Previn Vedan is a lawyer, human rights advocate and activist based in Durban
There is something remarkable about Nelson Mandela. The further we move away from his lifetime, the closer we seem to move to his example.
Eight years ago, I wrote about Mandela through the eyes of a child who had once stood at the back of a crowd in Chatsworth, straining to catch a glimpse of the man whose name had already become larger than history. I wrote about the excitement of seeing him, the stories I had heard from my parents and teachers, and the lessons I believed his life offered to the world.
Today, I write from a different place.
Since then, I have become a lawyer. I have represented workers facing dismissal, families seeking justice and communities looking for answers. I have served in local government, worked alongside people from every political persuasion and every walk of life, and spent countless evenings in community halls where democracy is noisy, imperfect and deeply human.
