Pretoria - People should use Father’s Day to celebrate former President Nelson Mandela’s legacy of servant hood, self-less service and reconciliation and to continue praying for his speedy recovery, says North West Premier Thandi Modise.
“Tata Mandela’s ability to build bridges across different groups and generations in our county secured a stable future for us all. His fighting spirit should inspire and challenge us to unite working for a united, non-racial, on-sexist, equal, democratic society in which there is social justice and a better life for all,” she said on Sunday.
The attention of the country and the world once again shifted to Madiba’s health when he was taken to hospital in the early hours of last Saturday with a recurring lung infection.
Since the former President – who turns 95 next month – was hospitalised, the Presidency said in updates on his health that he was in a serious but stable condition, and restricted visits to close family and relatives because he was in intensive care.
Local and international media houses have been camping outside Mandela’s home in Houghton while some have been stationed outside the hospital.
The Premier’s message was for both the fathers and the youth for the commemoration of the 37th anniversary of the 16 June Soweto uprising. Modise urged fathers to be role models for their children as well as to nurture and inculcate in them values of Ubuntu, love and compassion which are exemplified by Madiba.
“We are losing children who are the future of our country to drugs because most fathers are detached from their children and have allowed a generational gap to develop and define their relationship with their children.
“The Proud to Serve Youth campaign that our young people were part of should be sustained as it affords youth with the opportunity to carry forward Madiba’s legacies of selfless service and emulate patriotic and historic sacrifices of the 1976 youth generation,” she said.
Premier Modise said young South Africans owe it to the memory of Hector Peterson and Solomon Mahlangu to overcome peer pressure and expose those who are peddling drugs in their communities, neighbourhoods and schools so that the vision of a drug free South Africa could be realised. - SAnews.gov.za
