ANC also to benefit from legacy

Zandile Mbabela

FORMER president Nelson Mandela not only wanted his legacy to live on forever, but also that of the party he dedicated his life to.

He, therefore, left the ANC a large slice of his estate to use to promote the party's work.

In his will, Mandela said the ANC would get up to a third of the royalties from the NRM Family Trust.

Mandela directed the family trust, to, "at their sole discretion, consider paying, subject to availability of funds, a minimum of 10% and maximum of 30% of the royalties to the African National Congress".

Mandela said the money should be used at the party's national executive committee's discretion for the recording and sharing of the party's principles on reconciliation, freedom, justice and human rights.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said the party was "deeply humbled" and grateful to Mandela and his family. He said his was just another one of the former president's "many direct contributions" to the party's programmes promoting non-racialism and reconciliation.

"This generosity has been the hallmark of Madiba's life over the many decades that he has been a dedicated servant of our people," Mthembu said.

"We view this final contribution as being no different as Tata could have shared these resources among his family, yet his unwavering love for his people and their organisation, the ANC, was paramount.

"The ANC welcomes the contribution and it will be used as directed." Mthembu said the money would be put in a special fund that would be used to punt the values Mandela stood for.

"We will [continue] to build leadership with integrity and an ethos for selfless service to humanity," he said.

"The ANC commits itself to upholding and preserving this legacy which is an embodiment of the calibre of leaders who formed and led the ANC, guiding our struggle over decades.

"We will build on this foundation, developing leadership as part of our programme of political education, training South Africans in general on the values Madiba lived, that were part of the founding of the ANC."