On 18 July 1918 in the small village of Mvezo, Qunu, near the district of Umtata in Transkei, South Africa, one of the most famous, inspirational and courageous African leaders of the twentieth century was born. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela spent 27 years of his life in Prison for his stalwart leadership in the struggle against Apartheid. “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” he said. This gives me time to sit back and reflect on all that he achieved and the man that he was by sharing with you a special collection of speech extracts and quotes specifically on the mining industry and generally on nurturing natural resources.
In June 1956, after the adoption of the freedom charter, Nelson Mandela wrote an article which appeared in Liberation, the newspaper of the Congress Movement, he said, It is true that in demanding the nationalisation of the banks, the gold mines, and the land, the Charter strikes a fatal blow at the financial and gold-mining monopolies and farming interests that have for centuries plundered the country and condemned its people to servitude. But such a step is imperative because the realisation of the Charter is inconceivable, in fact impossible, unless and until these monopolies are smashed and the national wealth of the country turned over to the people. To destroy these monopolies means the termination of the exploitation of vast sections of the populace by mining kings and land barons and there will be a general rise in the living standards of the people. It is precisely because the Charter offers immense opportunities for an overall improvement in the material conditions of all classes and groups that it attracts such wide support.
On 26 June 1961, in a press statement explaining his decision to carry on his political work, Nelson Mandela said, those who are voteless cannot be expected to continue paying taxes to a government which is not responsible to them. People who live in poverty and starvation cannot be expected to pay exorbitant house rents to the government and local authorities. We furnish the sinews of agriculture and industry. We produce the work of the gold mines, the diamonds and the coal, of the farms and industry, in return for miserable wages. Why should we continue enriching those who steal the products of our sweat and blood? Those who exploit us and refuse us the right to organise trade unions? Those who side with the government when we stage peaceful demonstrations to assert our claims and aspirations? How can Africans serve on School Boards and Committees which are part of Bantu Education, a sinister scheme of the Nationalist government to deprive the African people of real education in return for tribal education? Can Africans be expected to be content with serving on Advisory Boards and Bantu Authorities when the demand all over the continent of Africa is for national independence and self-government? The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.
While addressing the 104th Annual General Meeting of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa on 8 November 1994, President Nelson Mandela said, The mining industry, by virtue of the place it occupies in our economy, is in a position to make a special contribution to the transformation of our society, which should have as its central objective, improving the quality of life of all its citizens. The government has made clear its commitment to fiscal discipline and to creating an environment in which business can thrive. Its determination to carry these measures through will be evident in the recently announced measures to restructure government finances. We hope that the mining industry would also send a powerful message to everyone in our society that the resources of our nation, under whatever form of ownership, will be stewarded with a regard for the urgent need to uplift particularly the most disadvantaged of our society. This would be no empty gesture but an action which would have important and beneficial consequences for the nation. I am confident that your industry will remain robust, energetic and as innovative as ever. You have the capacity not only to be a reliable economic generator for South Africa and the region as a whole, but also to contribute to the building of a society freed from the faults and fissures which marred our past.
At the 14th International Conference on Cyclotrons and their applications on 10 October 1995, in Cape Town, President Mandela said, The applications of science in society, the impact of their power for good or evil, depends on decisions we all make: as scientists; as government; as citizens of our countries and of the world. It is therefore appropriate, as you confer on cyclotrons and their applications, that you will also seriously consider the conflicting demands on your craft. South Africa is a society in which such conflicting demands have played themselves out intensely, especially during the previous era. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the political environment conspired to give high-energy physics a bad name among the majority. This was so in respect of denial of access to such sciences; their orientation to benefit a few; and their application for the defence of a crime against humanity.
Speaking at the opening of the Electra Mining Africa Exhibition on 1 October 1996, President Nelson Mandela said, recent developments in the mines, including unnecessary and unwarranted loss of life, have brought out in bold relief the challenges we face to bring the social and other conditions in the mines in line with our new democracy. I am confident that the Commission set up to look into these matters will find solutions that will benefit the workers, the employers and the country as a whole. These issues form part of the broader transformation of South Africa`s mining industry as it enters the twenty-first century: to ensure sustainable development of the industry and create new opportunities for investment, involving those previously excluded.
On 24 February 1999 while launching the Rural Non-Grid Electrification project in Bhipa in the Flagstaff District, President Nelson Mandela said, in the RDP, our Reconstruction and Development Programme, electrification is central to improving the lives of those neglected by apartheid. Since our first democratic elections, over 2 million homes have been connected to the electricity grid. This has increased the number of homes on the grid from about one-third to nearly two-thirds, a remarkable achievement. But connecting homes to the country`s electricity grid is getting very expensive especially as we get deeper and deeper into the rural areas. Alternative methods have become important. That is why we give full support to efforts made by Eskom to bring our people electricity through the Solar Home System which is safe, affordable and friendly to the environment in which we live.
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
“Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”
In his final speech as president to the South African parliament on 26 March 1999, Nelson Mandela said, I am the product of Africa and her long-cherished view of rebirth that can now be realised so that all of her children may play in the sun.
On 5 December 2013 after devoting 67 years of his 95 years on this planet fighting for and inspiring the oppressed, the deprived, the grieving and the hopeless, he died at his home in Johannesburg. May His Soul Rest In Peace.