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South Africa: Mandela bust unveiled marking 20 years of democracy
South African President Jacob Zuma has unveiled a bust of Nelson Mandela, a day after the 20th anniversary of the first post-apartheid elections.
Zuma said on Monday there could be “no better” way of commemorating the first free elections in the country than with a sculpture of South Africa’s first black president.
The bronze bust, which has been placed in front of the parliament in Cape Town, was sculpted by the son of one of Mandela’s close associates.
“Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to install a bust or any symbol of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in the South African parliament,” Zuma said at the unveiling ceremony.
“Madiba was then regarded as a persona non grata by the regime and the establishment,” he added, using Mandela’s popular name. “The South African people were told that he was a terrorist and a prisoner that they should forget about.”
“Thus, there can be no better 20th anniversary gift for South Africans than to have this symbol of Madiba in parliament,” he said, adding that the statue meant that lawmakers would “continue to draw lessons and inspiration from his exemplary life”.
Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail under brutal white minority rule, is revered by South Africans for negotiating an end to apartheid and bringing about multi-racial elections without a descent into civil war.
