A TRUE ADVOCATE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA
A TRUE ADVOCATE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA
Hon. Angela Thoko Didiza, MP is a former
Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs (1999) and Minister of Public Works (2006) in the South African Government. She was selected as one of the Young Global Leaders by the Forum of Young Global Leaders in 2004. She is currently a Project Consultant for the Archie Mafeje Research Institute at the University of South Africa. She has also served as a representative on the Judicial Services Commission since June 2014. She is also the Chairperson of the CPA Africa Region’s Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).
I bring you greetings from South Africa. On this day (18 July 2018), many people are spending time engaged in activities that honour Nelson Mandela that will make an impact in people’s lives. As a Member of Parliament, I am equally honoured that we, as the Parliament of South Africa, are hosting young people in partnership with Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in hosting a Youth Summit which is currently in progress. This Summit is part of the annual activities of our Parliament in which we listen to our children and young people on what their views are about our works as public representatives. They choose their Presiding Officers and run the Parliament on this day by themselves. So, today I am privileged that I am with you today as young leaders of Kenya to reflect together on the life of late President, Nelson Mandela. Tata Nelson Mandela believed that the mirror in which a society can be seen is the way in which it treats its children. To quote him verbatim, he said: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” He also said: “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” Today, you have spoken to us and we have listened. We have heard your dreams, your aspirations and your concerns. We also heard your commitment on what you will do as part of your contribution to build a better world. Like Mandela, ours will be to create an enabling environment in which you can turn your dreams into visions and ensure that your
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vision of a better world becomes a reality. Mandela was a child like you. Born of the Madiba Clan, amongst the nation of Abathembu, he was shaped by the history of his people. At the age of twelve, when he heard the elders tell of the stories of his ancestors’ valour during the wars of resistance, he dreamt of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. As he grew up, he experienced the challenges of his own people, he understood their pain and committed himself to do something to change the course of history, and became a freedom fighter for his people and the oppressed people of the world. To further his childhood dream, he joined the African National Congress and spent his entire life as a member working for the liberation of our country. It is this movement through its policies and values that shaped Madiba and many of his comrades before him and after to be the person we all celebrate today. In reflecting on his life, there are few things that came to my mind. These are issues that in my young age and adult life, I have continued to grapple with. How was Mandela’s childhood life, how did it contribute to the Mandela we later got to know? What moved him to sacrifice his all for humanity and be prepared to lay down his life if it was necessary? Where did he find the strength to forgive and work for peace even after his almost lifelong imprisonment? What can us as a collective do to create a better life for all our people inspired by the life of Mandela and those of his generation?
Education during his early life Born in the Royal Household with a possibility of being a traditional leader, one could say he was privileged. But, growing up in that household, exposed him to life and conditions of his people. At an early age he was educated orally about his traditions, the history of his own ancestors and their contribution to the struggle for freedom. He learnt the skills of leadership as he observed
“Mandela believed in the power of education and its contribution to development. In his own words he said ‘Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mines, a child of farm workers can become a president of a great nation’.”