Durban - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa briefly took a swipe at EFF leader Julius Malema during his moving talk on the legacy of Nelson Mandela in Durban on Wednesday night.
“He (Mandela) was a great revolutionary leader.
“And he was a real fighter. Not the ones we see today,” said Ramaphosa, speaking in Zulu, to loud cheers from the audience which packed the Durban City Hall.
Ramaphosa said: “Nelson Mandela loathed corruption, wastage of public resources and self-enrichment, which further impoverished our people and eroded our social fabric.
“Madiba placed an absolute premium on education,” he said.
“He (Mandela) believed education served as an important weapon against the apartheid regime by linking people across the globe through small actions such as writing letters, pamphlets and so on.”
Ramaphosa was taking part in a political discussion hosted by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, under the theme, “How can we preserve the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela?”.
The discussion is part of a series of activities conducted by the national and provincial structures of the party as part of its Mandela Day tributes.
“Today,” he said, “we have to marshal the forces of education to wrestle our country from the ravages of poverty, inequality and unemployment.”
Ramaphosa called on the public to “reflect” on Madiba’s legacy and urged South Africans to follow the example of the iconic leader.
He had compiled a list of 60 attributes he had taken from Madiba.
“I have identified 60 and I think we can make them 100,” he said. “In defining his legacy, we must ask ourselves whether we remain on course to achieve the vision he so bravely pursued.”
This would afford the pubic an opportunity to open up their minds and “evaluate whether we can be as generous as he was”.
In his list of attributes, he described a great father, a human rights lawyer, a teacher, a mobiliser, an avid reader, compassionate leader and a great mentor.
The Mercury