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For all the corruption of recent years, Cyril Ramaphosa’s ‘rainbow nation’ can still make good on Nelson Mandela’s values
Today is the anniversary of the birthday of Nelson Mandela, the first president of a free South Africa and a global symbol of tolerance, sacrifice, integrity and the battle against racism.
When, in 2009, the UN declared 18 July a day to honour Mandela’s values, South Africa was still seen worldwide as a success story. The “rainbow nation” had overcome the violent racial oppression of its past and was fighting apartheid’s toxic legacy of economic inequality. It had one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and a steady record of economic growth. The challenges the new democracy faced were all too evident, but South Africa’s recent history seemed a message of hope for us all nonetheless. Continue reading...