Nelson Mandela and the power of a man

South Africa is relieved. Nelson Mandela, Madiba or tata is home again. One of the most  asked questions the last few weeks was probably, 'What will happen with South Africa after his death? "A question that is probably more irrelevant than relevant, but still a question that puzzles many.  Yesterday, having  a dinner with friends, we talked about the man who many, especially of our generation, worship as a hero of the South. As one of the guests puts it: Mandela and Che Gevara colored our walls in our quest for a better world.  Being a young student, I was singing to the tunes of 'Free Nelson Mandela'. I knew very little about South Africa. There was Zola Budd, the great athlete who ran barefoot and received the British nationality because of Apartheid. There was also Pieter Willem Botha, Die Groot Krokodil and the Prime Minister of this country with a horrible regime where everyone was called Botha. There was Helene Pastors who was responsable for a bomb attack and that even triggered a lot of discussions on apartheid in Belgium. There were Paul Simon and Miriam Makeba, who made me familiar with South African sounds and put me in touch with the other side of South Africa. But my first encounter with South Africa was a picture of a dead boy, Hector Pieterson, carried by a friend.  The thirteen year old boy lost his life during the Soweto uprisings in 1976.  As a child of about the same age I did not understand why these cruel policemen would kill a defenseless child. It was unreal. I did not understand a lot about Apartheid. All I knew that it was terrible to treat people differently because of their skin color, even murder someone else and on top of it, shooting innocent children. It did not seem to fit the times we were living in and as far as I understood, even less in a country with a certain civilization. This was not done. A normal reflection for an eleven year and for sure in the late 70s when bringing civilization to these African countries was still a noble mission as if they did not have a civilization themselves. Gradually, the country continued to fascinate me. I still remember the news when and how Frederik Willem de Klerk removed Botha from the office and these were the first signs of improvement. The ban on the ANC was lifted and all this led to the release of Nelson Mandela. Eureka!

Nelson Mandela and the events symbolized the injustice in the world but even more the belief that grass movements can make a change and make the injustice disappear. However, twenty years later, the images and stories we are receiving these days seem not very promising. South Africa is believed to become a country of violence and poverty, not as bad as Congo, wanting to stress how bad it is, but still. We get reports on rapes, drug problems, AIDS, extreme poverty, townships, corrupt politicians and racial violence and as a metaphor: the extreme right-wing Afrikaners who are preparing for a race war in training camps. It looks like this nation is adrift and it is leaving us with one question "What will happen to South Africa when Nelson Mandela dies?"
There are a lot of problems. Problems that were difficult to predict. And even more, could one predict them? There was a minority of white upper class with money, a lot of poor black poverty but perhaps even more, a country that was opened up to a world that was very rapidly putting its mark on the South African society. The free market took over, there was too little correction from the government and the huge gap between rich and poor remained.

I have to admit that our visits often leave me with a pessimistic view. Visits to the townships are no feast for the eye. I was often shocked by young people on drugs, just hanging around, the glances, sometimes apathetic, sometimes aggressive. I was shocked to see AIDS Patients, kids and mums waiting for their medication, schools without books and newspapers filled with stories of a corrupt Zuma and his entourage who are using the tax money for their own gain. But not only townships shock. There is the persistent segregation, a legacy of apartheid that is still a fact in South Africa. Rich remain in their enclaves, not only the white elite but also the black elite, separating as such the rich from the poor in South Africa. People take their car in the secure compounds to drive to the heavily secured shopping malls, avoiding the non-secured areas. People are obsessed with violence in South Africa. For sure, it is a violent country but there are not only the victims of physical violence but there is also the violence with which weapons, security systems, insurance are merchandised and the idea that one should take the law into their own hands. It is separating people from each other and even more setting up people against each other.

And yet there is the fear that it even will be worse once Mandela is no longer alive. I have the impression that this feeling is stronger abroad than in South Africa. There is a feeling that anarchy will take over but is still waiting out of respect for Madiba and does not want to damage 'his ANC'. What is it with Madiba that he should stay alive because the country would not fall apart? And do people in South Africa think this themselves?
I can not speak for South Africa as a country but I can testify from my many conversations and observations I had during my stay in Cape Town that maybe this big anarchy will not happen. Personal stories and working with the people in townships leave me with the impression that the reality is much more nuanced. Structural changes have been implemented, still far from perfect but they are there and I heard so many testimonies from people that still believe in  a better South Africa. There are so many initiatives bridging the gap between poor and rich, people starting up local projects, there are also the initiatives from the government like free handing out of AIDS inhibitors, schools that are functioning, the universities are mixed. There are the neighborhoods where the security systems are not so prominent, where the segregation is not visible and there are even female bus drivers with  a headscarf.  The voices of black and colored intellectuals are getting heard, such as those of writers, musicians, filmmakers but also business leaders, retailers, restaurant owners, accountants, secretaries ... people that set an example for the others and the reason to keep dreaming of a future in which opportunities will be given to everyone and make these poor people believe they will be able to share their successful story.

Many believe in the message of Mandela for a better world and many take it to heart. He suffered to get a better country and he was able to start over without convicting the others. This is the power of Madiba.  The symbol Mandela will not disappear very soon, even if the man is no longer there.
Many will undoubtedly cry, and I will certainly be one of them, but his legacy, despite all the current problems, will lead, step by step, to a country that makes life 'bearable' for everyone.