By Saths Cooper The birthday of the founding president of our democracy, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, will be celebrated across the globe, while our current president, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, will use the occasion to address the joint sitting of the seventh democratic Parliament on July 18, 2024. Those who attend this event in Cape Town and who will likely party into the next morning may just use the next day, a Friday, to mark the birthday of our third former president, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, who turns 75 and is still in fine fettle. It is quite unusual to celebrate the birthdays of two presidents within a day of each other, anywhere.
So, it is quite appropriate for us during the 30th anniversary of our fragile democracy, on the southern tip of Africa, to celebrate the birthdays of our first and third presidents this week. Those who are lucky to be in political power will do their level best to bask in Mandela’s glory, appropriating him for all their worth. Ultimately though, they will fail to live up to the standards of the Mandela government, which set the singular tone for South Africa, never to be seriously emulated since.
But which certainly should be surpassed, lest we look backwards, ignore the present and fail our future. To his credit, President Ramaphosa was at his best when he accepted the election results on June 2: “Our people have spoken ..
. we have heard the voices of our people and we must respect their wishes.” Then followed a roller-coaster of huge.