Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

 Word has reached Australia this morning of the death of Nelson Mandela, one of the few, truly great men of the modern world and the father of modern South Africa.

 I am no expert on that great land and my knowledge of Mandela’s political career is modest at best but he was a symbol of hope for the world and a man of great forgiveness, compassion and humility.

 It should not of course be forgotten that change in South Africa may not have worked as well as it has without President FW de Klerk opening negotiations on the future of apartheid which paved the way for the democratisation of South Africa and the release from prison of Mandela who had been incarcerated for many years for terrorism.

 Mandela of course became the President of South Africa after the first fully democratic elections in that nation and he became a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. Few men have been treated as he yet managed to be so conciliatory towards those who had oppressed him.

 There are many great quotes that have been attributed to Mandela this morning, each one of them poignant and inspirational but I have a different memory of him. Recently I heard a recording of testimony he gave after being found guilty of terrorism and was sentenced to imprisonment on Robben Island.

 He told the judge he was not a supporter of black South Africa. He was not a supporter of white South Africa. He was just a supporter of South Africa. Or words to that effect.

 Mandela’s legacy as President of South Africa and his ability as a politician should be discussed more earnestly by people with more authority on the subject than I and from this distance is does appear that those who have followed him are not quite of the same quality as he. But then, how could they be?

 I will leave comment on South African political life to those immediately affected by it but it is true to say a shining light has been extinguished this morning.

 One can only hope that into the future his legacy as a statesman can inspire politicians of all races, nations and creeds to better themselves and take a more pragmatic view of what the world should be like.

 That is what Nelson Mandela hoped for in South Africa I believe. Let’s hope his vision for a better South Africa can become a vision for the rest of the world.

 Rest in peace.