President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled two statues of the late former President Nelson Mandela, one in Mthatha and the other in Qunu in the Eastern Cape, as part of Nelson Mandela Day celebrations.
The two statues unveiled at Bhunga Building in Mthatha and Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu, serve as a tribute to Nelson Mandela's enduring impact on South Africa and the world.
They further commemorate the 67 years he dedicated to the fight against apartheid and racism.
Unveiling the statue in Qunu, President Ramaphosa noted that while there are many monuments paying tribute to Madiba across South Africa, as well as across Africa and many parts of the world, for South Africans to be able to honour the father of our nation at his place of birth, meant a lot.
The President said the making of the statues was something that government has been working towards for some time.
“Since 2021 the Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resource Agency, the Mandela family, the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have been driving this process – a process that included public consultation,” President Ramaphosa said.
The statue in Mthatha depicts Madiba in the role for which he was most well-known, a statesman, while the statue in Qunu depicts him in the attire of his Xhosa-Tembu culture, “reminding us of the traditional values he lived by and that shaped his consciousness”.
“It is our hope that this homage to Madiba in his final resting place will serve as an inspiration, especially to the young people in the community. It is to remind you that the seeds of greatness lie dormant within each one of us, and that it is up to us to make them germinate and bloom.
“It is to remind you that being born in a rural area, or having humble beginnings, is no obstacle to achieving greatness, and to fulfilling your destiny. It is to remind us of all our duty to do what we can to make the world a better place,” President Ramaphosa said.
He said the two statues were beacons of hope to individuals and communities that were still suffering from the evils of marginalisation and the scourges of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.
“Monuments, statues and museums have a key role to play in the political and cultural life of any country. They are a means of giving recognition to those who suffered hardship, repression, exile, or death in pursuit of universal ideals such as human freedom.
“Monuments such as this one is the struggle of memory against forgetting. This statue should serve as reminder to those of us elected to serve the South African people that we must redouble our efforts to build a better South Africa that leaves no-one behind,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President called on the people of Qunu to protect and look after the sites of memorialisation and commemoration, adding that he has no doubt they have the potential to attract tourists, which will in turn support business and job creation.
He encouraged South Africans to do their bit of good today by dedicating 67 minutes to performing acts of goodwill towards others, as part of making the world a better place.
“Madiba built bridges of peace and mobilised people of the world to fight against social injustice and oppression. Let us strive to emulate his example, today and every day,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
