Qunu – President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday attended the unveiling of two statues of former president Nelson Mandela at the Qunu Heritage Centre in the Eastern Cape.
Speaking on Mandela Day, President Ramaphosa recalled that Qunu was where the great statesman was born.
“To be here, eQunu where Tata grew up and that is his final resting place, is a great honour,” said President Ramaphosa.
“Qunu had a special place in Madibas heart.
“This was where he spent his boyhood being cared for by his family, tending cattle, and listening to the stories of the elders about the bravery of his people.”
It has been said that the two most important days in your life are the day you are born – and the day you find out why, the President said.
“It was here in Qunu that the first seeds of his political consciousness were planted, where Madibas imagination was first stirred, and where his great mind began to be shaped,” said President Ramaphosa.
Madiba, as Mandela, was affectionately known, later said of Qunu: It was there in the hills and valleys of Qunu, in the rolling hills of KwaDlangezwa, in the Genadendal settlement, and long the Gariep, the Lekoa and the Luvuvhu rivers, that we first understood that we are not free.
In Long Walk to Freedom, Madiba wrote that as he listened to the stories of the elders, he hoped to someday have the opportunity to serve his people and make his own humble contribution to the struggle for freedom.
“Madibas was no humble contribution. He led our nation to freedom, and even today, many years since his passing, his legacy lives on,” said President Ramaphosa.
“There are many monuments paying tribute to Madiba across South Africa, across Africa, and in many parts of the world, from Palestine to the United Kingdom, Seychelles, Senegal, Cuba, the US, Brazil, China, France, and many other places.
“But for us to be able to honour the father of our nation at this place that meant so much to him is something we have been working towards for some time.”
Dignitaries in attendance included former president Nelson Mandela’s widow Mama Graça Machel, Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa, Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Nocawe Mafu, Premier of the Eastern Cape Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, Majesties Kings and Queens.
Also in attendance were other traditional leaders present, Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Nonceba Kontsiwe, Executive Mayor of the OR Tambo District Municipality Mesuli Ngqondwana, Executive Mayor of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality Nyaniso Nelani, and Nelson Mandela Museum CEO Dr. Vuyani Booi.
Since 2021 the Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resource Agency, the Mandela family, the Nelson Mandela Museum, and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have been driving this process a process that included public consultation.
“‘As human beings, we are the sum of many parts, and Madiba was no different,” President Ramaphosa.
“Our upbringing, our culture, and many other factors shape our lived experiences.
“The statue we unveiled earlier today in Mthatha depicts Madiba in the role for which he was most well-known, that of a statesman.
“The statue here in Qunu depicts him in the attire of his Xhosa-Tembu culture, reminding us of the traditional values he lived by and that shaped his consciousness.
“It is our hope that this homage to Madiba in his final resting place will serve as an inspiration, especially to the young people in the community.”
President Ramaphosa added: “It is to remind you that the seeds of greatness lie dormant within each one of us and that it is up to us to make them germinate and bloom.
“It is to remind you that being born in a rural area, or having humble beginnings, is no obstacle to achieving greatness, and to fulfilling your destiny.
“It is to remind us of all our duty to do what we can to make the world a better place.”
Monuments, statues, and museums have a key role to play in the political and cultural life of any country.
They are a means of giving recognition to those who suffered hardship, repression, exile, or death in pursuit of universal ideals such as human freedom.
“Monuments such as this one are the struggle of memory against forgetting,” President Ramaphosa said.
“These statues of Madiba are beacons of hope to individuals and communities that are still suffering from the evils of marginalisation, and the scourges of poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment.”
President Ramaphosa said this statue should serve as a reminder to those of us elected to serve the South African people that we must redouble our efforts to build a better South Africa that leaves no one behind.
To quote Madibas own words, as long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality still exist in our world, none of us can truly rest, said President Ramaphosa.
“I would like to thank you, Mama Graça Machel, and members of the family for agreeing to collaborate with the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture on this project.
“Earlier today in Mthatha a library was handed over to the Zingisa Comprehensive School.
“I am told that the library project was sparked by a letter written to the authorities by a learner at the school requesting assistance, and I want to thank the provincial government for acceding to this request.
“I call upon the people of Qunu to protect and look after these sites of memorialisation and commemoration.
“I have no doubt they have the potential to attract tourists which will in turn support business and job creation.”
President Ramaphosa said every Nelson Mandela Day “we are called upon” to dedicate 67 minutes to performing acts of goodwill towards others as part of making our world a better place.
“If you have not yet done so, I encourage each South African to do their bit of good today, wherever they may be,” said President Ramaphosa.
“Madiba built bridges of peace, and mobilised people of the world to fight against social injustice and oppression.
“Let us strive to emulate his example, today and every day. I wish you all a happy Nelson Mandela Day.”
