Johannesburg: Iconic world leader Nelson Mandela will not be present at the opening of South Africa's Parliament on Thursday, an occasion to mark the 20th anniversary of his release from the prison after 27 years of incarceration by the apartheid government.
Despite earlier intimations by the ruling African
National Congress (ANC) that Mandela, the country's first
democratically elected President, would be present, it was
confirmed here today that the frail wheelchair-bound leader
would not be there.
Mandela's release from the Groot Drakenstein Prison,
formerly named Victor Verster, outside Paarl in the Western
Cape Province led to mass euphoria and sparked the start of
freedom for all South Africans after decades of a
white-minority government.
Parliament's theme this year is "Celebrate the Legacy
of Mandela - Contribute to Nation Building".
"Throughout the year, the letter and spirit of this
theme will permeate the business of Parliament," said National
Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu.
Former President Thabo Mbeki, who followed Mandela as
President before being recalled by the ANC after Jacob Zuma
was elected President of the ANC two years ago, was also not
expected to attend the historic occasion because he had other
prior commitments.
In a break from the tradition of opening Parliament
in the morning, President Jacob Zuma decided that it should be
in the evening so that millions more people could share it
live on radio and television, as well as on huge TV screens at
public venues across the country.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 22:24