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The Herald, 11, 12, 13 February, 1990
ZIMBABWE welcomes the release of the ANC leader, Cde Nelson Mandela from 27 years in jail as a step in the right direction, but people should not be deceived into thinking that the release was an end to the evil system of apartheid, President Mugabe said yesterday.

At a Press conference in Harare, Cde Mugabe said that while some people would rush to congratulate President F.W. de Klerk for releasing Cde Mandela, and would call for investment in South Africa, Zimbabwe held a contrary view.

“So, while we’re jubilant that Cde Mandela is partially free,” he said, “we remain critical of South Africa for allowing the evil system of apartheid to continue.”

President de Klerk had merely indicated the direction that South Africa had to take; and that was the release of all political prisoners as a step to dismantling the policy of apartheid.

Other world leaders welcomed the release of Mandela as a significant step towards a non-racial democratic South Africa.

Zambia’s President Kenneth Kaunda was one of the first African leaders to welcome Cde Mandela’s release, adding that he hoped that serious negotiations would start as soon as possible “because I don’t think we have time to waste.”

However, he urged Pretoria to first create conditions for negotiations with the ANC, before talks could begin on power-sharing between whites and blacks in South Africa.

He did not specify the conditions, but the ANC has already demanded the lifting of the state of emergency as a pre-requisite for negotiations.

Cde Mandela is the most prominent black leader and main symbol of the vote-less black majority, who revere him as the father of the nation and main opponent of apartheid.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• February 11, 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the historic release from prison of South Africa’s founding President Nelson “Madiba” Mandela.
• Apartheid was the most wicked system in the world that reduced black people to unimaginable levels of servitude.
• South Africa’s current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who held the microphone during Mandela’s address in 1990, on Tuesday saluted another anti-apartheid stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela for being instrumental in Mandela’s release: “Winnie Mandela kept Nelson Mandela’s name alive every day. She and many others kept fires of resistance burning in the breasts of the people of this country.”
• A lot has happened in the past three decades, with Mandela’s legacy gaining a larger than life status, especially his principles of non-violence. The debate now is whether the Rainbow nation’s vision is being realised – 30 years since Mandela walked out of that prison.
• Expropriation of land without compensation, a major pillar in the struggle still has to gain traction in an egalitarian society. When will the land issue be addressed and will it succeed, without affecting things like the economy?

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