Yesterday was in South Africa, Mandela Day, the UN now has even declared international. The 92nd Nelson Mandela's birthday should buy every 67 minutes of his time to do something good. And so, for a day nursing homes flooded with good people and all the forgotten people of the country sucked so much tea and attention in otherwise not be in like in a year.
I let an old woman in a wheelchair in front of me on the street. This would be much faster, but I also have to admit that I am such events collective moral clean-washing does not believe to be particularly useful. This has something of the Christmas church attendance. The number 67 is also questionable. The reason is in fact that Mandela had used 67 years of his life to making the world better. The campaign was there but already last year, with the same number of years, beginning in 1942 with Mandela's first Human Rights Campaign. Would, therefore, the old man did nothing last year. It has also recently Mandela but at least the Party FIFA made better just by his presence. That he had been forced, according to allegations by his grandson of the leaves-Mafia, we do not mention here once more.
The jubilation, the Mandela triggered by waving in front of the World Cup final in the crowd, then showed the world how much the South Africans adore their liberation hero still. The picture is not wrong but not completely. People, such as the mid-forties to early March I met in Orange Farm, one of the poorest townships in Johannesburg, where is not even since the end of apartheid, running water or sewage system had been installed, that does not alleged in the Stadium. They were able to Mandela So do not wave, because the entrance to a few months' salary would have cost - if not the mid-nineties and has since been dismissed anyway would be unemployed. "Mandela has betrayed us," the man said rather bitterly. He now collects garbage to recycle it, and so to stay afloat. (The whole story I had written back then link before, but if you like, here is the way.) The reason for his pithy words, the neoliberal growth program GEAR, which was introduced in 1996 under President Mandela, for industry and the World Bank received much praise and several million jobs destroyed. With the economy has grown at that time but also the anger of many people, not only in Orange Farm.
The thing Mandela to attach itself, but it would certainly be wrong, firstly because he was imprisoned in the important negotiations on the metamorphosis of the apartheid government still and then was raised in South Africa also still the question of who and why in fact crucial for the end of Apartheid was - and what they wanted to have these powers for it. It is simply naive to believe that Mandela, in 1996, just place can draw his own thing, implement the Freedom Charter, one to one and implement modern socialism, which arises from the core document of the ANC in many places. The land and its resources should belong to all people living on it ... Well, the people live in Walmer Township in large part on a former garbage dump, but we do not want to be cynical.
Mandela now be reduced to the failure of poverty alleviation and the failed social revolution after the successful anti-racist, would this great man are simply not fair. He has done great, dedicated his life to the service of anti-racism and maintained during the transition phase of the peace. As South Africa's future is now designed, can not be Mandela's task, on the occasion of his birthday, I sat down with this issue but apart. Here's my article about published yesterday in the Weser Kurier:
hope to Mandela's birthday
The World Cup leaves behind in South Africa many debts but also a new national feeling
The loudest cheers storm broke at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday has front kick of the football World Cup finale from. "Madiba, Madiba" rang out in chorus as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, in an open golf cart, turned a lap around the stadium and waved to the nearly 85 000 spectators. Which is hardly one of those who called the Mandela's clan name, knew that the man who sat for the liberation of South Africa of racism 27 years in prison, was not entirely voluntary since. The claims exercised at least his grandson Mandla Mandela, the world football body FIFA accuses great pressure on his grandfather. In advance, there had been concerns that the appearance could be too taxing on the old man's game Mandela pursued then actually prefer in front of the home television Soweto. There, surrounded by his family and several children from his home village of Qunu he celebrates his 92nd today Birthday. Mandela-Day, which even the UN for the first time for 18 July has been declared internationally, South Africa is committing almost like a holiday.
The joy and enthusiasm for Mandela to show the importance of the father of the nation of South Africa has and how much the man by his rare public appearances have become long. The love for the ex-president but also points to the dissatisfaction with the current South African government, which after all, organized the successful World Cup. The four-week football party has urged the Cape solve many problems in the background, but she could not, of course. Now turns out - just to Mandela's birthday - the question of what remains of this World Cup.
Pravin Gordhan it already had an answer. Gordhan is a South African finance minister, no man of the splendor of a Mandela but estimated as a cool and solid numbers expert. By 0.4 percent, saying the World Cup, the gross domestic product , Lift calculates Gordhan, final figures but he has not yet, because there are missing data from the provinces.
can Banal, the World Cup effects not describe anyway. South Africa has lost in the global financial crisis about a million jobs and absorb some of it through the World Cup investments again. President Jacob Zuma will not tire of mentioning this fact, thereby suppressing but conveniently forgotten that the bulk of the job was only temporary. As soon as the roads and stadiums were ready, had to go the workers. This play of light and shadow running through the championship-rated like a golden thread that allows for almost any positive message to find a point of criticism. Many of the monumental stadiums, for example - contrary to popular assumptions more pessimistic long before the World Cup of age - are threatening to "white elephant", that major investments are to no avail. Even the developed infrastructure - roads, railroads, airports and telecommunication facilities that are needed of course, far beyond the final final whistle - will the poor in the country to bring anything because they can not use them.
Nevertheless, the successful World Cup organization and implementation of South Africa has improved the global image of Africa, deposited with potential investors an impressive job and if you can a small survey conducted by the Tourism Ministry to believe the Western Cape at Cape Town airport, convinced the tourists. 66 percent of the interviewed foreign visitors there reported to want to come back with their families to the Cape. If
to expect South African media, the equivalent of four billion euros, which has cost the World Cup, the country emerged, along with the economic consequences but also more and the new nationalism as the main World Cup result on: The South Africans have moved as a society. "The World Cup gave us a focal point to come together and to be proud of," says the sociologist Udesh Pillay from the Research for Social Sciences in Durban, a renowned critic of the first World Cup overestimated expectations the new consciousness. And in fact, anyone who has seen how were in bars, fan parks and the stadium people of all colors with tears of joy in the arms, as Siphiwe Tshabalala of South Africa in their opening match against Mexico in front shot, know that the World Cup in South Africa not only can be evaluated in the last penny.
The South Africans have shown the world a friendly face of unity and even after leaving their own Bafana Bafana still support other teams. Ghana was highlighted as the last African representatives often, but were actually felt at least as many fans in the colors England and Brazil made up. Were all the more disturbing
the news the morning after the final. Only in the final night, the rumors of new xenophobia had confirmed it was in Cape Town townships attacks on African foreigners. Police chief Bheki Cele looked behind common criminals who wanted to use in the business of foreigners, and also President Zuma played down the issue first and only called on to isolate the "criminal elements". Although the government on the one hand with the rapid deployment of heavy police and army forces, unrest in the bud smothered to keep the rhetoric that it is the recent riots by only self-fulfilling rumors constitutes, continuously.
That may even be true in individual cases, but the problems are deeper. It is the extremely high unemployment and the lack of long-promised social services such as hospitals, water, electricity and sewerage connections or a better education in the townships, which make people always on the road. In some cases, the anger then hits - reportedly controlled by corrupt local politicians - down on immigrants. When it comes to social researchers Pillay, the Government is necessary - despite the empty coffers - using the powers of World Cup to implement long-promised improvements in living conditions in poor neighborhoods in the act. "We now have this positive atmosphere in the country, we now have the pride and the national consciousness in order to tackle these challenges," says Pillay.
The South Africans have seen during the World Cup, what achievements your government may be able, if it wants to. The Mandela-Day, it will by the way the UN is to call people worldwide to their environment with small acts make a little bit better. Today the Cape should therefore be not only an unofficial holiday but also a day of hope.
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