Vuyisile Charles Ndabeni–a proud South African–shared this letter to South Africans on the eve of Nelson Mandela Day, 2025
Fellow South Africans,
Tomorrow, the 18th of July, We Mark Nelson Mandela Day—a day that stands as a global symbol of hope, justice, and human dignity. A day when the world pauses to celebrate the life and values of Tata Madiba, a man who rose from the rural plains of Mvezo to become a global icon of reconciliation, peace and moral leadership.
But as we prepare to light candles, plant trees, clean communities and Give 67 Minutes of Service, we must pause and ask: what has become of the South Africa we want?
In 2025, the South African Government stands in a state of collapse. Governance is eroded. Leadership is absent. Corruption is rampant. Our country, provinces and municipalities are bankrupt. Basic services—water, electricity, sanitation, housing—have become luxuries in a land that once promised freedom and dignity for all.
Our spiritual and economic sovereignty is under siege:
- Inequality has grown worse.
- Unemployment, especially among the youth, is now a ticking time bomb.
- Underdevelopment defines the lives of millions.
- Our economy is trapped in the hands of monopolies and minorities while our townships, rural villages, and informal economies remain starved of capital, infrastructure and innovation.
- Moral decay and hopelessness have taken root in the very soul of our nation.
We must, therefore, confront the question: is this the South Africa we want?
A nation in need of reimagination
We must reimagine the South Africa we want in 2063, as we approach the centenary of the African Union’s Agenda 2063—“The Africa We Want”.
A reimagined South Africa must…
- Be a leader on the African continent, not a cautionary tale.
- Uproot the corrupt architecture of the current political economy.
- Invest in human capital, especially the youth and women.
- Rebuild ethical, capable and accountable governance institutions.
- Prioritise education, health, justice and infrastructure for all, not just for a connected few.
- Establish economic justice—land, capital and enterprise must serve the many, not the few.
- Create a new generational contract rooted in ubuntu, dignity, innovation and sustainability.
The controversial warning from the past
Nelson Mandela was once described as a “decoy dove”—implying that Mandela’s release and reconciliation efforts were meant to pacify South Africans while leaving the real structures of economic and institutional power unchanged.
Today, we can confirm that South Africa has not truly transformed, the foundations of exclusion and inequality remains intact, the negotiated settlement facilitated peace and not justice. We have become guardians of a post-Apartheid illusion, while the majority remain dispossessed, disempowered and disillusioned. These are uncomfortable facts.
We must not protect Mandela’s legacy by silence. We must protect it through truth, action and courage.
Salvaging what remains in 2025
To salvage South Africa in 2025, we must:
- Declare a National Emergency of renewal and reconstruction.
- Build a new patriotic front of ethical leaders, thinkers, builders, healers and innovators.
- Depoliticise service delivery and restore municipalities to serve the people.
- Introduce a people’s economy model that rewards hard work, local enterprise, social innovation and cooperative wealth creation.
- Mobilise faith-based, traditional, cultural and civil society voices to become custodians of accountability and healing.
- End State Capture in all its forms—political, economic and ideological.
Toward generational wealth and legacy
We must lift our eyes beyond short-term politics. The real revolution is economic—and it lies in:
- Creating intergenerational wealth through cooperative ownership, land equity and enterprise development.
- Rebuilding knowledge systems, technical skills and value chains rooted in African excellence.
- Designing a new African economy that integrates tradition and innovation, healing and technology, ethics and competitiveness.
- Building legacy project—not just monuments, but systems, institutions and mindsets that our children can inherit with pride.
Fellow South Africans…
Mandela once said, “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Let us not settle. Let us rise. Let us rebuild the vision that brought Madiba and millions to sacrifice for our freedom.
This Mandela Day, honour his life not with slogans, but with soul-searching, courage and purpose. The hour is late. The stakes are high. But our destiny is not yet lost.
Let us choose legacy over looting. Vision over violence. Justice over jargon. Let us salvage the soul of South Africa and build the future we owe our children.
We must—without delay—create a balance between the weight of the past and the urgency of the future.
Mandela walked so we could run. Now we must build, so others may fly.
Yours in Hope and Service,
Vuyisile Charles Ndabeni
A Patriotic South African
17th July 2025
Vuyisile Charles Ndabeni
