South Africa’s former foreign minister told the United Nations that Nelson Mandela was “a troublemaker” whose legacy of challenging injustice remains essential for addressing global inequality today.

Dr Naledi Pandor, chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, described the former South African president as “the kind of good troublemaker that we need more of in the world today” during her keynote address at UN headquarters to mark International Nelson Mandela Day.

International Nelson Mandela Day, observed annually on July 18, marks Mandela’s birthday and was established by the UN General Assembly in 2009.

The day calls for 67 minutes of community service, representing the 67 years Mandela spent fighting for social justice.

Pandor, who served as South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation from 2019 to 2024, told delegates that Mandela pushed for equality and dismantled oppression “that was convenient and profitable to some.” She said this system “was defeated in South Africa, but has yet to be eradicated globally.”

The foundation leader outlined what “making good trouble” means in practical terms. She said it requires excellence in daily responsibilities, regardless of whether people are watching, and constantly asking “How do I make change in the space that I am in?”

“Some of you listening today may ask yourselves: I am just an accountant; I am just a teacher; I am just a store manager, what does making good trouble look like for me?” Pandor said. She emphasized that ordinary actions, when performed excellently, can contribute to collective improvement.

Pandor also launched an exhibition titled “Our shared humanity in action,” highlighting the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid’s role in combating South Africa’s apartheid system. The committee was established in 1962 and demonstrated what diplomats can achieve when they work for global equity.

The former minister called for UN reform, saying stronger internal structures are needed to effectively address global challenges. “It will be harder to do good trouble out there in the world, if the internal structures here are not democratised,” she said.

Pandor concluded by echoing Mandela’s 1990 address to the same committee, extending support to “all others who fight for their liberation and their human rights, including the peoples of Palestine and Western Sahara.”

“We commend their struggles to you, convinced that we are all moved by the fact that freedom is indivisible,” she said.

New York – Bantu Gazette