The erection of the statue of Nelson Mandela has changed the face of the union building as the paradox of the Apartheid historical monuments.

South Africans and the whole world have all the reasons to celebrate the beautiful story about the achievements of our democracy. The truth remains to be that our transition to democracy is the most successful ever in the history of humanity.

For a period of three and half centuries, the people of our country have waged relentless struggle against imperialism and colonial oppression and exploitation. Their determination defeated the most horrendous state ever in the history of humanity.

The collapse of the brutal Apartheid system ushered in a new era of hope that indeed the future belongs to all the people of South Africa irrespective of race or gender. South Africans for the first time across the spectra of our society, embraced each other for the common cause of their own freedom.

We must all appreciate and celebrate the realities that the 1994 democratic breakthrough, has created the necessary impetus for our people to take forward the struggle for socio economic transformation of our society. The victory of the struggle of our people has consolidated our common determination to push back the frontiers of poverty, disease and underdevelopment.

Our people have always understood that the defeat of the racist Apartheid regime was not the end but the beginning of new forms of protracted struggle for the construction of our national democratic society. We have always understood that our journey into the future would not be an easy one.

Our people are faced with the mammoth task of reversing back the centuries old legacy of imperialism and colonialism of a special type. Our objective remains to be the construction of a non racial, non sexist, democratic and prosperous society.

The past twenty years of our democratic dispensation has become living testimony that the ANC is the only political movement capable of leading the struggle for the liberation of our people into the future. The black people in general and the Africans in particular have indeed become the architects of their own destiny.

Our country and the people are no more the same again. South Africa has significantly changed for the better.

There is a new sense of a common belonging and a nationhood amongst the people. We are all hoisting the colour of the flag of our rainbow nation with full confidence that the future belong to all who live with us.

Both the South African urban and rural settlements have improved for the better. Even our fauna and flora, our rivers, valleys and our beautiful escarpments have derived a sense of the image of our democratic society.

The day of the 16th December 2013 will forever be the most memorable in our beautiful story to tell about the achievements of our democracy. The day on which the President of our Republic Cde Jacob Zuma, inaugurated the statue of our first democratically elected President and our international struggle icon, Tata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, at the union buildings.

The day was first and foremost historic from the point of view that it was the first sun rise of a South Africa without the shadow of the father of our nation, Nelson Mandela. A day after our people and the world accompanied to its final resting place the mortal remains of our historic leader.

Secondly from the premise that it coincided with the centenary anniversary celebrations of the union building as the seat of administration of the South African government. A historic moment that also marked the celebrations of the day of reconciliation of our rainbow nation.

Our living memories will always relate the centenary anniversary celebrations of the union buildings to the history of the formation of the union of South Africa in 1910, the formation of the ANC in 1912, and the year 1918 as the end of the first world war and the birth of the father of our nation and the our international struggle icon, President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Therefore the union building is a monumental historic site at the heart of our country, anchored in the Apartheid colonial and racial formation. It is equally a symbolic landmark which represents the history of the building and formation of our rainbow nation.

The architectural designs of the west and the east wings of the building represent a symbolic gesture of the unity of the Afrikaners and the English speaking people after the Anglo Boer war. Therefore we must be proud that the erection of the statue of Nelson Mandela has changed the face of the union building as the paradox of the Apartheid historical monuments.

The erection of the statue of Nelson Mandela at the union building tells a beautiful story about the achievements of our twenty years of democracy. No one ever thought that one of the longest serving political prisoners will ever be the face of the seat of the government of the most vicious state in the world.

Cde Nelson Mandela and many of the heroes and heroines of our struggle spent every day of their many years in prison with the full confidence and hope that our revolution would eventually triumph over the wishes of our adversaries. They have indeed thought us that patience is a virtue.

In memory of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Ahmed Kathrada, Lionel Bernstein, James Kantor, Dennis Goldberg, Elias Motswaledi, Andrew Mlangeni, Joel Joffe, Bram Fischer, Vernon Berrange, Arthur Chaskalson, George Bizos, Oliver Tambo, JB Marks, Moses Kotane, Alfred Nokwe, Joe Slovo, Ben Turok,Duma Nokwe, Joe Modise, Gertrude Shope, Jack Hodgson and many other of our heroes and heroines of our struggle, we make a clarion call to all our people to vote for the ANC.

The ANC lives, the ANC leads, vote for the ANC.

Phatse Justice Piitso is the former Ambassador to the republic of Cuba and the former provincial secretary of the SACP writing this article on his personal capacity.

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