When the doors of Victor Verster Prison flung wide open and Nelson Mandela strode out into the clear South African sun, it was a metaphorical moment clearly signifying the end of an era.

In fact it could be argued that this moment, for which the world had waited for 27 years, symbolised the delimiting factor of an era, an epoch.

It reflected rapture between the past and the present, with Mandela's graceful walk to freedom at once signaling the beginning of the end for a racially toxic political system as well as heralding the first rays of a new dawn.

Along with the establishment of Haiti as the first black Republic on January 1, 1804, and the independence of Ghana on March 6, 1957, February 11, 1990 marks a defining moment in the history of post-colonial liberation.

Standing astride these two epochs, the dying old and the incipient new, the towering figure of Madiba necessarily morphed into an image symbolic of justice long denied the oppressed not only in South Africa but the world over.

Mandela's name conjured up images of sacrifice and exceptional leadership in the face of staggering odds. He thus typified selflessness, humility and consistency between principle and practice. His tireless efforts at remaking our country on human-centered principles made his name synonymous with justice, fairness, unity and reconciliation.

His capacious conception of freedom made no distinction between the oppressor and the oppressed. Just as he faced imprisonment and possible execution for believing in liberation for both the oppressor and the oppressed, so did he emerge from prison firmly adhering to the view that the future of South Africa rested in freedom, justice and equality for the former oppressor and the former oppressed alike.

To this end, he, as only Mandela could, met up with the now late Betsy Verwoerd, wife of the man whose name personified apartheid itself, Hendrick Verwoerd. In like manner, he visited Dr Quartus de Wet, former South African judge-president of the Transvaal, who sentenced him to life in prison for daring to question apartheid and its jurisprudence. In a twist of irony, he made these bold overtures impelled by the same ideals for which he had suffered unjust incarceration.

Principled to the core, Nelson Mandela frowned upon attempts from some quarters, clothed in the garb of wise council, to delink him from his political home, the African National Congress (ANC), and by extension his own people.

His larger-than-life stature did not in any way stand in the way of his unassuming nature and democratic traits.

Successes he represented as an individual in lifting our nation from its inhibitive social cleavages and putting it onto a path of reconciliation were always the result of wide consultations and an eagerness to hear all sides.

Looking back on the epoch-making events that surrounded Madiba's release from prison with the advantage of hindsight, we cannot but appreciate the enormity of challenges we had to wade through, and Mandela's statesmanship, courage and moral consistency, qualities that successfully guided our political transition through uncharted but turbulent terrain.

Depending where they are located ideologically, historians have always been divided over whether history is made by the faceless multitudes, or a select breed of great men.

In this respect, keen observers of the South African revolution would point to the symbiotic relationship between the masses of the oppressed and great leadership provided by Madiba up until the democratic elections. These two currents combined into one mighty wave that finally swept aside apartheid rule.

Such keen observation would also not miss the crucial point that Nelson Mandela and his party, the ANC, have always been indistinguishable to the extent that Mandela's publicly articulated vision is grounded on the ANC's objectives.

Without this understanding it is difficult to fully grasp Mandela's leadership during the difficult period of transition to democracy. In fact, such un-contextualised viewing of the historical role of Madiba will likely reduce complex historical realities to individual whims and quirks of fate!

Many Afro-pessimists, possibly motivated by ill-will at the prospect of a non-racial South Africa, were gloatingly predicting apocalypse for our country amidst sounds of AK 47s assault rifles as ‘political violence' rocked the black communities.

Such cynicism was emboldened by the machinations of the third force, long evident and recognised as such among the victims, which sought to drench the prospect of democracy in the blood of the oppressed through covertly supported internecine violence.

Yet not even the ill-intentioned scheming of the dark forces could supplant the vision of a free South Africa that Nelson Mandela embodied. When the cowardly hand of the assassin snuffed out the life of the General Secretary of the SACP, Chris Hani, many doomsayers once again predicted the onset of Armageddon.

In their malevolent calculus, anti-transformation forces had sought to decapitate the emergent prospect of multi-party democracy by plunging society into a bottomless pit of anarchy.

It once again fell into the capable hands of Madiba to warn us against submitting to the temptation for vengeance, as this ran counter to the noble objectives of our struggle.

Vengeance, like victor's justice, seeks to destroy and not build. In his typical sage of the age tone, he reminded us that the best way to triumph over this backward outlook is to collectively build reconciliation, unity, peace and justice for all South Africans.

Since oppression thrived on violence, hate and fear, it was only logical to work for peace and unity, thereby deprive forces opposed to change of vital oxygen.

Responding to the imperatives of political leadership, he asked members of his organisation in the then volatile Natal province to ‘throw their weapons into the sea!' After decades of hardened attitudes in the theatre of war, some of those affected by the violence- whose minds had been scarred by years of ceaseless bloodletting-disagreed. Yet Madiba's sense of moral consistency would not allow him to condemn violence from only the side one.

This is part of the remarkable legacy of Mandela twenty years after. Candidly, much still needs to be done in this never ending process of socio-political reconstruction of our society.

Despite a democratic dispensation based on an acclaimed constitution, many of our people still wallow in poverty, largely because of this past against which Mandela spent his adult life fighting.

Nevertheless, as South Africans we can, correctly, pride ourselves on the achievements we have made since that epochal day when the world first caught sight of the free Nelson Mandela walking to freedom.

Even though much still has to be done, we can pat ourselves on the back for many positive changes in the daily lives of our people.

Indeed, post-apartheid South Africa has much that has changed. Under his stewardship as the first democratic president of our country, Mandela oversaw many economic, political and social changes that set our country on a new trajectory.

And having set the tone for this long winding journey, Mandela, weary of the limb over this long struggle, passed the baton on to the new generation, confident that the onwards march to a better future for all of us was irreversible.

True to his statesmanship, Mandela gave up power when all of us still felt the need for his peerless guidance. It could be argued that this act, once again, represents an era, a new generation had to take over, maintaining this coherent historical consciousness that seeks to build a human-centered society, based on high-minded ideals.

On this account, how we live up to these expectations will reflect our understanding of the historical meaning of Nelson Mandela!

Long live Madiba!

Issued by The Presidency, February 4 2010

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