Public Service Minister Lindiwe Sisulu proclaimed we must never forget our history at the announement of the Official Nelson Mandela Opus on Tuesday. in front of media and honoured guests including Graça Machel the Minister said,

“I want to pledge to all of you that I will fight… to make sure that history is made a compulsory subject for all our children so that at no point do our children grow up not understanding who we are, what we have been through and what has defined what we are today… This book will be the first book that will be taught in those schools when I succeed.”

The Minister continued to tell the audience that we have forgotton legendary Africans such as Hannibal and Shaka. Hannibal, who came from present-day Tunisia conquered Rome but by the time he died, nobody remembered who he was. He left nothing behind to indicate that he had been there…

“Shaka is a man who created what is known as modern-day nation states in Southern Africa. Unless you dig him up in history, very little of him is known,” Sisulu said.

She said the third legend is Mandela, and it was through this book that his legacy and story would not be forgotten.

“We would like to make sure that 300 years from now everybody will know that there once was a young… man who rose peacefully through every sphere of adversity.”