I found the days leading up to the big day surprisingly mundane, with an equally humdrum atmosphere among the general public. The Caxton Joburg North office prepared for many events and social media comments that would have given depth to a wealth of articles to end off this year. But every big shopping or community centre went through the motions of an ordinary day.
While other Caxton journalists, including myself, tried to collect vox pops and comment from ordinary citizens, the response to Mandela Day was greatly polarised, either swaying from blunt criticism to admiration of the life of the late Madiba.
So what was it about Mandela Day that made the Johannesburg public care less? Was it the over-commercialisation of Mandela’s image over the past few years, which led to his likeness being blasted all over the country? Desensitising the public to his image as a hero? Or were there underlying gripes towards the man that led to a complete disregard for the day commemorating the first anniversary of his death.
The Sandton Chronicle along with the other Caxton newspapers prepared for a busy day, and dispatched journalists to various places that would possibly hold events. I was sent to Nelson Mandela Square and arriving at 7.30am found a barren square with residents going about their daily lives enjoying an early morning coffee or either walking to work.
With no one willing to give comment regarding their thoughts and feelings surrounding Nelson Mandela’s death, I ventured through the streets of Sandton to find someone with something to say.
This was reported in Sandton remembers Madiba, week ending 12 December.
Sandton Chronicle journalist Gugu Zwane also struggled to find Sandton residents who were celebrating the day.
Mandela’s image has possibly been taken over by rampant commercialism including disputes amongst his family members surrounding his estate and legacy, and it seemed that the public had become desensitized to the magnetism the struggle leader exuded during his life.
With the great man gone for over a year, the public realised that the bad outweighs the good and constantly celebrating his image will not put the social reforms desperately needed into action. The day remained dull as newspapers reported on the death of a South Africa in Afghanistan in hands of the Taliban, the recent widespread loadshedding and SABC Chair Ellen Tshabalala’s fraudulent qualification turning the day into background noise.
