South Africa remembers Mandela 10 years after

On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela, the first President of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, died at the age of 95. Today, South Africans commemorate 10 years without the legendary statesman.

On December 10, 2013, South Africa held a memorial service for Mandela, during which then U.S. President Barack Obama energized thousands of spectators and nearly 100 visiting heads of state with a plea for the world to emulate “the last great liberator of the 20th century.”

The ceremony was though marred by the presence of a sign-language interpreter who deaf advocates said was an impostor waving his arms around meaninglessly.

Ten years after, the ‘fabled’ destroyer of apartheid remains a global icon, but in South Africa some say it is time to end Mandela-mania.

A nine-metre tall (30-foot) statue of Mandela, his arms outstretched, watches over Pretoria from the Union Buildings government headquarters.

There are at least 50 other major statues, busts and murals devoted to him in South Africa and around the world, from London to the occupied West Bank, according to the Mandela Foundation.

Mandela is featured on national banknotes and his “Long Walk To Freedom” autobiography remains one of the best-selling books worldwide of all time.

Robben Island, Mandela’s jail for 27 years, is among South Africa’s top tourist attractions.

The standing of the political giant, widely known by his clan name of “Madiba”, is so great that many people watching the sorry state of South Africa’s economy and politics ask “what would ‘Madiba’ think if he were still here.”