It's In Our Hands Now: Mandela's Legacy and Our Responsibility

As the sun rises and sets on Mandela Day, we are reminded of Nelson Mandela’s towering legacy and its ongoing responsibility on all of us in Southern Africa and beyond. Mandela is not just a figure from history. He represents a challenge to lead with integrity, act with courage, and pursue justice even when difficult.

In classrooms, communities, and civic spaces across the region, many ask what leading today means. Mandela’s example of stepping down after one term, leading through service not dominance, choosing forgiveness without forgetting, offers a powerful counterpoint to the crises of leadership we continue to face. Corruption, inequality, and political short-termism plague much of Southern Africa. Against this backdrop, Mandela’s life is not just a source of pride; it’s a question we must keep returning to: Are we leading in service of the public good?

Mandela did not treat human rights as abstract ideals. He lived them—in prison, in office, and in everyday interactions. He spoke up against racism, poverty, patriarchy, and injustice, often at great personal risk. His example reminds us that rights are defended not only in courts and constitutions, but in daily acts of solidarity, in classrooms, on airwaves, in public protests, and at kitchen tables.

His legacy is complex. Some argue he was too cautious in tackling economic inequality. South Africa’s post-apartheid settlement left many structures of exclusion intact. But Mandela was governing a fragile new democracy. He chose the path of reconciliation and stability, hoping future leaders would continue the work of transformation. Whether that torch has been carried forward is a matter for honest reflection.

That unfinished work is visible across the region. In Malawi and many neighbouring countries, economic justice remains elusive. Youth unemployment is high, inequality deepens, and climate change threatens rural livelihoods. But resistance is not absent. It lives in women confronting gender-based violence. In young people using community radio to hold leaders accountable. In smallholder farmers demanding action on climate. These everyday acts are the continuation of Mandela’s struggle.

Mandela Day, then, should not be treated as a ritual of remembrance. It is a call to action. His words, “It’s in your hands, no”, were not just poetic. They were passing a responsibility. His legacy belongs not to history, but to the choices we make now, wherever we are.

We honour him not by idolising the past, but by building the future he imagined, one rooted in dignity, justice, and shared humanity.