At hand: ANC leader Nelson Mandela extended his love of people and humanity not only to South Africans but in solidarity with the oppressed. Photo: David Brauchli/Getty Images
Through my involvement in the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), I was fortunate to be in the presence on numerous occasions of South Africa’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Although I was always too shy to introduce myself, I was able to witness Madiba without the glare of media cameras and reporters.
I recall one occasion when trade union federation Cosatu was hosting a workshop in Randburg in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
Cosatu had put together a makeshift child-care centre so that delegates could attend while their children were taken care of. It was a sectioned-off area in the passage that led to the entrance of the hotel’s conference hall, where children’s chairs and tables were set up and young baby-sitters took care of the kids.
I had slipped out of the hall to have a cigarette, which I sucked on at the end of the passage and blew the smoke out of the window. And then I noticed Mandela striding forward in the passage. His bodyguards were behind him in a V-like formation, with Mandela at the apex of that V, and he led from the front with purpose.
There was a tea and coffee station to the side of the passage, and Madiba proceeded to greet everyone.
There were no bodyguards on the sides of him to stop anyone from approaching him. Delegates were unsure whether they could approach him. Mandela was the one, with the largest puppy-dog smile, who cajoled people into shaking his hand.
And then he saw the children, and he went to them to give them bear hugs and kisses. It was a beautiful sight.
The next day, I happened to be having a cigarette again, in the same place, when Jacob Zuma entered. In contrast to Mandela, Zuma’s bodyguards surrounded him. He was smiling and greeting, holding his hands as if in prayer and exuding humility.
The previous day Mandela had not held his hands in any way that could be construed as humble; he had them outstretched, beckoning to people to come to him.
Zuma walked with his head slightly down, almost apologetic that he could not shake anyone’s hand.
Mandela had held his head high, turning looking for people to greet and all the time smiling
On 5 December this year, it will be 10 years since the death of Mandela but with the passing of time, his legacy has taken a pounding.
It suffers because of the widespread negative perception of the ANC government.
Many of us were critical of the political compromises made so that there was a peaceful outcome to political negotiations and a democratic election was held, but Mandela and the ANC’s credibility allowed us to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Today though, because of the tough situation in the country, a lot of it because of the choices made by the ANC and Madiba, including the persistence of corruption, we find it difficult to acknowledge the contribution and achievements of the party and its leader.
We seemed to have forgotten about Mandela’s humanity and that he was a good person. Maybe it is because of the way he has been lionised by the beneficiaries of apartheid, mainly liberal white people and the business sector, especially monopoly capital, that his role and intentions look questionable.
But as that experience on the sidelines of the Cosatu workshop shows, Mandela’s humility and love for the people, not just children, was genuine. He did not love because the adulation fed his ego and fuelled his self-importance. He believed in the people, even when they made him angry or were angry with him.
How we think of Mandela is, in many ways, how we think of the ANC. I am not talking about the politicians in the opposition parties who claim that the ANC has sold out the memory of Mandela; they never voted or supported the ANC when he was leading it.
I am talking about South Africans who honestly loved the ANC and Mandela, but today find it very difficult to.
They are being bombarded with negative information and views about the ANC and Mandela. Every now and then, you will see a social media meme with him receiving an ostrich leather attaché case as a gift, and then there will be the remark about “Stellenbosch” capital.
It is difficult for many South Africans to think of the ANC with good intentions, consisting of scrupulous and moral people, and being too trusting of domestic and international capital. Indeed, you will struggle to even find someone who believes the ANC was ever like that.
But the ANC was the standard of integrity and morality for South Africa, even when there were leaders of dubious character in the ANC.
They were regarded as the epitome of leaders because they believed they must serve the people.
Over the past few weeks, we have been reminded that at the core of the ANC, it is good. Its instinctive reaction to the genocide being meted out to the people of Palestine by Israel tells us that there is still real goodness in the ANC.
It must remind us of the many occasions that Mandela was clear about his support for the Palestinian people, and would directly tell the president of the United States that they can “jump into the nearest pool” if they harboured any notions of South Africa letting down the Palestinian struggle, and many other liberation struggles and heroes.
The ANC has been unequivocal in its support for the people of Palestine. It put aside political party competition to support the Dilemmas of Humanity Conference, which was organised by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, a union that is not a member of Cosatu, which is a member of the alliance with the ANC, South African Communist Party and Sanco.
It threw its weight behind the Economic Freedom Fighters’ motion in parliament that the Israeli ambassador be booted out of the country.
It convened a meeting of the Brics group of nations, which came out in support of Palestine and called for sanctions against Israel.
Mandela would have been proud of the ANC’s stance. If he was still alive, I am sure he would have called US President Joe Biden to chew his ear off about America’s reprehensible support of Israel.
Yes, the ANC’s other former president, Thabo Mbeki, reminds us that there are many members and leaders who joined the ANC for their own selfish gain. But all is not lost, there is goodness in the ANC and we need to support that goodness so that it overwhelms those with evil intentions.
But if the ANC leadership stops at Palestine, it will be ignoring that it could be rediscovering its revolutionary roots. For example, it must not allow the treasury and the many apologists out there who have tried to dilute and sweep under the proverbial carpet the harm the 28 banks have administered against South Africa when they colluded to manipulate our currency. The ANC must be as unapologetic on this matter as it is on Palestine.
The tenth anniversary of Mandela’s death is an opportune time to be the movement of the people as Mandela was the peoples’ champion.
Donovan E Williams is a social commentator.