Quote of the day by Nelson Mandela: “Never, never and never again…”

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.”

This is the famous quote by former South African President Nelson Mandela during his inauguration speech, delivered on 10 May 1994.

Mandela is globally regarded as an icon of moral leadership, democracy and social justice. He received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a young man, he was an anti-apartheid activist who opposed the Apartheid government and fought for equal rights in South Africa.

Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and initially committed to non-violent protest.

However, after non-violent resistance had failed to bring change, he founded the organisation’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.

Mandela helped plan and approve acts of sabotage against the apartheid state, targeting infrastructure and symbols of government power.

In 1964, he was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the South African government.

He spent 27 years in prison, most notably on Robben Island, where his prisoner number was 46664. This number became a symbol of freedom.

He was finally released from prison on 11 February 1990, after intense international pressure and negotiations with former Apartheid President F.W. de Klerk.

Nelson Mandela was elected President of the ANC in July 1991 and was the face of the party for South Africa’s general elections in 1994.

In 1994, at age 74, Mandela voted for the first time in his life. The ANC won the elections, and he was elected South Africa’s first black president.

Nelson Mandela’s drive to unite the nation

The run-up to the 1994 elections was violent, with widespread loss of life and many forces trying to pull the country apart.

Mandela focused on uniting the nation. He knew that a Black-majority government alone wouldn’t ensure peace.

He had to convince the white minority, especially Afrikaners, that they had a place in the new South Africa while addressing the deep wounds of the black majority.

Although the ANC won a massive majority in 1994, Mandela formed a Government of National Unity (GNU), which included the National Party.

He appointed his former rival and the last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, as one of his Deputy Presidents.

Nelson Mandela delivered his inauguration speech on 10 May 1994 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

This speech served as a victory lap for the ANC and a roadmap for a country teetering between a bloody past and an uncertain future.

The central theme was the transition from the extraordinary human disaster, Apartheid, to a society of which all humanity will be proud.

“We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts,” he said.

“All South Africans will be assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.”

He ended his speech with one of the most iconic quotes, which has been repeated numerous times by South Africans across party lines.

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.”

“Let freedom reign. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! God bless Africa!”