Despite the contempt and manipulation from Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State under Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of peace and respect for diversity remains deeply rooted in South Africa. As the country marks 12 years since his death this Friday (5), BdF spoke with members of South African civil society attending the first People’s Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
“I think the most important part of legacy is compassion, as well as reconciliation and forgiveness. That is what set him free. He understood the need for true liberation of the soul,” said Corlett Letlojane, executive director of the South Africa Human Rights Institute.
“The legacy of Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest a human being can leave behind. He fought for everyone, not only for Black people, and he taught us to love one another,” said Moses Mokgatlhane, a cultural representative at the summit. At 28, the music producer was a teenager when Mandela passed away and just two years old when “Madiba”, Mandela’s affectionate nickname, completed his presidential term.
In 1993, Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing South Africa’s transition from a racist apartheid regime to an equal democracy from descending into bloodshed, after decades of oppression imposed by the white minority ruling over the country’s Black majority. The world’s most famous political prisoner, Mandela spent 27 years behind bars before being released in 1990 under global pressure. He then dedicated himself to ensuring a peaceful transition.
Since then, his name has become synonymous with moral greatness, commitment to popular struggles, and political wisdom. The United Nations established July 18, his birthday, as Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of his contributions to peace and freedom.
Rubio spreads misinformation
Praising Mandela is easy. Using Mandela’s name to attack the current government led by his own party, the African National Congress (ANC), is what analysts describe as “convenient dishonesty,” which is exactly what Marco Rubio did.
On Wednesday (3), Trump’s top diplomat released a statement invoking Mandela to criticize President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration. Rubio claimed South Africa had entered the post–Cold War era with “strong institutions, excellent infrastructure, and global goodwill,” along with valuable natural resources and key agricultural land.
“And, in Nelson Mandela, South Africa had a leader who understood that reconciliation and private sector–driven economic growth were the only path for all citizens to prosper. Unfortunately, Mandela’s successors have replaced reconciliation with redistributive policies,” he alleged.
Rubio went further, falsely claiming that South Africa no longer belongs in the G20, which will be chaired by the U.S. next year, and repeating a baseless narrative that the Ramaphosa government is allowing a “genocide” of white Afrikaners, the same group that enforced apartheid.
“South Africa is being punished for taking Israel to the International Court of Justice and for its anti-American stance,” summarized political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu, speaking to South African news outlet IOL. In January 2024, Pretoria formally accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and urged the UN’s top court to order an end to its attacks, a stance rooted in South Africans’ lived experience with racial oppression.
This position earned Ramaphosa hostility in Washington, including public humiliation during a visit to Trump, but remained faithful to Mandela’s principles.
“That legacy of peace, prosperity, respect, and nonviolence will live forever,” said Mokgatlhane.
During the Brics People’s Summit, Corlett Letlojane also spoke to BdF about Mandela’s life and legacy. Read the interview below:
BdF: What remains most important from Nelson Mandela’s legacy?
Corlett Letlojane: I believe the most important things are compassion, reconciliation, and forgiveness. You know, that was something that freed him. He saw the need for a true liberation of his soul.
Because Nelson Mandela carried the weight of anguish, frustration, and the suffering he endured, and he needed to rise above that. He understood that holding onto trauma would be toxic. So he handled it in a way that brought him peace. He was able to convey that message of peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness, and move on with his life.
It was not an easy message. Even though he championed it, I think it played a crucial role, because the violence that many expected never came. We could have descended into civil war. The worst could have happened. Just as we now hear harmful claims about “genocide against white people” in South Africa.
What was it like to live through that period, and what do you think about it after all these years?
Perhaps we have seen his message in practice. I believe Nelson Mandela was truly a gift to the people of South Africa and to the world. He was able to look his adversaries in the eye and gave us the ability to truly set the enemy aside. We can overcome the enemy by cultivating peace, love, and compassion.
That alone is transformative. We saw people who were deeply rooted in anger and hatred transform, realizing they could not continue living like that. Nelson Mandela’s message of peace, compassion, and forgiveness is real, and everyone should try to practice it.
If we fail, but still fight against injustice, then we remain balanced. That alone is a form of personal transformation.
Was it difficult to implement this message in the 1990s?
Yes, the wounds carried by South Africans from apartheid were deep, and helping communities understand forgiveness and move forward was one of the most difficult challenges. And the adversary, the enemy, their descendants, and the apparatus, was still present, and attempts to restore that system remained strong. So, it was not a simple process.
There was a constitution, a constitution he left us. Laws, mechanisms, and committees to help guide the process. Other efforts contributed as well. It was certainly not easy.
The positive side is that many oversight mechanisms emerged, many committees were created, and people who had suffered in exile, who had seen the worst, were returning. South Africa took on a leadership role internationally, and that gave us courage: it showed that we could lead the world in this way.
It has been a gradual journey to ensure we are on the right path.
Corlett Letlojane é uma das maiores autoridades em direitos humanos na África do Sul | Crédito: Priscila Ramos/MS | Crédito: Priscila Ramos/MS
On a personal level, what does Mandela represent to you?
For me, Nelson Mandela was an inspiration. As a child, I understood very little. But by the age of 12, I already knew I needed to be in the streets. I needed to fight against injustice. I left and lived a life of sacrifice. I was ready to die, willing to die, because of what I saw in my country and because of the messages and teachings we received from Nelson Mandela.
So I knew exactly where I was going and how I would fight. It was not easy. We lived with great insecurity and no freedom. It was dangerous. My parents took me to Lesotho so I could continue my studies. They traveled to that small neighboring country. It was traumatic, and they were taking risks.
When I returned home, I continued to face injustice, apartheid laws, arrests, and repression. It was not an easy life.
How is Mandela’s government viewed by young people today?
Many young people did not live through that time and feel the government back then did not do a good enough job, or that negotiations did not fully resolve issues like land, natural resources, and economic power, which remain concentrated in the hands of a few.
These are things they must now address themselves, because our generation built the foundations, and they can continue this process with better education. They have access to accurate information, the internet is available, and they can engage in this process by observing what happens in their communities, claiming their rights, and becoming defenders of the future.
Corlett Letlojane is executive director of the South Africa Human Rights Institute
Edited by: Luís Indriunas
Translated by: Giovana Guedes
