Mvezo Komkhulu, Monday 11th February 2019: Today marks the 29th anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s release from incarceration. On that historic day in front of a crowd of 50 000 people gathered on the Grand Parade in Cape Town and the entire nation he uttered the most profound words: “I stand before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of the people.”

Today, on the eve of the 6th National Democratic Elections his words echo loud and clear. It calls on all who dedicate themselves to being humble servants of the people to come forward and be counted.

On the 11th Feb 1990 despite Madiba’s historic release much still needed to be done to make the first democratic elections of 1994 a reality. Amidst the most difficult circumstances and the ever present threat of civil war there was no sign of the peace, democracy and freedom with which he greeted the nation.

Leaving Victor Verster Prison that day, he started the long journey that culminated in the first democratic National General Elections on the 27th April 1994.

Today, despite 25 years of democracy and a long and proud list of achievements under our ANC led government, we still have to address critical issues such as the rural urban development divide, unacceptable levels of youth unemployment, rising social decay reflected in the scourge of gangsterism and drugs, violence against women and children, gross inequality, and of course endemic corruption. We can and will win this war, our peace, democracy and freedom depends on it.

The historic day of 11th February calls upon all of us to release the spirit of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and rededicate ourselves to serve the nation as “humble servants”.

We must proclaim as our great leader did “that apartheid has no future!” We must say in the same vein that corruption has no future. We must proclaim that inequality has no future.

We must say for all the world to hear that we have no future as a nation if we continue to perpetuate apartheid spatial planning and the inequality between rural and urban, rich and poor, women and men and black and white persist. We must all dedicate ourselves to breaking down these iniquities and inequalities however it manifests itself.

We call on the ANC leadership and our rank and file membership on the eve of this historic 6th National Elections on the 8th May 2019 to follow in Madiba’s footsteps as humble servants of the people.

We call on all South Africans who hold President Mandela in high esteem, let us rally the nation to vote in the upcoming National General Elections!

Let there be peace for all!

Let there be democracy for all!

Let there be freedom for all!

ENDS

Nkosi Zwelivelile
Royal House of Mandela
Mvezo Komkhulu
P.O. Box 126
Viedgesville, 5102
Eastern Cape Province
South Africa