Guest Post: A Fading Hero, Mandela Sick

Updated Sunday December 16

Guest Post by Syakaa, from Tanzania

South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela is being treated for a lung infection, a term often used synonymously with pneumonia. Elderly people are at an increased risk of infections in general — more so if the person has many chronic medical problems, but as people age their immune systems are less capable of fighting off infections. South African officials say Mandela’s lung infection is “recurring.” edit: He is also recovering from surgery to remove gallstones. The former president is 94 years old.

The man is getting on in years...

It may seem surprising that it took so long for Mandela’s diagnosis to be made public.  However, it’s possible that it took this long to make a diagnosis. This is the first time officials have revealed why Mr Mandela was rushed to a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria, on Saturday. News of the hospital stay has prompted much concern in South Africa. 

Random William Thoughts: Mr Mandela led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president of South Africa in democratic elections in 1994. Despite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, after his release he forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He is now 94 years old and it is surely a matter of when rather than if his time will come. This is the day that threatens South Africa and its future most. Mr Mandela has for long been a symbol for the rainbow nation of acceptance and forgiveness, and some worry about what will happen when this symbol fades. His presence has been a constant  in the nation’s structure and if he dies there is a danger for that structure to disintegrate. If he dies some worry that it will be the end for the white population in South Africa and we could have a repeat of Zimbabwe in this nation. With the installation of the new bank notes with his face on it, some might argue that the government in already preparing for the inevitable. One thing we can be sure of is that Mandela’s Legacy will surely be tested after he leaves the nation.

Random Kate Thoughts: A teacher I work with is very convinced that Nelson Mandela is already dead. She believes that his body is simply being hidden until the "right" moment for the ruling party, the ANC, to reveal his death. The "right" moment being the right political moment, as Mandela not only symbolizes the struggle, but the struggle by the ANC specifically. His death will surely result in a vast outpouring of support for the ANC. Will that outpouring be timed for an important moment for the ruling, though flagging, party? Time will tell.

I like to remember him as the handsome young man he was. :)