Despite preparing for his passing for some years, when Nelson Mandela breathed his last breath on December 5, 2013, South Africans grieved and reflected on what had been and what will be.

Despite the fact that Mandela, known widely by his clan name of Madiba, had played no part in public life since he stood down from the presidency in 1999, he was always seen as the person who held South Africa together. In times of crisis and the country’s ongoing challenges of labor protests, corruption, lack of service delivery and crime, there was always the question - “What would Mandela do?” Psychologically, the fear of his passing was that the country would not have their father to turn to and keep the family moving in the right direction.

Mandela became larger than life and his status moved to that beyond a mere mortal. And in a life filled with pain, suffering and freedom, he became arguably the most well known person in the world - universally loved and respected by common folk, celebrities and heads of state alike. Yet he would have been the first to avoid all the fuss made over him, acknowledging only that he had played his role in dismantling apartheid as part of a collective. History will show that he guided that collective and laid the foundation for the country - the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

Mandela was acutely aware of ensuring that the fears of white South Africans at the time of changing governments in 1994 were unfounded. He traveled the length and breadth of the country to have tea with former apartheid leaders’ wives, make peace with his jailers, pacify farmers and embrace the white-cherished Springbok rugby emblem. While these and similar actions seem trivial in the overall scheme of things, they were in reality profoundly significant in the peace process.

Criticized in some quarters for giving in too much to white South Africans at the time when the country changed hands, Mandela did in effect what had to be done after his release from prison in 1990. His cohesion helped avoid a bloody civil war, when the country teetered perilously close to implosion for many days.

Mandela’s legacy is multifaceted, but the two major examples he leaves behind are: the ability to forgive others, and as a leader, knowing when to step down and hand over power. The latter is a lesson particularly important in Africa where many leaders feel it is their inalienable entitlement to remain in power indefinitely.

Going forward, South Africa without Mandela must continue on its path of progress, despite ongoing criticism against a government mired in corrupt allegations. As the country prepares for elections, South Africans must infuse themselves with the essence of what Mandela stood for. The flame burning in the man who became a nation’s moral compass and guided a country through an often dangerous transition from apartheid to a peaceful democracy - a transition often described as a miracle - must remain alight in all South Africans and all people everywhere. Hamba Kahle Madiba.

THE EDITOR