Mandela memorial: it's the ANC that's shamed South Africa, not the booing

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/11/nelson-mandela-anc-jacob-zuma-boo

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Nelson Mandela's state memorial service was attended by more than 90 000 people and 100 heads of states, paying their last respects to a man who is not only a national hero but also a global icon for peace, hope and reconciliation.

It was a day of eulogies to Mandela, but some say it was overshadowed by the boos and jeers that the sitting president, Jacob Zuma, received when he walked into the stadium and again when he was about to address the crowd.

The commotion set social media alight, with commentators disagreeing on whether it was appropriate behaviour for a memorial service. It certainly raised the stakes for the upcoming general election.

In a public statement, the ANC said that those who booed during Mandela's memorial service did South Africa a disservice and embarrassed the country. ANC deputy president and business tycoon, Cyril Ramaphosa, tried to take control of the situation and told the crowd to be disciplined in front of international visitors. Many people backed this view and felt that Nelson Mandela's memorial was not the appropriate platform to voice political discontent.

Sam Mgobozi, a recent UCT graduate, was representative of many South Africans: "I think it is incredibly insensitive, rude and, quite frankly, treasonous. Today isn't a budget speech or a State of the Nation Address or any public policy address. Today is about celebrating and inculcating the memory of Nelson Mandela."

The service should have been a perfect marketing opportunity for the ANC, as it was his political home for 71 years. He died an ANC member and once joked that the first thing he would do upon arrival in heaven is to find a branch to join. You can't take Mandela out of the context of the ANC – it was the party that won the election not him personally.

Had the current ANC lived up to Mandela's vision, his passing would have been the perfect opportunity to remind South Africa and the world what it had achieved in ending apartheid and fighting inequality. Unfortunately, it seems that his death might have had the opposite effect. Many South Africans feel that the occasion has shown that the ANC's term in office has been underwhelming, and that the former liberation movement has failed as a government.

As much as I agree that the booing was inappropriate and in bad taste, it did however send a clear message from the people. It was also fitting for the ANC to be served with the same medicine that it has been distributing to the people in the last 20 years. When it was voted into power in 1994, there was a lot of expectation in South Africa. The party had 300 years of inequality to address and promised "a better life for all". But their term in office has been rife with scandal, corruption, maladministration and self-enrichment.

So yes, it was inappropriate to boo at the memorial. And yes, South Africa was embarrassed. But it wasn't the booing, or even the reports that the official deaf signer was a "fake" that has been the most embarrassing to the country or to Mandela's legacy. That honour goes to the current ANC. A president who squanders millions while his people live in squalor is far more embarrassing to South Africa and the world. Let us hope that the masses will boo him where it matters most, at the polls.

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