On this day in 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison.  I remember the news story quite well.  As I remember, there were lots of good vibrations that came out of this day.

Today, Mandela is dead, and South Africa is a country going downhill.  Today, the news out of that country is all bad, as we see in this report from a few weeks ago:

Thousands of predominantly white farmers are emigrating Down Under every month, as South Africa's government prepares to roll out land seizures to make right the "original sin" of how the black population was treated in days gone by. 

A law firm based in Perth, Western Australia, said the number of South Africans who have arrived on Australia's shores since last February is estimated to be at least 162,000. 

Karen Kotze, a migration expert at Suffolk Law, said the firm receives "up to 10 enquiries a day" from South Africans considering making the move. 

This is an outrage as well as economic suicide by the South African government.  These farmers are more than landowners.  They are people who have been managing these lands for generations.  You don't replace their talents by giving their land to other people.

As for Mandela's legacy, maybe this is what he will be remembered for.  It makes no sense to destroy the country to correct "injustices" from the past.  It would have made a lot more sense to respect property rights and let the landowners mentor new black farmers.

Mandela plus 29 is a big zero for South Africa.

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