Nelson Mandela (Nelson Mandela Foundation/AFP)
A couple of weeks ago South Africans and people the world over waited anxiously for news about Nelson Mandela. The 93 -year-old Madiba had been admitted to the hospital, and while he was released after a weekend of testing, spokesmen assured the media that there was nothing “seriously wrong” and that Mandela was in good spirits and generally good health for a man of his age.
And yet . . .
The reports of Mandela’s hospital stay alarmed many, and rightfully so. In order to manage such news in the future media and government representatives announced the formation of “a task team comprising of local and foreign media, and government officials” to “to deal with future news reports on former president Nelson Mandela’s health.” In the words of Government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi, “All parties expressed appreciation around the concerns regarding Madiba’s privacy and sensitivity in communicating on his health status [. . . and] reiterated their resolve not to negatively impact on Madiba’s dignity and his family’s privacy.”
The reality is that we all know that someday Mandela will go into a hospital and the great man will pass. It is a day that many of us dread. It is a day that South Africans do not like to discuss. And it surely will have repercussions — emotional, to be sure, but also with very real consequences. There are fears of divisions within the Mandela family that many fear will be ugly. There are fears that the country’s political divides will get even uglier as factions move to claim Mandela’s legacy as their own.
But for now Madiba is alive and well and hopefully he will live for a long time. Still, we were reminded of his mortality in recent days. It is best to prepare for that sad day, whenever it does come.