The father of our nation, our beloved Madiba, turns 94 today.
Tata, I’m sure I join every South African in thanking you for your amazingly selfless contribution to our country over so many years and wishing you heartiest congratulations on completing another trip around the sun. May you be blessed with health, happiness and peace in the days and years to come!
Let’s all remember to honour Mandela Day to day by giving 67 minutes of our time to help somebody else.
Happy birthday, Madiba and Thixo akusikelele!
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Happy Birthday, Madiba! Wishing you health and happiness! You stole my heart completely way back in 1995 wearing your Springbok jersey. At that moment I felt everything will be okay!
why would we have a happy birthday thread for a politician when we can’t discuss politics on this blog, is that not a contradiction?
@Megatron (Comment 2) : Simple – the man never was a politician – rather one of the few statesmen of our generation
@Bokhoring (Comment 3) : really? a president of the ANC, commander-in-chief of Umkhonto weSizwe and he wasn’t a politician – rose tinted glasses?
@Megatron (Comment 4) : In my definition politicians looks after their own a$$es (own constituency) more than the country, whereas a statesman cares more for the country than just being in power.
I simply admire the guy for cutting across boundaries – it could have been so much different. So more a statesman than a politician
Happy birthday Madiba, you’re an awesome example of a fine human being!!
Happy birthday Mr Mandela.
@Megatron (Comment 2) : I get your point.
@Bokhoring (Comment 5) : you are TALKING POLITICS now!
@Megatron (Comment 8) : hehe
Happy Birthday Ntate Moholo
@Megatron (Comment 2) :
You really didn’t need to go there!
Happy Birthday Madiba!!
I really wish there were more leaders like you out there!
Megatron showing a distinct lack of class and finesse on this thread. Pity, I expected more.
Mate, you will hopefully learn that sometimes you need to accept a little ambiguity and focus on the big picture – accept things in the spirit in which they were intended, rather than nit-picking about specific technical points.
@Pokkel (Comment 12) : And happy happy to you too!
@Ice (Comment 14) :
Baie dankie Ysie!
@Pokkel (Comment 11) : what i should’ve been happy-go-lucky and wished the man happy birthday and moved on? i grew up in a time when you fear for you life if you even mentioned mandela’s name…so excuse me if i’m noy familiar with the sanitized version
@Megatron (Comment 16) : Fair enough.
@Megatron (Comment 16) : Perhaps you could have shown a bit of graciousness towards a great man and those who do wish to express their good wishes on his birthday – iow there’s a time to just shut the hell up
@robdylan (Comment 13) : “class & finnesse” have little to nothing to do with this…just putting the rusted spanner in the works to open up minds rather than constantly following the herd.
@Megatron (Comment 16) : as with all things, there are many shades and aspects to who Mandela is and what he has done- and what he means to various people.
By “sugar coating” him as father of the nation, we are not attempting to detract from your experiences or denigrate your world view. We are just trying to celebrate Mandela the Reconciler on a day of special significance.
This is not a blog about religion either, but we will mark the birthday and passion of Christ on the appropriate days too.
@diablo (Comment 18) : i’m not forcing anyone or foisting my opinion on anyone, so again, no grace necessary, i assume we’re all adults and can be adult about opinions…
@Megatron (Comment 19) : I think what you just said is “I’m just stirring again”…
Careful, I’ll send you to the Wes Corner…
@robdylan (Comment 20) : cheers
see, no harm done.
Happy birthday, Madiba! Condolences for sharing it with Pokkel!
@robdylan (Comment 22) : hahaha look, my kids (when i have them) will get the sweet with the bitter so that they can be balanced. same as this blog or the sharks, a bit of balance is needed to facilitate a multi-faceted outlook & approach to things.
Happy birthday Yem yem,ngqolomsila,diba. Khule ungakhokhobi tatomkhulu
@Culling Song (Comment 24) :
@Megatron (Comment 25) : I would love to have a political blog – don’t get me wrong, In fact, I even tried to start one a few years back, but nobody was interested!
It will never be this blog though… Never as long as I live.
@Culling Song (Comment 24) :
so Madiba and Pokkel is of the same age, as their B-days is the same day 
@Franshark (Comment 29) :
Hey watchit!
@Pokkel (Comment 30) : veëls geluk, Pokko!
@robdylan (Comment 31) : huh?
You’ve been on the mud island too long.
but thanks I think I know what you mean.
Now you probably going to edit it and make my comment looks stupid.
@Pokkel (Comment 32) : yes, probably
@robdylan (Comment 33) :
Politics. What a joke.
@Megatron (Comment 19) : Ditto to that.
@robdylan (Comment 20) : By “sugar coating” him as father of the nation, we are not attempting to detract from your experiences or denigrate your world view
Great. So we can expect the same level of treatment for the other Nobel Laureate on 18 March next year?
@Megatron (Comment 21) : Not on this site.
@Pokkel (Comment 30) : Happy Birthday meneer.
@klempie (Comment 37) : don’t be daft.
@robdylan (Comment 40) :
Happy birthday Madiba; thanks for setting the bar so high.
To the stirers ; spare us your agendas – nobody cares. We all just want to acknowledge a great soul on his birthday, and wish Madiba well too, of course.
@Big Fish
Well said!