“Mqhekezweni Great Place is the location of abaThembu traditional authority that has remained, in certain aspects, the same as the pre-colonial administrative system. The Traditional Authority survived colonial and apartheid governments as the custodian of cultural rights, customs and the retention of traditional governance. Nelson Mandela’s stay here as a child offers insight into the democracy of these traditional systems. It is a place where the values of active democracy and participatory citizenship were practiced and exhibited, greatly impressing young Nelson Mandela and profoundly influencing his notions and style of leadership as a prominent leader in the Liberation Struggle and South Africa’s first democratically elected president.”
