On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, died at the age of 95. Mandela’s death was widely seen as a tragedy, and many spoke out about his death saying phrases such as, “Africa has lost its greatest son,” and “He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages.”

During Mandela’s funeral, many international politicians and leaders were cheered for, but South Africa’s current president was booed; what can this say about South Africa post-Mandela?

Junior Matt Sleboda said, “I don’t think [South Africa’s government] will be as good as it was before [Mandela] because [of a] lack of leadership and if the country cannot unite, they will fall apart.”

South Africa currently lacks a unifying leader due to the fact their current president, Jacob Zuma, has done very little to improve South Africa so far. Zuma promised to lower the poverty level in South Africa as well as education standards. However, when Zuma attempted to fulfill his promise, the libraries he established were burnt down.

Freshman John “Vanya” Kozin said, “I believe that no current or future president will be able to compare to Mandela’s accomplishments in fighting the apartheid, but future executives should be able to stabilize the South African state. The people of South Africa will always remember Mandela as a great man and the people will not allow for another apartheid to occur in South Africa.”

Before Zuma began his rule, Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe were presidents of South Africa; however, neither could compare to Mandela. At the moment, no one can decide how South Africa will be affected by Mandela’s death, but many are worried his Rainbow Project, a program which helps to discover future community leaders, will lose meaning.

Sophomore Lindsay Martin said, “Without Mandela, South Africa’s government will not be the same. No president will be able to compare to Mandela. Hopefully, Mandela’s impact and legacy will live on and encourage future presidents and government policies to follow his footsteps.”

Mandela improved South Africa in many ways, including making the country into a democracy rather than an apartheid state, founding the ANC Youth League, and promoting youth voting and peace rather than violence. He also encourages gender equality and realized that no condition in Africa would improve unless women and men became more equal. Mandela helped to lower unemployment by forming alliances with trade unions.

Mandela was an extremely influential figure in South Africa, and without him the country’s development is in danger of stagnating.