PIETERMARITZBURG: 23 July 2009

Mr. Speaker;

Honourable Premier; and

Honourable members

It was Longfellow who wrote a hauntingly powerful poem with a title, ‘A Psalm of Life’ and he said:

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.

Mr. Nelson Mandela tackled the challenge of uniting both the country’s racial groupings and a fragmented public service, and I strongly believe that he was inspired by a powerful phrase contained in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer which says, “Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity.” The wisdom of his leadership has inspired us as a nation and the national motto in the Republic’s Coat of Arms, “!ke e: / xarra //ke / Xam (Diverse people unite or Unity in Diversity.)

Great among African leaders, Nelson Mandela is one of few statesmen to have achieved almost universal respect around the world and across the political spectrum.

As he celebrated his 91st birthday last Saturday, the world’s greatest moral leader reflected on a lifetime of service – and what the rest of us can learn from it in the 67 minutes dedicated to his 67 years of public life. His role in fighting apartheid, his incarceration on Robben Island and his and other leaders’ ability to steer our country through the crisis of its rebirth earned him the international reputation as an icon.  He has, indeed, become a universal conscience and after spending 27 years in jail only to emerge with forgiveness of his oppressors, he is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint. 

For a province like ours facing such daunting challenges, perhaps the greatest legacy of Mr. Mandela is his pragmatism. On April 14, 1994, just 13 days before South Africa’s first democratic general election, Mandela and De Klerk, by then joint Nobel Peace Prize laureates and rival party leaders, held a televised debate. De Klerk criticized the ANC’s spending plans.  Mandela accused De Klerk of fanning racial hatred and opposing redistribution to blacks. As the debate was nearing an end Mr. Mandela confessed that he felt he had been too harsh on Mr. De Klerk and he wrote in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom that, “The exchanges between Mr. De Klerk and me should not obscure one important fact.  I think we are a shining example to the entire world of people drawn from different racial groups who have a common loyalty, a common love, to their common country.  We are going to face the problem of this country together.” 

This is the spirit which must prevail in our debates since as six political parties which are drawn from different constituencies we have common loyalty to KZN and a common love for this beautiful province, and whatever problems face KZN we are individually and collectively responsible for getting solutions.       

The governing party and opposition parties can learn a lesson or two from his benevolent engagement of his opponents and quintessential style of leadership that embraces friends and foes.

As the founding father of our democratic nation, Mr. Mandela embraced the new vision of democracy which eludes many leaders of liberation movements once in power. Most often than not, good revolutionaries make bad democrats. Simply because revolutionaries plot in secret, follow orders and serve the people by leading them. While on the other hand democrats debate issues openly and serve the people by listening to them. Simply put: revolution is resolute and democracy is flexible.  History is full of revolutionaries who failed to make the switch like most African strongmen. Most promised people’s rule but, once in power, embraced a permanent state of revolution resulting in dictatorship. Too many liberation leaders leave office only when another revolutionary seizes power and we can take comfort from the knowledge that this was not the case in our beloved country because of Mr. Mandela.

Although he has officially retreated from the public stage since his retirement in June 2004, Mr. Mandela continues with his inner democratic convictions, by speaking out against tyranny wherever it rears its ugly head in the world. As we follow in his footsteps this House would do well to remember that it was the democrat in Mr. Mandela, not a revolutionary, which made him an icon and the greatest among us. 

We need his wisdom to turn each of the challenges that we face into opportunities for reshaping our province and improving the lives of ordinary citizens. In discharging our duties as members of this august House and as six political parties represented here the best way we can support the call for the global launch of Nelson Mandela Day to be celebrated annually on 18 July is to take a cue from the phrase attributed to Richard Baxter, an English theologian who said, “In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.” (Latin: In necessaries unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas).

I thank you!

Contact:
Dr Bonginkosi Buthelezi
082 516 0156