Nelson Mandela, whose calls for political justice and racial reconciliation once shook the world, is a fading presence.
JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela, whose calls for political justice and racial reconciliation once shook the world, is a fading presence. South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon prepares for his 88th birthday on Tuesday deep in his twilight years, an elderly pensioner whose private life at long last takes precedence over his public image. "He is trying very hard to enjoy retirement, but it's not easy. We are still inundated with requests for his time," said Mandela’s spokeswoman, Zelda La Grange.
"At the age of 88 he is doing exceptionally well, healthwise. However, there is less time for work and a bigger need for time to attend to his health. Officials at the Nelson Mandela Foundation say Mandela still goes to his office each week, and he frequently meets visiting dignitaries —who often end up donating to his favourite causes, which include children, education and Africa's battle against HIVAIDS.
But it is clear that Mandela, who stepped down as president in 1999, is now truly retired, his once hectic schedule pared to a minimum and public appearances rare. The Nobel Peace laureate and South Africa's first black president, remains beloved as the grandfather of the nation and one of the few moral beacons with genuine worldwide reach. But his role as a unifying figure in a deeply divided society remains important— and it is here that Mandela's absence is felt.
"Mandela represented a struggle that was beyond self-interest. The present generation cannot be compared to Mandela's," said Sipho Seepe, a political scientist and government critic. Mandela's successor as president, Thabo Mbeki, has shown little interest in the "Rainbow Nation" imagery that was Mandela's trademark. Under Mbeki, the ruling African National Congress has hit some of the most serious turbulence of its 94-year history amid deep factional divisions over political direction and the question of succession.
Despite its problems, modern South Africa remains a creation of Mandela and his generation, its Constitution admired as among the most progressive in the world and its political discourse rooted in the language of justice and human rights that marked the long anti-apartheid struggle.
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