Reigniting Mandela Day Celebrations

Nelson Mandela International Day is celebrated on the 18th of July every year in honour of the first democratically elected President of South Africa, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009 and was first officially celebrated in 2010.

In the past, people were called upon to devote at least 67 minutes of their time to positively impact their communities and other people’s lives with the belief that people have the power to transform each other’s lives for the better. Is the spirit of Mandela Day still the same though? Does the legacy of Nelson Mandela live on?

After 29 years of democracy in South Africa, many believe living conditions are worsening. The global Covid-19 pandemic, which negatively affected the economy, was followed locally by wide-scale and damaging unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, destabilising the economy even further.

Violence is pervasive daily and threatens the safety and security of people in South Africa. Maladministration, corruption, xenophobia, load-shedding and rampant corruption at state level have left many without hope.

The vision Nelson Mandela had for this country has yet to be upheld. For various reasons, people in South Africa do not celebrate this significant day as much as they did in the past.

Had you been with me, I would be asking you, “How will you be commemorating this year’s edition of the Nelson Mandela International Day?”