It was 30 years ago this week that Nelson Mandela was released from prison.  I remember the news story quite well.

As expected, there were lots of good vibrations that day.  Remember the live coverage of Mandela walking out of prison?

 
Wife Winnie Mandela accompanies Nelson as he walks away from prison gate 30 years ago.
YouTube screen grab.

Within a short time, I began to have serious doubts about Nelson Mandela.  His hugs with Fidel Castro and his sympathies for leftists turned me off.

Was Mandela naïve or another communist hiding behind the curtains of social justice?

Thirty years later, Mandela is dead, and South Africa is a country going downhill.  Today, the news out of that country is all bad, from land expropriations to leftist policies destroying the economy.

Some are asking: Three decades after anti-apartheid leader was released from prison, how has life changed for South Africans?

As for Mandela's legacy, he will be remembered as the darling of the international left but not much more.

Mandela did not speak up when his followers destroyed the country to correct "injustices" from the past.  Many of those farmers targeted for land seizure left the country for fear of their lives.  Unfortunately, their talents have moved elsewhere and not compensated for their lands.

Tragically, it reminds me of Cuba or today's Venezuela.

Yes, we will see lots of stories about the great Mandela.  Yet his release turned out to be a big zero, or a gigantic missed opportunity for South Africa.

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