Motion celebrating the release of Nelson Mandela
The African National Congress moves without notice: That the House
1) notes that 11 February 2019, marks 29 years, of Nelson Mandela's release from Victor Verster Prison in Cape Town after spending 27 years in prison;
2) further notes that Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island and a short period at Pollsmoor Prison before spending the last 14 months of his imprisonment at the Victor Verster Prison;
3) recalls that in June 1964, Madiba and other political activists were sentenced to life in prison at Robben Island;
4) further recalls that his release paved the way for South Africa's years of peace-making, negotiations and a process of transformation;
5) also recalls that South Africa's transition from apartheid ended formally on 27 April 1994 with the first democratic general election and a Government of National Unity under the stewardship of President Mandela;
6) believes that Madiba's presidency was about entrenching democracy and putting in place the instruments required to transform society fundamentally; and
7) calls upon South Africans to celebrate the country's break from colonial and apartheid shackles and to go out in their numbers to vote in the 2019 general election set for 8 May 2019 in remembrance of Madiba.
