we all know that Mandela is the world's greatest statesman, a man who sacrificed all he had, his future, freedom and family to fight for a free South Africa.

A man who was determined never to surrender but rather die for as long as the world and its people were not living in peace, harmony and have equal opportunities irrespective of race, gender and creed.

Is our celebration activities on this important day of Mandela Day in line and a true reflection of what he stood, fought, was jailed and willing to die for?

In his message prior to his life sentence in the 1964 Rivonia Trial - a message he repeated immediately after his release from jail in 1990 - Mandela clarified his ideals and convictions when he said that he "fought against white domination and black domination". He said he cherished a democratic and free society where all persons live in harmony with equal opportunities - an ideal he wished to live for, and if need be, to die for.

This message made it clear that Mandela risked his life not for one dominating race or class to bluff the other, that is poor and disenfranchised, by giving the latter some dirty and old clothes they themselves they no longer need or some little food, painting of orphanages houses as the so-called Mandela Foundation seem to promote.

But that he fought against domination of one race, gender or class against the other and, more importantly, for a peaceful world and a society with equal opportunities.

What is further clear is that unlike Mother Theresa, Mandela did not believe nor was he willing to die so that the world is reduced into a charity spectra where a particular race or class oppresses another and one day in a year patronises them by doing cosmetic and insulting activities like giving them some dirty, unwanted clothes and little food.

Mandela fought, was jailed and even willing to die for a just nation and world as well as a society with equal opportunities, a world of harmony and peace.

The people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Palestine are still being slaughtered like chickens. South Africans are still widely divided on racial lines and we remain the most unequal society in the world.

Mandela's ideals are therefore far from being achieved and those who claim to believe in him should use every opportunity, especially his birthday, to pursue these ideals that took away 27 years of his freedom.

So instead of doing these charitable and public relations activities aimed at nothing but playing to the gallery, while failing to change the painful world, we should celebrate Mandela Day through activities of real life and condition-changing material.

We must amass our collective power, march and demonstrate against those who continues to use their race and class to dominate the weak and poor.

We should be mobilising all necessary and available resources to continue fighting for a world that is what Mandela was willing to die for, a society with equal opportunities.

The current horrific statistics on inequality, poverty, under-development, unemployment, corruption and crime should be used as our rallying point to celebrate Mandela's birthday by waging a battle for a better life for all.

For as long as the ideal world that Mandela fought for is still such a far-fetched, Utopian reality, we should use July 18 as a moment to rise from slumber and confront the evils of progress through utilisation of our collective power and strength.

We should use that power to challenge the powers that be who have made it their daily business to practise anti-Mandela ideals by perpetuating a world that promotes mass killings of one nation by the other, unjust and unequal world and society filled with poverty and racial domination and oppression.

This day should be used by the majority who are yet to see the fruits of the 1994 democratic breakthrough as a platform to demand the eradication of corruption, crime, poverty, unemployment, under-development, unequal distribution of land and wealth, racism and sexism.

It is therefore an insult to Mandela's ideals and sacrifices if we continue celebrating a birthday of such a great revolutionary as if he was just an attention seeker, obsessed with activities that were aimed at maintaining a painful status quo of oppression of one race, gender and class by the other than change the world for a better one and better society.

• Luther Lebelo is chairman of Liliesleaf Farm Branch-ANC in Midrand. He works for the South African Revenue Service

Comments

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Tue May 21 10:03:17 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 10, 2012

CheeseBoy

Luther Lebelo you need to slow down chief. Mandela did his part in the struggle against apartheid

but for heavens sake the man is not a god. Like any other man he made numerous mistakes in his life and to glorify him like this looong thesis suggests is an insult to us free thinking mortals.

I refuse to worship any man on the planet. even Mr 4 666 4 thats right I said it, four triple six four.

Him along side dozens of other struggle icons did what they had to do for what they believed in and we appreciate that. But don't for one second think we will be emotionally black mailed into worshiping any of them

July 18 will just be another day for me.
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Jul 10, 2012

guiliano

@Cheeseboy- it is pronounced four double six six four.
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Jul 10, 2012

Mpokisi

Mandela is a traitor who betrayed this country!

Thus the mess we find this country in...;..
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Jul 10, 2012

CheeseBoy

@guiliano
@Cheeseboy- it is pronounced four double six six four.

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does not change the fact that there are three sixes right there. and we all know what that sequence of digits represents no matter how fancy you pronounce it.
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Jul 10, 2012

Blackthought

Interesting.....
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Jul 10, 2012

Mapholobakay1

Luther Lebelo

Lets meet eshisanyama Midrand so that we can discuss Mandela and CODESA...then you will know who Mandela really is.
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Jul 10, 2012

LeparaThePresident

Mr Lebelo, i have no qualms when people are celebrating Mandela.If i may digress a bit, even Jesus Christ as a human being is been celebrated all world around. I am of the position that you are not going to construe my empirical example as equating Mandela to Jesus, am not under no illusions equating the two people.But, coming to debate at hand, the world is doing Mandela a misnomer especially how they celebrate his legacy." You mentioned from his quotes that he " i have fought against white domination and black domination" end quote. True, that he did, but the paradigm that the agents who foretify and spear head the celebration, they are just palinly doing business of which also i hold no qualms for legit busines. My arguement is, the ideals that Mandela sacrificed his life for are far from been reach. It should be the gov/SA people who are the agents for those ideals, but everyone with a fat wallet has the propensity to claim and pronounce that we are idealising Mandela 's ideal legacy.That is bull, though our movement ANC rejoyce in it cause they are put in the limelight.

It is very ironic if you think about.Cause it was never Mandela alone who sacrificed his life for the good of all the people irrespective of their hue on their skin. Robert Sebokwe was one. And the regime of the day had to in act an act that was soley for him. No wonder SA is like Middle east, we cannot hold what is dear to us with firm grip.So, this Mandela day should be banned, just like June 16 cause we are failing the people who sweat and died for those days.
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Jul 10, 2012

MommaC

So doing a good deed is now a crime?

The idea is that people go out and SEE just how bad things are out there. It takes them out of their comfort zone and into the real world. Now old Luther decides that is wrong. What a typical dumbassed paper-pushing bean-counter
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Jul 10, 2012

Jay_O

A CheeseBoy...
I, for one, agree with your perception. This is exactly what's happening in our churches: where people tend to believe more (even to the extent of worshipping) in their chosen/given leader than Christ. So having said that, I know that the best way to honour Madiba is to respect, recognise and continue to our difficult, perpetual journey for what he, and ourselves, believe in...NOT praise him like we would the Lord Christ.

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Jul 10, 2012

Mellow

July 18 has been declared an international day and we all know that Mandela is the world's greatest statesman...
....................................................................................
When are they declaring it a PUBLIC HOLIDAY? This is where zuma must step in and honor Madiba finish and klaar



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