Zukiswa Wanner

Twenty years ago today, the political icon that we all had heard of as Nelson Mandela, walked out of Victor Verster and became free. It was an auspicious occasion. I did not see it on television then as I was sitting in a class in a boarding school in Zimbabwe having afternoon prep. But at 14, it meant something to me. As a child of a South African then exiled from the country for over 20 years, I had always identified myself as a South African and to me at least, Mandela’s release meant I could finally come to this country for the very first time and get to know my South African family.

I was a few months shy of 18 when the first democratic elections happened. That meant I did not get to vote in our first democratic elections. This did not alter the sense of elation I felt when I watched the news and saw my fellow South Africans standing in line to vote for the very first time. Democracy meant we were free at last. Free to run our own affairs as a country and free to go where initially we would never have been allowed (in the neighbourhood I stay in now, a black man was once caught past curfew by some white men who proceeded to paint him with white paint because ‘he was a darkie walking past his curfew in a white neighbourhood and must therefore want to be white.’ I have seen the pictures of that man as taken by Alf Kumalo and they still show the ugly side of humanity to me).

Today I woke up thinking, South Africa was the last country on this continent to gain its freedom and for that reason – because it took so long to gain that independence and many of our fellow South Africans died or were maimed in trying to attain it -we should guard that freedom jealously.

How do I suggest we do that?

We do that by loving this country enough to roll up our sleeves, giving the best of ourselves, and making it work instead of waiting for someone (government, our families etc) to do it for us. We do that by holding our elected officials accountable when things go wrong and where they have erred, giving them the necessary boot. Much has been said lately on Facebook, newspapers, radio, and television about ‘respect of our elders.’ Now, I am not one to argue against this all-important African value but this does not mean we do not criticise where we see our elders making mistakes that may harm us all. In my limited opinion, the greatest problem that this country and the rest of the continent face is that we respect our elders (read: elected officials) a little too much. Respect is earned, whatever the age, not given willy-nilly. If I have a 60 year old domestic worker who fails to do their work, I shall continue to give due deference to their age but that does not mean I will not call them to account. Why is this different from our elected officials? Whether we like it or not, elected officials are servants (and not ‘my chief’ or anything else) of WE the PEOPLE.

As we look back on the hopes and dreams that Mandela’s release brought to us, let us reflect on that. And hold our elected officials, whether old or young, to the same expectations that the shareholders of a JSE-listed company would hold their CEO. Failure to do that will result in our becoming yet another failed nation.

As South Africans, let us continue to remember the words of Mandela and cherish the ideal of a democratic and free society. A society that allows for different voices to be heard and loves enough to question when our leaders veer off the correct path. This is not being counter-revolutionary. On the contrary, constructive criticism is the highest form of patriotism.