10 December 2013
Nelson Mandela was one of a kind, President Jacob Zuma told thousands of South Africans, international guests and world leaders at the official memorial service for the former president, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 95.
“South Africans sing a popular freedom song about former president Nelson Mandela,” Zuma told the gathering at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. “We sing that he is one of a kind, that there is no one quite like him. Nelson Mandela, Nelson Mandela akekho ofana naye.”
Zuma thanked the international community for its messages of support and condolences following Mandela’s passing, saying the Mandela family, the people of South Africa and the continent as a whole “feel stronger today because we are being comforted by millions throughout the world”.
Zuma said South Africans regarded Mandela as the father of their nation not only because he laid the foundations for a united country, but also because he was a courageous leader.
“Courageous leaders are able to abandon their narrow concerns for bigger and all-embracing dreams, even if those dreams come at a huge price.”
Mandela continued to inspire South Africans during his 27 years of imprisonment, Zuma said, demonstrated unique leadership in starting negotiations with the apartheid regime while still in prison – and negotiated for the release of his fellow political prisoners before his own.
After his release, before South Africa’s historic elections of 1994, there were a number of times – in the wake of the Boipatong massacre of 1992, and the assassination of popular leader Chris Hani in 1993 – when Mandela “brought our nation back from the brink of catastrophe”.
Zuma quoted Mandela’s words, spoken at the adoption of South Africa’s new Constitution in 1996, saying they encapsulated Mandela’s vision of the new society.
“He said: ‘Let us give practical recognition to the injustices of the past by building a future based on equality and social justice. Let us nurture our national unity by recognizing, with respect and joy, the languages, cultures and religions of South Africa in all their diversity.
“‘Let tolerance for one another’s views create the peaceful conditions which give space for the best in all of us to find expression and to flourish. Above all, let us work together in striving to banish homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and disease.'”
Beyond promoting reconciliation, Zuma said, Mandela also set about laying the foundation for transformation and reconstruction – knowing that reconciliation would otherwise ultimately be meaningless.
“Madiba also laid the foundation for our country’s now successful fight against one of the greatest scourges of our time, that of HIV and Aids, while still in office and during his retirement.”
Describing Mandela as one of a kind, Zuma noted, was not to be taken as calling him a messiah or a saint. Mandela himself had always emphasised that his achievements were derived from working with the African National Congress (ANC) collective, “among whom, in his own words, were men and women who were more capable than he was.
“Thus, the South Africa that you see today is a reflection of Madiba and many others like him, who sacrificed their lives for a free nation.
“We thus remain truly grateful to his peers, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Reginald Tambo, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Dorothy Nyembe, Florence Mophosho and countless others who left indelible marks in the history of our struggle.
“Compatriots and friends,” Zuma said, “Today Madiba is no more.
“He leaves behind a nation that loves him dearly. He leaves a continent that is truly proud to call him an African. He leaves the people of the world who embraced him as their beloved icon. Most importantly, he leaves behind a deeply entrenched legacy of freedom, human rights and democracy in our country.
“In his honour we commit ourselves to continue building a nation based on the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
“United in our diversity, we will continue working to build a nation free of poverty, hunger, homelessness and inequality.
“As the African continent led by the African Union, we will continue working to fulfil his desire for a better Africa and a more just, peaceful and equitable world.”
SAinfo reporter
