By Naushad Ismail
Donald Trump has called South Africa a toilet and criticised Nelson Mandela. He also praised the country’s apartheid-era rule.
At 75, Mandela had won a painful, long struggle against apartheid and became South Africa’s first black president. For nearly three decades, years that should have been the most productive of his life, he languished in prison.
His was a vision marred neither by bitterness nor hostility towards his jailers. Instead, it was fed by dignity and a generosity of spirit.
After his release, world leaders rushed to court him. He collected international honours, including more than 50 honorary doctorates from universities across the world, but through the Mandela Foundation he also mobilised funds for education, poverty reduction and the fight against HIV/Aids. History is bound to regard him as his country’s greatest statesman and also one of the past century’s most inspirational people on the planet.
On the hand, we have Trump who has spent much of his adult life building his brand on racial divisions. Since his election, he has tapped into the openly racist feelings of some of his supporters, and legitimised their bigotry. Trump has thrived on making racist and xenophobic attacks.
So much of Trump’s business and political career has hinged on moments of racial strife.
What is clear is that leaders like Mandela and his values seem old-fashioned now: dialogue, compromise and reconciliation feel like swear words in Trump’s America. Mandela would have called out Trump for what he is.
The Star