On Friday, the global community will join SA to celebrate Mandela Day.
Celebrated annually since 2010, the day honours Madiba’s legacy and encourages people to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to community service, symbolising the 67 years he devoted to public service.
As has become the norm on Mandela Day, many people are expected to demonstrate their goodwill through donation of goods, painting of schools, clean-ups at orphanages and soup kitchens, among other gestures.
Politicians usually like stealing the limelight and delivering a lot of speeches on the day.
However, 30 years into democracy we wonder if those in the corridors of power are living up to Mandela’s values.
While a lot has been done to uplift the lives of the previously disadvantaged, poverty, inequality and unemployment are getting worse.
Our country remains the most unequal society, with a Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, projected to be 0.63 in 2024.
The Gini coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing perfect inequality.
Where are social justice and dignity when there is so much inequality?
In the province of Mandela’s birth, we have reported about two mothers, in separate incidents in 2023, killing their children and later committing suicide in Port St Johns and Butterworth due to poverty.
Last week, we reported on how NGOs caring for the vulnerable in the province had their funding withheld as they had not met new protocol requirements.
Protecting state resources is noble, but it defeats logic when poor beneficiaries seem to be punished.
Their plight has become man-made crisis, which we think could be addressed better.
Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
However, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report which measured the reading skills of nine- to 10-year-olds in 57 countries in 2021 showed that SA was at the bottom of the class.
The report revealed that the proportion of children who could not read for meaning in grade 4 in SA had worsened to 81% from 78% in the previous report of 2016.
Do your civic duty to advocate for change and hold leaders to account
We wonder if there is a political will to turn the tide.
All we hear are the speeches which fall flat at implementation.
We implore everyone to make Mandela Day a way of life.
Everyone can do something.
If you don’t have material resources, volunteer your hands to support community initiatives or offer your skills to mentor others.
If you can’t, do your civic duty to advocate for change and hold leaders to account.
Each day we must be prepared to do our best and help those in need to attain the level of a best and prosperous country for all.
Daily Dispatch
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