Mandela said he was no saint but a sinner who kept on trying

Dear Editor,

The world was plunged into grief after hearing of Nelson Mandela’s passing last Thursday after a period of illness. The struggle by Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) in dismantling a powerful and most oppressive apartheid regime in South Africa will remain the most important lesson in contemporary political history.

I became acquainted with Nelson Mandela and the struggle of the ANC listening to Dr Cheddi Jagan in the late ’70s. However, my consciousness of the battle waged by the ANC was while studying in Moscow in the former Soviet Union in the early ’80s. The group of students from the ANC at my university held regular conferences and showed various documentaries on the struggle by the ANC in South Africa.  The ANC, the most powerful national liberation organization was led by Oliver Tambo while exiled in Zambia. Mandela’s wife Winnie at the time led the most powerful women’s arm of the ANC. They regularly took to the street defying bullets and guns and not caring about the risk to their lives. In 1986, I was fortunate to meet Joe Slovo, after being introduced to him by the late Boysie Ramkarran at the Moscow State Hospital. Joe Slovo was General Secretary of the South African Communist Party and was Mandela’s first choice as a cabinet minister in the 1994 ANC government.

As the world pays its respects to the great warrior many will remember that his mighty weapon was his powerful words. Hatang and Venter authors of Notes to the Future (2012) produced an inspiring collection of quotes from Mandela’s speeches, one which is, “If there is one lesson we can learn from the struggle against racism, is that racism must be consciously combated and not discreetly tolerated.”  Richard Stengel’s (2009) publication Mandela’s Way:  Fifteen lessons on life, love and courage is another gem, so much so that former US President Bill Clinton stated that this publication give him “new insights and inspiration” in life. NBC anchor Brian Williams interviewed Mandela biographer Richard Stengel on Thursday’s Nightly News who said that Mandela loved to admit he was no saint, but a sinner who kept on trying.

While in the spotlight Mandela always underscored the fact that the burden of leadership of the ANC was shared equally or even more by his comrades in arms: Oliver Tambo from whom he learned to rein in his emotions, be patient and not react too quickly; and Walter Sisulu from whom he learnt how to include others’ viewpoints, make peace with rivals and find consensus. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, Mandela proved that human compassion is universal.

Finally, the greatest legacy of Nelson Mandela is that real politics is about honest and sincerity of purpose.

Rest in peace great warrior; your indomitable name shall live on.

Yours faithfully,   

Rajendra Rampersaud