On 18 July South African citizens celebrated Mandela Day by volunteering 67 minutes of their day to a good cause, but does such a short amount of time actually achieve anything? Tshepo Tshabalala argues the case
By Tshepo Tshabalala
As the day draws to a close, I sit back and wonder how a single man's vision is able to make a nation honour him on his birthday for only 67 minutes. Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, celebrated his birthday on 18 July. In 2009, the initiative, Mandela Day, was coined calling on all South Africans to contribute sixty seven minutes of their time to help the needy and assist where they can.
People across the country participate in various ways from donating books to libraries, building houses, painting schools, weed vegetable gardens, cook at children's homes and the list goes on. However I believe many use the former president's good name and his birthday to boost their own success.
I struggle to understand the reasons many human beings are unable to do simple good deeds during their daily lives and would rather wait for 18 July to show how much they 'care' for others and show the world that community service is important to them. The way we celebrate the day would make an oblivious child think Madiba was a superhuman.
I have also come to realise that it is a public relations function on which 'celebrities' hop on to stay relevant. The Sisulus established a brand called Cheesekids a few years ago. When the Cheesekids started they were just a facebook group for those who went to priviledged wealthy schools and speak English with an accent different to that of most South Africans. They started doing charity work and this year they somewhat became the big headline for the Mandela Day initiative. Celebrities all over the country joined on the Cheesekids bandwagon doing their bit to be nice for an hour and a few minutes, one would swear that Mandela is the coming Messiah for the religious.
Oh it would be wrong of me not to mention that the Sisulu grandchildren are part of the political elite in South Africa as there are only a few families celebrated for fighting in the anti-apartheid struggle. Other families would include the Hanis, Mandelas and Tambos. This is despite the fact that the majority of the people in this country did their small bit to fight for freedom.
Don't get me wrong, The Mandela Day initiative is a great initiative. Yes, Madiba has done numerous things for South Africa as a nation. But to only realise that one sees the need to epitomise the old man's qualities only on 18 July, annually, makes my stomach churn. Shouldn't we uphold Madiba's qualities of selflessness, humility, forgiveness and love throughout our daily lives?
As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for one day, but give him a fishing rod and you feed him for a lifetime. As South Africans I see our Mandela Day deeds as mere actions, without significance.
I salute those who are continuously selfless in their daily challenges, making a difference in someone else's life and improving the situations of those less fortunate. I salute those who try by all means to empower others, give hope to the hopeless and show that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
South African television stars, radio personalities and musicians should know that this day is not about them and if they truly want to be celebrated role models then they should make everyday a Mandela Day. The true heroes of this day should be those who run orphanages, homeless shelters and soup kitchens and not the Cheesekids and their friends in the media industry.
Follow Tshepo Tshabalala on Twitter
As the day draws to a close, I sit back and wonder how a single man's vision is able to make a nation honour him on his birthday for only 67 minutes. Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, celebrated his birthday on 18 July. In 2009, the initiative, Mandela Day, was coined calling on all South Africans to contribute sixty seven minutes of their time to help the needy and assist where they can.
People across the country participate in various ways from donating books to libraries, building houses, painting schools, weed vegetable gardens, cook at children's homes and the list goes on. However I believe many use the former president's good name and his birthday to boost their own success.
I struggle to understand the reasons many human beings are unable to do simple good deeds during their daily lives and would rather wait for 18 July to show how much they 'care' for others and show the world that community service is important to them. The way we celebrate the day would make an oblivious child think Madiba was a superhuman.
I have also come to realise that it is a public relations function on which 'celebrities' hop on to stay relevant. The Sisulus established a brand called Cheesekids a few years ago. When the Cheesekids started they were just a facebook group for those who went to priviledged wealthy schools and speak English with an accent different to that of most South Africans. They started doing charity work and this year they somewhat became the big headline for the Mandela Day initiative. Celebrities all over the country joined on the Cheesekids bandwagon doing their bit to be nice for an hour and a few minutes, one would swear that Mandela is the coming Messiah for the religious.
Oh it would be wrong of me not to mention that the Sisulu grandchildren are part of the political elite in South Africa as there are only a few families celebrated for fighting in the anti-apartheid struggle. Other families would include the Hanis, Mandelas and Tambos. This is despite the fact that the majority of the people in this country did their small bit to fight for freedom.
Don't get me wrong, The Mandela Day initiative is a great initiative. Yes, Madiba has done numerous things for South Africa as a nation. But to only realise that one sees the need to epitomise the old man's qualities only on 18 July, annually, makes my stomach churn. Shouldn't we uphold Madiba's qualities of selflessness, humility, forgiveness and love throughout our daily lives?
As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for one day, but give him a fishing rod and you feed him for a lifetime. As South Africans I see our Mandela Day deeds as mere actions, without significance.
I salute those who are continuously selfless in their daily challenges, making a difference in someone else's life and improving the situations of those less fortunate. I salute those who try by all means to empower others, give hope to the hopeless and show that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
South African television stars, radio personalities and musicians should know that this day is not about them and if they truly want to be celebrated role models then they should make everyday a Mandela Day. The true heroes of this day should be those who run orphanages, homeless shelters and soup kitchens and not the Cheesekids and their friends in the media industry.
Follow Tshepo Tshabalala on Twitter
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