90 The Nelson Mandela Years
thE NELSON mandela years
It also features independent editorial in which important writers reflect in new and in interesting ways upon Madiba’s living legacy to all of us. 90 The Nelson Mandela Years is therefore a necessary and a vital component in the written record of Madiba’s great contribution firstly to South Africa, to its greatness and to its business prosperity, but also to the international community of nations.
90
Yes, a great deal has been written about Nelson Mandela, especially in this, the year of his 90th birthday. And so the question can be legitimately asked: is there either space or need for yet another tribute commemorating the life and the achievements of this great man? By way of an answer, the publishers of this publication invite you to take a look inside it – indeed, to take some time to review its contents. The publication consists of 45 messages from companies and other organisations that wish to place on record their special sense of appreciation to Madiba for his creation of the environment in which business in South Africa - deep in the doldrums in the late 80s and in the early 90s – could recover, and finally take its place in the global business community. In the post-apartheid euphoria, we quickly came to forget that, right up to 1992, it was not “business as usual” in South Africa - in fact - that business South Africa had already long since gone into terminal decline. The return to a state of normalcy, which was also a return to the many good things that business does – deliver products and services to eager consumers, create employment, pay taxes and dividends , grow international market share, and help create South Africa’s competitive advantage amongst nations – is something we tend to take for granted. But the fact that business could return to normalcy is in overwhelming measure attributable to the role Mandela played, and this publication exists to provide a platform to allow organisations to recollect their debt to Madiba, and to thank him for what he has done for business South Africa.
Contributors Elleke Boehmer R y l a n d Fi s h e r Pe t e r Jo y c e C l ay t o n Swa r t
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THE NELSON MANDELA YEARS