Holomisa, Sachs and Sisulu praise Madiba at UJ dialogue
Author: Collen Maepa
Date: 30 August 2018
Image Courtesy of: Patrick Tomasso via Unsplash.com
Former Judge Albie Sachs, Ms Elinor Sisulu, and the Honourable Bantu Holomisa complimented former President Nelson Mandela during a University of Johannesburg (UJ) public dialogue on the Nelson Mandela Centenary on Thursday, 26 July 2018.
The dialogue commenced with the screening of a documentary on President Mandela’s political and family life. Many of the attendees were young people, mostly UJ political science students, who raised questions on the promise of Madiba’s vision in the conduct of the current political leaders in South Africa, and Africa.
‘Madiba was a great person because he was a good listener. He articulated collegiality, allowing everyone to be heard. Of course he did not single-handedly lead us to democracy, he was with the other great leaders such as the Sisulus, Tambos, Mbekis, and others, fighting the apartheid government together,” said Judge Sachs.
He added: “The one good thing that apartheid did was to create anti-apartheid. That’s how I met the great Nelson Mandela! His legacy will never disappear.”
Sachs is the former Constitutional Court Judge of South Africa, Ms Elinor Sisulu an Executive Director of the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation in Johannesburg, and the Honourable Bantu Holomisa is the President of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), South Africa.
Ms Sisulu said that many young people must learn the history of African leaders to fully understand the African politics. “Know your history, know your continent. Mandela was a leader who lived constitutionally, he would accept when a judge struck down his proclamations – a trait that some African leaders lack,” said Ms Sisulu.
Mr Holomisa said that the government and all the people of South Africa need to review the question of the land in the constitution because it had not been addressed to the benefit of many black people, including all those that were marginalised. “When we trained the uMkhonto we Sizwe in Uganda, we wanted a better life for all, not for people to continue living in poverty. The ruling party has not fulfilled that promise to the people,” said Holomisa.
Some of the questions raised included: Why the notion that Nelson Mandela was a sell-out continues to be mentioned by some members of the public? Can we move on as a united nation and stop dwelling on the past?
Some of the comments from the audience during the question and answer session: I’m concerned that people are glorifying Madiba as a god who ushered democracy to South Africa individually, I do not agree with the notion that Mandela is glorified because Madiba’s legacy served a purpose of Ubuntu. His leadership represented a greater good for all people who aspire to have a harmonious society, I think Madiba would have called the Afrikaans community to engage them on the current land issue if he was around, because he consulted everyone fairly.
The Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) hosted the dialogue. The Institute was established to create a platform for academics from across Africa to converge and bring to bear intellectual capabilities and contributions that have been marginalised on the global stage.
Collen Maepa is the Internal Communication Coordinator at the University of Johannesburg.
Ms Zoliswa Ntsoko (South Africa) is the Institute’s Administrative Assistant who assists with general administration and research. She is a seasoned professional with a background in Disaster Management. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Management from Milpark Business School, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from Regenesys Business School. She also holds certificates in Project Management, and in Disaster Management. Previously, she has worked as a Disaster Management Specialist at the City of Johannesburg – Disaster Management Centre.
Ms Cecilia Lwiindi Nedziwe-Moyo is the Research Coordinator at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation. She previously served as a Regional Coordinator at the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2013. She completed her master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Australia as a Rotary Peace Scholar. She has just completed her doctoral studies at Rhodes University. Her areas of interest include: gender, foreign policy, regional organisations and conflict resolution.
Ms Thembeka Somtseu is a seasoned professional with a background in the textile and construction sectors. She holds a National Diploma in Business Administration from the Durban University of Technology, and studied Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked as a corporate communications specialist for more than ten years, serving in both local and multinational companies.