Mandela goes from hero to scapegoat as South Africa struggles

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela is everywhere. The country's currency bears his smiling face, at least 32 streets bear his name, and nearly two dozen statues in his likeness watch over a changing country.

Each year, in July On March 18, his birthday, South Africans celebrate Mandela Day by volunteering for 67 minutes (painting schools, knitting blankets or cleaning city parks) in honor of 67 years Mr. Mandela spent serving the country as an anti-apartheid leader, much of it from behind bars.

But 10 years after his death, attitudes have changed. exchange. The party led by Mr Mandela after his release from prison, the African National Congress, is in serious danger of losing its absolute majority for the first time since he became president in 1994 in the first free elections after the fall of apartheid. . Corruption, incompetence and elitism have tarnished the A.N.C.

Mr. Mandela's image - that the A.N.C. plastered across the country - has for some gone from hero to scapegoat.

While Mr. Mandela is still revered around the world, from many South Africans, especially young people, believe he has not done enough to create structural changes that would improve the fortunes of the country's black majority. White South Africans still hold a disproportionate share of the country's land and earn three and a half times more than blacks.

ImageA statue of Mandela at Cape Town's City Hall. Nearly two dozen statues in his image watch over a changing country.