Johannesburg - Learners from the Jeppe High School for Girls braved the cold on the first day of the new school term so they could listen to former US president Barack Obama speak.
The pupils were part of the many people who descended to the Wanderers Stadium to hear Obama speak at the 16th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture.
Grade 11 learner, Ivana Garvanski said the only reason she decided to attend the lecture was because of the former US president.
"I came here because I want to hear Obama speak. I think I will learn a lot from his speech. I am looking forward to hearing him speak about leadership," Garvanski said.
Her peer, Scarlet Margoles hoped that Obama would talk about women in leadership.
"I am interested in hearing him [Obama] speak about women in leadership. I believe women have an important role to play in society. We want to be role models to women and change the world," Margoles said.
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The Nelson Mandela Foundation said they chose Obama to deliver the lecture because he was passionate about active citizenship.
The lecture is one of the foundation’s flagship programmes to honour the Struggle icon. Every year since 2003, global leaders have used the lecture to raise topical issues affecting South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world.
Nelson Mandela Foundation Director of Communications, Luzuko Koti said, globally, democracy was under threat and someone needed to interrogate this.
“We are dealing with a global community where democracy is at risk and captured either by government or other forces including people who take advantage of our people. We wanted to interrogate this issue globally and here in South Africa but also looking at the legacy of Madiba, some level of analysis of active citizenship and we know the man [Barack Obama] is passionate about that from his leadership programmes."
“This is Madiba’s centenary. It is his 100th year. I think we are all excited that we have lived to see this time. We know the impact that he [Mandela] has made in our lives, in our politics and also in transforming our society. Not just South Africa but globally. We needed to mark that centenary in a way that would be memorable for generations."
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