Tutu and Mandela Foundations reject attempts to appropriate the legacies of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, reject attempts to invoke the names and legacies of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in support of rhetoric, campaigns or actions that undermine the values they championed throughout their lives.

A poster circulated this week by March & March, headed "Honouring the People's President", invokes the names of Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Zephania Mothopeng in support of marches planned for Mandela Day.

Both Mandela and Tutu championed the right of citizens to organise, protest peacefully and hold governments accountable. They understood that democracy requires active participation, robust debate and the freedom to express dissatisfaction with those in positions of power.

As South Africa approaches Nelson Mandela Day, we are reminded of the spirit in which the day was launched in 2009. On that occasion, Nelson Mandela called on people everywhere to recognise that "it is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it." Mandela Day was conceived as a day of service, solidarity and active citizenship.

South Africa faces profound and legitimate challenges. Persistent unemployment, poverty, inequality, crime, corruption and failures within public institutions continue to undermine the aspirations and dignity of millions. Concerns about undocumented migration, corruption within the immigration system and the effectiveness of public institutions are real and should neither be ignored nor dismissed.

What neither Mandela nor Tutu accepted, however, was the dehumanisation of others, collective blame, intimidation, vigilantism or the targeting of vulnerable communities.

While the state has a responsibility to administer and enforce immigration laws fairly and effectively, no grievance can justify harassment, scapegoating or violence against migrants or any other group of people.

Both leaders consistently called on South Africans to confront difficult challenges through lawful, democratic and constitutional means. They understood that complex social and economic problems cannot be solved by directing anger towards entire communities on the basis of nationality, ethnicity or origin.

The Foundations call on South Africans to direct their grievances about unemployment, inequality, crime and a lack of opportunity towards the institutions, systems and leaders responsible for addressing these challenges. Holding power accountable is a democratic responsibility. Intimidation, exclusion and the politics of fear are not.

To associate the names of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with rhetoric or actions that undermine these principles is to misrepresent the values for which they stood. Their legacies call on us to pursue justice without sacrificing compassion, to demand accountability without abandoning our humanity, and to build a society founded on dignity, equality and our shared humanity.

ENDS

Issued by:

Janet Jobson, CEO of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation; and

Mbongiseni Buthelezi, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation