In the evening of December 05, 2013, the world was awakened by shcking news of the passing of Nelson Mandela, famously known as Madiba – a name of his clan. In South Africa, he is deservedly regarded as the Father of the Nation.

 

South African President, Jacon Zuma announced the news, and described Madiba as a humble and charismatic leader who knew when and how to make decisions. However, like anybody else, President Zuma could not roll all the qualities that were entrenched in this special human being. All the speakers, as well commentators, especially those who were lucky to share some important moments of his life, have been unanimous about what Madiba stood for and what he represented among them: he was visionary and charismatic leader, a negotiator, a peace-maker, a forgiver, possessed a sense of humour and finally a unifier among other qualities.

 

After a very long period of oppression, South Africa needed a leader with strong and recurring personality who could calm the “animal spirit” of both sides that were warring in order to foster racial reconciliation for an inclusive and socially coherent South Africa. His quality as a freedom fighter, but a unifier, has been pictured right from his early involvement into politics, when in April 1944, he joins the ANC at the age of 23 and a few years later, after all peaceful means to negotiate with the apartheid regime have been exhausted, Mandela and other freedom fighters decide to call for a militant, a campaign against the apartheid.

 

On numerous occasions, while defending his compatriots, Mandela continuously appealed to the apartheid regime to stop their dividing practices in favour of harmonious and coherent cohabitation of all races in South Africa. He stood to denounce injustice, the oppression and discrimination. In this way, Madiba showed his quality as a unifier to achieve social cohesion.

 

During his Rivonia trial, June 1964, Mandela made a famous speech in which he said; “....i have fought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But if need be, it is an ideal fro which I am prepared to die”. There is no doubt that this passage from his speech clearly articulates his vision of unity and equality in order to achieve social cohesion for all South Africans.

During his imprisonment, in 1985, he had written a letter to the then Minister of Justice, requesting a meeting with him in order to set ground for peace talks between the ANC and the apartheid regime. The Minister rather chose to see him face to face at Volks Hospital. This laid a strong foundation for regular meetings between both of them until 1988. Again, this clearly shows how negotiations and peace have been at the core of this heart. Once again, he wanted peaceful cohabitation or social cohesion of South Africa people.

 

In July 1989, during his meeting with the then President P.W. Botha (“the Great Crocodile” as he was nicknamed), Mandela painted a picture of a tolerant, and peace-loving person. However, it was the resignation of President Botha, a month later that truly marked a beginning of a new era, with the coming of President F.W. de Klerk. In December of the same year, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk met to discuss how the fear of the white community could be allayed. Mandela referred him to the Freedom Charter (a guiding document of the ANC, containing the major principles of the organisation) where it reads that South Africa belongs to all who live in it black and white. In this way, Mandela behaved as a true hero, champion of peace and social cohesion.

 

Upon his release, he reiterated his commitment to peace and peaceful cohabitation of all South Africans. However, many people among the white community displayed a kind of misbelief and lack of trust in him. He rather proved them wrong when they heard him talking about forgiveness, a surprising move for someone who had been jailed for 27 years, taking a leading role in advocating forgiveness to those who had infringed on his fundamental human rights for such a long time. However, he did this in order to set an example of how social cohesion can be achieved.

 

In 1993, the country was on the verge of violence, when Chris Hani was murdered by a right wing white man. Mandela, a man who knew what is good for his people and their country stood firm as a true leader and dampened all attempts of retribution. This assassination could have indeed been a trigger of an unparalleled conflict as black people’s wounds of apartheid, were still fresh and were full of bitterness and resentment. This death was equally detrimental to the entire process of peace negotiations and reconciliation among South Africans. Once again, Madiba stood firm and aborted any attempt to drive the country into violence; by this cherishing forgiveness and leaving the matter into the hands of justice. In this way, he showed his commitment towards social cohesion among South Africans.

 

His five years of tenure of the South African Presidency have been marked by his regular calls to peace, reconciliation, forgiveness among South Africans in order to live in harmony. More interestingly, Madiba did not limit his social cohesion campaign to only South Africa citizens. Since social cohesion is mostly at peril during the conflict period, Madiba undertook initiatives to bring about peace on the African continent and far afield. In 1997, he tried to reach a peace-accord between two warring sides in the then Zaire, in order to stop bloodshed. However, his effort were temped with by the unwillingness of one side to follow his instructions, and the results have been the on-going wars for about two decades, with a total breakdown of the Congolese society and unprecedented consequences of lack of social cohesion among its people.

 

Similarly, Madiba facilitated peace-talks in Burundi conflict, where he even went as far as to mention that he never saw a country which is ruled by a minority that has peace and democracy. In the Middle East, Madiba tried to bring Israelites and Palestinians to the negotiation table. Once again, his aims were to promote social cohesion among people of the same Nation or same region.

 

Today, while we mourn his passing and celebrate his legacy, it is imperative for an organisation such as the Rwandan Heritage Foundation (RHF) whose major objective is to advocate social cohesion, to take a look at his achievements in this area, and call upon other leaders that Nelson Mandela has left an uphill battle that they must face in way he did. We are particularly thinking of many countries on the African continent, like Rwanda where the notion of social cohesion does not exist. In 1996, Mandela said: “I want to step down while there is at least one or two people who can still admire me”. Today, we call upon those leaders to strive to walk in Mandela’s footsteps. Again, Mandela said: “The struggle is my life” and this struggle was that of uniting his people. Therefore, we ask some African leaders: what is your struggle? Are you uniting or dividing your people? Is your struggle for equal opportunities of discrimination of your people? Is your struggle to continuously promote your people or intimidate a component of them? Mandela has given you a lesson about the meaning of power and forgiveness. The onus is upon you to apply the lesson, otherwise you are making us feel ashamed of being Africans. If a society is united by its leadership, it achieves an everlasting development.

Viva unity amongst the people.