Nelson Mandela Day must be a call to service, honesty and responsibility
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, UDM Deputy President and Leader in Parliament
As South Africa observes Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July 2026, we remember former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela with the respect due to a departed elder and former Head of State.
Nelson Mandela Day should, however, be more than an annual exercise in praise or symbolism. It should be a call to service, reflection and honest engagement with the condition of our country.
President Mandela’s legacy remains the subject of two broad schools of thought. Many South Africans regard him as a central figure in the struggle against apartheid, a leader who helped guide the country through a dangerous political transition and who contributed to the establishment of a democratic constitutional order.
Others believe that the political settlement reached during that period did not sufficiently transform the economic structure of the country, and that too many of the inequalities created under apartheid were allowed to continue. For many black South Africans who remain landless, unemployed, poor and excluded from economic opportunity, these concerns are neither abstract nor disrespectful. They arise from the realities of their daily lives.
A mature democracy must be able to acknowledge both perspectives. We should neither dismiss President Mandela’s contribution nor pretend that the democratic transition resolved the structural injustices that continue to confront our people.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) President Bantu Holomisa shared a deep relationship of trust with President Mandela. That relationship was built during a difficult period in our country’s history and was founded on frank engagement, mutual respect and a shared concern for South Africa’s future.
Respect for President Mandela’s memory must therefore include the honesty that characterised relationships of that nature, rather than reducing his life and legacy to empty ceremony.
Nelson Mandela Day should remind those who hold public office that leadership is not about personal enrichment, privilege or public performance. It is about service, integrity and responsibility to the people.
South Africa continues to face deep poverty, unemployment, inequality, failing public services, crime and widespread disillusionment with political leadership. These conditions cannot be addressed through 67 minutes of activity once a year. They require sustained work, accountable government and the courage to confront the unfinished business of our democracy.
The UDM calls upon South Africans to use this day to serve their communities, assist the vulnerable, care for the elderly, support young people and contribute to the restoration of dignity in the places where they live.
As we remember President Mandela, may we do so respectfully, honestly and without mythmaking. May his soul continue to rest in peace, and may Nelson Mandela Day inspire a renewed commitment to building a just, equal and accountable South Africa.
