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This weekend, SA and the rest of the world will be celebrating Nelson Mandela’s birthday by dedicating 67 minutes of their time to doing good for others.
Mandela Day, especially in the country of his birth, has become a significant part of the calendar with individuals, families, organisations and companies embarking on various charitable activities across the nation.
This year, we believe, will not be any different. It is our hope here at The Herald that our readers will be among those honouring the memory of the great South African statesman and world-renowned political leader by helping those in need.
As the democracy Mandela helped establish becomes mature, so too are its citizens becoming more cynical about politics.
Who can really blame them? The generation of politicians that came after him has not always covered itself in glory.
Many of them seem more eager to line their pocket than serve the people and communities they claim to represent.
Hence, there is a steady decline in the number of citizens interested in participating in elections, not to mention the day-to-day running of their cities and towns.
However, the reality is that democracy remains the best available system to us.
That system cannot work effectively without full participation by citizens.
It is for this reason that we ask that, during this year’s Mandela Day, each and everyone should devote some time to thinking about, and talking to others about, how we can enhance our country’s democratic system and get the majority believing in the process of elections once again.
In November, the country will be going to the polls to elect new local governments.
One of the best birthday gifts we can give to Mandela — besides participating in the Mandela Day events — is to come out in numbers to vote on election day.
It does not matter which party one votes for, as long as we turn up in numbers to demand better service from our governments and to reaffirm that Mandela’s fight for democracy was not in vain.
