He still bestrides the nation ...
Fascinating to work in Pretoria facilitating a series of workshops for a cross section of South African regulators last month.
Not least because the work coincided with the aftermath of the municipal elections that saw South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) being defeated by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in local polls in the capital Pretoria and also losing Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area in the Eastern Cape.
The party of late President Mandela, the icon of the struggle against apartheid, still commands strong support with about 54% of the national vote. But many commentators suggest that the ANC cannot take it for granted that the majority of the electorate will follow it automatically.
Our team couldn't miss the opportunity to visit Freedom Park. which celebrates South Africa's heritage and is an atmospheric centre of knowledge celebrating celebrates the ideals of liberty, diversity and human rights.
Yet it was in front of Sir Herbert Baker's Union Buildings that our team saw this magnificent statue of Mr Mandela ... and the unintended symbolism evident in the small child playing happily at his feet. Mr Mandela, and his legacy, still bestride this nation ...
