News
Madiba’s sympathy with family of Nzimeni Elliot Mfaxa
Oct 21, 2008 – One of the former 1956 Treason Trialists who took part in a reunion with Nelson Mandela in March this year, has passed away.
Nzimeni Elliot Mfaxa passed away on October 16 at home in Tyutyu Village, outside King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, after an asthma attack. He was 83.
Black Wednesday remembered
Oct 17, 2008 – On October 19, 1977, the apartheid regime declared illegal 19 Black Consciousness organisations, banned two newspapers and detained scores of activists. That day is now commemorated in South Africa as “Black Wednesday” and is also marked as National Press Freedom Day.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation asked political commentator Xolela Mangcu to mark the 31st anniversary of Black Wednesday by analysing an essay on Black Consciousness written by Nelson Mandela on Robben Island in 1978.
Madiba mourns the death of Esther Barsel
Oct 8, 2008 – Almost three months to the day after joining her old friend and comrade, Nelson Mandela and others, for a 90th birthday lunch, life-long activist Esther Barsel passed away in Johannesburg on Monday, October 6.
Food and comics tell Mr Mandela’s story
Oct 1, 2008 – Nelson Mandela must be one of the best-documented historical figures internationally, with no shortage of reading material telling his heroic life story.
The two most recent authorised additions to a long list of published books about his life, however, take a decidedly different approach to the story of the first president of democratic South Africa.
Launched on July 5 and July 16, 2008 respectively, A Hunger for Freedom and Nelson Mandela: The Authorised Comic Book take a refreshing new look at the life of Madiba.
Madiba receives June 16 commemorative statue
Sep 30, 2008 – Former President Nelson Mandela was today presented with a statue from Antoinette Sithole, the sister of the late Hector Pieterson, the first victim of police bullets in the 16 June 1976 uprising.
The statue, which is based on the famous photograph by Sam Nzima of Mbuyisa Makhubu carrying the wounded 12-year-old Pieterson with Ms Sithole running alongside, includes a new element – that of Mr Mandela standing in front of the group with his arms outstretched.
Engraved on the plinth are the words “Celebrating the truism that each generation stands on the shoulders of the achievements of previous generations”.
Mthatha community conversation
Sept 23, 2008 – “This is not the freedom our leaders before us fought for. AIDS is killing us but we seem as if we don’t care. Let’s get together and fight this disease!”
A crowd of 400 people applauded these words from a young woman at the community conversation held in Mthatha on September 3.