The Heat discusses Nelson Mandela’s legacy one year after his death

The Heat

Nelson MandelaAfrican National Congress (ANC) president Nelson Mandela waves to supporters during an electoral meeting, 29 January 1994 in Johannesburg, as he is campaigning for presidential election. South Africans will vote 27 April 1994 in the country’s first democratic and multiracial general elections. AFP PHOTO / WALTER DHLADHLA

South Africa pays tribute to former President Nelson Mandela, on the one-year anniversary of his death. The Heat examines Mandela’s legacy, the movement against apartheid and the current political situation in South Africa.

The sound of bells and vuvuzelas could be heard across South Africa as the nation remembered their beloved Madiba. One year ago, after a long illness, former President Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg at the age of 95. The Heat looked back on the leader who touched so many lives.

Nelson Mandela remains a symbol of South Africa’s struggle against racial oppression.
He spent 27 years in prison, convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Mandela emerged from prison to lead his country out of decades of apartheid.
Those who knew him say one of his greatest gifts was his ability to forgive.
Mandela became South Africa’s first black president and was a champion for human rights.

CCTV’s Daniel Williams reported this story from Johannesburg.

For more on the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the current state of South Africa, we were joined by Ebrahim Rasool. He is the South African ambassador to the United States.

Nelson Mandela’s Statement during Rivonia Trial, 1964

“I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

South African President Nelson Mandela’s address after his walk to freedom in Capetown South Africa, 1990

“I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you the people. I place the remaining years of my life in your hands.”

* We were joined from Johannesburg by Ebrahim Fakir. He’s with the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa.

* And from Boston, we were joined by Zine Mugabane, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston College.

Images from South Africa as the nation remembers Nelson Mandela.