The Legacy of Nelson Mandela in South Africa

Growing up during the 1980's, I grew fascinated by "the struggle" in South Africa. Back then, it was in the news all of the time. Of course, those were the days of apartheid, when the country was the last one still stubbornly hanging onto legalized racism. Pretty much everyone understood that it could not last forever, that it was bound to end.

Yet, the white minority government kept dragging it's feet, making half-hearted, limited reforms that were basically surface level reforms. These reforms did not approach "one man, one vote," which of course is what the majority of blacks in the country wanted and demanded. They were doing everything possible to hang onto their power and privileged lifestyle.

Still, eventually, change was bound to come. And it did, after increasing pressure from the rest of the world. It began to hit South Africa hard where it hurts most: in the wallet. That was when the ruling white minority government finally decided that it was time to begin negotiations, especially once FW DeKlerk replaced PW Botha as the new president. He declared that apartheid had failed and was dead, and then famously ended the ban on political opposition groups in the country and announced the releasee of all political prisoners. That included the most famous political prisoner of all, Nelson Mandela.

The main face of opposition to apartheid was, of course, Nelson Mandela. He was still in jail back in those days, of course. Yet, he was considered the major figure of South African politics, and the great hope of a post-apartheid South Africa. 

Not surprisingly, he was ultimately elected to be the nation's first president in a black majority ruled nation, following the first multiracial elections in 1994. I have heard some suggest that he may have been the most admired and greatest statesman in history.

Quite possibly this is the case. And in South Africa, he definitely is remembered, because he is everywhere.

Indeed, Mandela is on the currency, on every bill that I saw, regardless of value. The ten rand note. The twenty. The fifty. The hundred. The two hundred. There are t-shirts with him on them. There are paintings of him. His life and words are remembered vividly in the country. Everywhere we went, it seemed like there was some historical place where Mandela had visited, including the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, where his statue was placed next to a bed of his favorite flowers.

Not surprisingly, there are prominent statues of him seemingly everywhere. There is one famous one of him in Durban, which I did not see. However, there were plenty which I did see. In Pretoria. Several in and around Cape Town. 

There is even one by the Parliament in London, in the United Kingdom.

So it seemed like a good idea to share some of the pictures of the statues of him which I encountered during my recent visit to South Africa.

Enjoy.

Statue of Mandela at Cape Town City Hall:

Bust of Mandela at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (Cape Town):

Statue of Mandela at the Waterfront in Cape Town:

Nine meters tall statue of Mandela at the gardens in front of the Union Buildings in Pretoria:

Statue of Nelson Mandela in State Parliament Square, London, UK:

Here's still more proof of this Mandela mania in South Africa.

This is a link to an article from last year about two new statues of Mandela that were being unveiled, albeit with controversy, given the rather steep price tag associated with them.

In any case, it kind of illustrates the point that his image, obviously including in statues, is everywhere to be seen in South Africa.

TWO NEW MANDELA STATUES UNVEILED IN THE EASTERN CAPE LEAVE BITTER TASTE, AS DURBAN PREPARES TO UNVEIL ANOTHER AT R22 MILLION COST TO TAXPAYER July 19, 2023:

https://www.businesstechafrica.co.za/news/2023/07/19/two-new-mandela-statues-unveiled-in-the-eastern-cape-leave-bitter-taste-as-durban-prepares-to-unveil-another-at-r22-million-cost-to-taxpayer/