ORPHANED LAND

Live to honour what he stood for, son.

Today we are collectively saddened by the report of the passing of a man depicted as the saviour and father of our nation.

I'm saddened by the grossly opportunistic politicking.

I am saddened that, eventually, Madiba died of a broken heart. I would too, if I was forced - as he was - to watch my beloved South Africa violated with such reckless, remorseless abandon.

I am saddened that his passing was reported on the eve of the premiere of a film celebrating his life. Would anyone be that callous? It's not only hard to digest, but hard to believe and smacks of the rankest collusion between those that have been reported as withholding the truth and all the would-be profiteers.

It saddens me that on this day, so many will not remember the countless others who have died, leaving behind families and loved ones.

It saddens me that ours is still a society rife with rampant racism and incredible inequality. What goes down at Mzoli's and Caprice, a thin veneer of brotherhood enjoyed by socio-economic peers, is hardly representative of the divide in our country. The united front so proudly paraded on the news is but a band-aid over a gaping wound that has yet to heal. A wound filled with the feasting maggots of our current leadership.

I am saddened by the fact that I do not have the answer.

I shed a tear, not for the passing of a great leader, but for seeing his legacy trampled under the feet of those who purport to uphold his ideals.

It grieves me that so many will write glowing tributes today and forget tomorrow.

It saddens me that I am not the saint I think I am and that I am just as guilty of all of the above as you are.

NGDG: I drew a happy cartoon when I was ten featuring Mandela and De Klerk. I wrote a paper about him in 1994. The teacher said 'Ok, let's say you respect the man for standing up for his ideals but don't forget he is a terrorist.' I don't forget the class parroting Mr Combover. I don't forget these same people reading LWTF two years later and suddenly changing their tune. I don't forget you johnny-come-latelys. This is why I won't have children. So they don't have to go to school with the children of the people I went to school with.

Today, above all days, Spread The Love.