"Mayibuye i-Afrika yangempela" - Bring back the true essence of Africa

MTHATHA, South Africa - July 23, 2013 - PRLog -- In what was a celebratory public lecture titled “Standing on the shoulders of giants. Where to from here?” held at the Nelson Mandela Drive Campus Site in Mthatha to honour the poster-boy of the struggle against oppression during Apartheid, prominent scholar, WSU honorary graduate and friend of Mandela, Prof Herbert Vilakazi said black people need to cleanse they’re souls and rekindle the true spirit of what makes them Africans.

“If we’re to overcome the upheavals currently facing this country, we must as black people embark on a journey of reconciliation with ourselves, and with each other. People seem to have lost the unity exhibited by our struggle heroes in fighting for and delivering us the democracy we enjoy today. Instead, our people want to equate themselves with the white man because of our self-doubt and lack of confidence in who we are,” says Vilakazi.

He says moral bonding, love and respect for one another are the cement needed for binding together what is already a dismantled society.

Panellist, Academic Director at Henley Management College Prof Sipho Seepe gave a provocative account of the current situation in the country and how people can change their ways in honour of Mandela by changing the country’s path.

“If people want to truly honour Madiba, we need to combat the systematic challenges that are facing this country. Society needs to ask itself whether anything has changed for the better since the new dispensation which Madiba fought so gallantly for. In that answer can we then truly begin to measure our efforts in honouring this great man’s legacy,” says Seepe.

WSU Director for the Centre for Rural Development Prof Peggy Luswazi warns people to guard against making Mandela a “cult figure with supernatural powers”.

She says people must not compartmentalise or fragment him – but look at his life in its entirety.    

“If people truly want to learn from Madiba’s journey to successes in life – they must know him in his entirety, and stop painting this misleading picture that he’s a saint. They need to know that Mandela’s successes came at great sacrifices – a man denied his right to raise his children, a man forced to play hide and seek with an oppressive government, a man who suffered both physical and psychological torment in his quest for an equal South Africa. Only then can we start to understand and try and learn from Madiba,” says Luswazi.

In his address, University of the Free State’s Prof Kwandiwe Kondlo said in a country that has become stagnant, and slowly on a path of regression, it’s paramount that the current generation confronts economic marginalisation that some of society’s corners grapple with.

“The mission for the Mandela era was to deliver this country a free, democratic society. It is now up to the current generation to carry that mission forward and overcome the other societal issues which we are faced with,” says Kondlo.

After being bombarded with questions about his comprehensive presentation about the history of the ANC, the South African Apartheid government, government policies, past leaders, Mandela’s role in the delivery of the new dispensation, amongst a plethora of other issues, Vilakazi challenged the audience to confront the issues raised and tackle them head on.

“You ask very pertinent questions, to which I don’t have all the answers. There is no magic wand that can deal with all these issues. The onus therefore is upon you to head up the struggle to confront these issues. Hold such talks, invite the relevant people and make them aware of the issues that need prioritisation,” concludes Vilakazi.