Goodbye Nelson Mandela

"I see the situation in South Africa as a microcosm of the world. The extreme gap between rich and poor. (...)

South Africa, as a society is lost. But in fact I see that everywhere I travel to. It is such a global problem. (...) Consumerism and the rise of the global corporate and military superpowers have devalued the powers of government. The media that reaches us through conventional channels is biased and fits the military and corporate agendas.

(...)

Many people in South Africa, although they respect Mandela, are very aware of the sunset clauses that he signed which meant that some of the key aims stated in the freedom charter document were never met. This allowed for the country to change in terms of racial equality, but it also allowed for wealth to stay in the same hands. There was no real actual socialist implementation, which is what the country desperately needed.

That is why you can find things like luxurious hotels in Cape Town called the Mandela Rhodes Hotel. The symbolism of the two names together is self-evident. They both allowed the wealth of South Africa to stay with the elite.

Despite this, one sees that he was in a difficult position and under a lot of pressure. The peaceful handover of power is a great thing, but the subsequent rate of violent crime in the country is also a result of the economic distress felt by the majority of people. So I can say that we all wish him a peaceful passing from this realm into the next and many blessings on his journey. But the country will keep going in its dysfunctional manner, like a lover breaking our hearts whom we can’t stop loving."

Faith47