The old adage of ‘having big shoes to fill’ is a challenge that all leaders in South Africa have faced since Madiba and his colleagues led the country out of oppression and into democracy. What was it that made these former leaders so exceptional and how, in today’s context, can President Jacob Zuma’s government emulate those qualities? Struggle veteran and MP Professor Ben Turok says a lesson the current generation of leaders could learn from the Mandela-era leaders is subverting the need for personal gain.

“The lessons on leadership are primarily the single-minded commitment to the cause of liberation,” he says, “but coupled with this is the absolute integrity both to principles and to personal interests. The leadership of that era never engaged in financial or similar activities for personal enrichment.” He believes the exceptional qualities of the Mandela-era leadership were a product of two things: the historical context and the personalities. Add a comment