On 11 February the nation fondly recalls the excitement that filled South Africa’s streets as Nelson Mandela walked out of jail a free man after 27 years.
Today we mark the 26th anniversary of his release, marking the end of an era and the hard challenge of rebuilding a damaged society. 26 years later we also remember Mandela’s words as he said: ‘It is in your hands to make of our world a better one for all’.
Madiba established the Nelson Mandela’s Foundation to continue his legacy of deepening democracy, building peace and advancing human rights.
We continue to strive for the freedoms through our work that Madiba held close to his heart:
Freedom from Racism and other forms of discrimination
Racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination threatens to mould itself into the South African identity. We have launched the Anti-Racism Network of South Africa to address this plague with an aggressive programme of action.
Freedom from want and deprivation
The Foundation launched the Mandela Initiative to take action to address abject poverty and inequality. We’re currently one of the most unequal countries in the world that potentially threatens long term success of our nation.
Freedom from gender prejudice
We are at an advanced stage of launching a programme with the UN Women to address the critical role men and boys can play to support gender parity.
Continue humanitarian efforts
We have sustained the Mandela Day programme for 7 years. We are considering the concerns expressed which help us review the programme and grow further commitment expressed across the board to support Mandela Day.
“February 11 is a significant day for South Africa. It is a milestone in our recent history. It marks the point at which we started the long road to freedom. It is also a reminder of the road we are yet to travel. With our work, I hope we have made a small contribution to the South Africa we imagined was possible when Madiba was released on that eventful day in February 1990” said Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.