South Africans celebrate 20 years of change

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After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.- Nelson Mandela

When Koena Kotsokoane looks back at life under apartheid, she remembers the overwhelming sorrow that filled her heart as her father, a political activist, was forced into exile, never to return home again. But years later, another great figure that impacted her life returned home to father a nation.

It was only 20 years ago on this very day that Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president and the country’s most beloved leader, was released from prison. “Madiba”, as he is affectionately known by most South Africans, was imprisoned for 27 years on charges of sabotage, as well as other political crimes committed while he led the African National Congress’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, against the unjust racial system of apartheid. The man who was once seen as a controversial figure, went on to heal a lot of the nation’s deep racial wounds.

Kotsokoane, whose father attended school with Mandela, remembers that day vividly. “I was in my home with family and friends. We were all watching on television. It was thrilling, emotional, and exhilarating. It was definitely a great moment for the country.”

The day wasn’t only memorable for Kotsokoane. In Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg, in the shadow of a 19-foot-tall bronze statue of the political icon, others recounted their fond recollections of that moment.

“We were all glued to the television,” said Maria Matjilla, a domestic homemaker. “We thought that everything was on the right track, that blacks and whites can be able to exist in the same place. We loved him, we haven’t seen him since he was arrested. It was like God delivered him back to us to lead us to freedom. He was born to be our leader.”

“It was a glimmer of hope,” said Quinton Jones, a communication consultant. “He emerged as a hero in a time of strong oppression, and broke the chains that strangled us.”

But others described it as bittersweet.

Makgati Mehlape, a software developer, remembers watching in school but doesn’t recall happiness being the only emotion that engulfed him. “I had mixed emotions,” said Mehlape. “To see a guy there for 27 years, it makes you angry that he was robbed of all that time.”

The meaning of Mandela’s release doesn’t only resonate with South Africans of color. It hits home to white South Africans as well.

When Tina Gainsford looks back to the day, she thinks of her mother, who was National Secretary of the Liberal Party, which was banned during apartheid.

“I wish my mother was alive to see him released from prison,” Gainsford said, in tears. “We were arrested often. Sometimes for even having a black person over for tea. When they let him go, I was shouting and dancing in the street. It felt wonderful. He’s brilliant. He’s an icon for many of us.”

Mandela defied all odds in fulfilling his promise of a “new” South Africa, a “rainbow nation” where people of all origins were welcomed and protected, leading South Africa’s peaceful transition from white minority rule to democracy with his unbelievable spirit of reconciliation.

While the country looks back at the “miracle” that started with Mandela’s release and culminated in the nation’s first democratic election in 1994, some South Africans see this special anniversary as an opportunity to look towards the future as they deal with present obstacles that include the country’s mounting HIV, poverty, and crime epidemics.

“We need new leaders to come forward like Mandela,” said Beven Mhavasha, a coffee shop server. “We need leaders that keep their promises, and deliver on what they say they are going to do. Then we can reflect on many days like today in the years to come.”

WATCH THIS NBC NIGHTLY NEWS REPORT ON THE CELEBRATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA:
[MSNBCMSN video=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ w=”592″ h=”346″ launch_id=”35350457″ id=”msnbc91b61e”]

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