Mandela makes appearance as lawmakers honour him
Former South African freedom fighter-turned-president Nelson Mandela
made a rare public appearance Thursday as the nation's parliament met to
honour him on the 20th anniversary of his release from prison.
"President Mandela united this country behind the goal of a
nonsexist, nonracial democratic and prosperous South Africa," President
Jacob Zuma told lawmakers.
Mandela, 91, is known in the country as Madiba, his clan name. He and
his wife, Graca Machel, were present to hear Zuma speak. His former
wife, Winnie Mandela, also attended.
"We should reflect on how far we have travelled as a country," Zuma
said. "Honourable members, we recall the words of Madiba on his release
when he said, 'I stand before you not as a prophet, but as a humble
servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have
made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the
remaining years of my life in your hands.'
"These words inspire us not to rest until we achieve the ideals of a
society free of poverty and deprivation. In the two decades since the
release of Madiba, our country has changed fundamentally." Mandela was
already in prison when he was convicted of treason in 1964 and given a
life sentence. He was a living symbol of the struggle against South
Africa's racist apartheid system, enacted when he was 30 years old.
Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for opposing South Africa's
government, which enforced its strict segregation laws through
brutality. Following his release, he worked with South Africa's white
president, F.W. de Klerk, to end those policies. De Klerk also was in
attendance Thursday.The African National Congress - once again legal
after being banned in 1961 - elected Mandela as its president, and he
won South Africa's presidential election in a landslide in 1994, the
country's first black president.
In his last public words before he was jailed, Mandela said, "I have
fought against white domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society
in which all persons will live together in harmony, and with equal
opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see
realized. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to
die." Zuma said Thursday, "As we celebrate Madiba's release today, let
us recommit ourselves to building a better future for all South
Africans, black and white. Let us pursue the ideal for which Madiba has
fought his entire life: The ideal of a democratic and free society in
which all persons live together in harmony and with equal
opportunities." Mandela is not remembered simply for ending apartheid.
He also was behind reconciliation, a painful and lengthy process that
attempted to hold those responsible for the brutality accountable for
their acts without alienating other white South Africans.
He also was instrumental in bringing soccer's World Cup to South
Africa. It will be held there this year, six years after soccer's world
body awarded the event.
-CNN
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