Cape Town – Nelson Mandela’s legacy has not ended with his passing, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says.
Addressing the National Assembly today during a joint sitting of Parliament, Motlanthe said the most endearing monument the world can leave to his memory is to strive for unity and human solidarity, to eradicate social inequalities, tackle racial and sexual discrimination, educate the masses, make health accessible to all and uphold a human-rights paradigm.
Mandela’s legacy could also help spread democratic ideals to the rest of Africa, while empowering ordinary Africans with access to health and education, he said.
South Africans and the world should never forget the life that Madiba lived, said Motlanthe.
He added that Madiba was a “human being that represented all that is lovely in a human being”.
“Our struggle is against forgetting and the approach we need to embrace to ensure that neither this generation nor subsequent generations forget our innocuous past even as they work for social change,” he said.
The Premier of the Western Cape and DA leader Helen Zille said Mandela had united people in hope and had shown that it is possible to leave the world in a better place.
North West Premier Thandi Modise said South Africa had drawn inspiration, courage and selflessness from Madiba.
“He taught us how to build a proud, caring and inclusive society, based on the values of Ubuntu, democracy, humility, equality, selflessness and dignity for all.”
She added that Madiba remained an inspiration for all to work harder towards the goal of one nation, one people united in diversity.
Various Members of Parliament addressed the joint sitting before they broke out in freedom songs. – SAnews.gov.za
