Mandela’s light dims as South Africa struggles

South Africa’s largest monument to Nelson Mandela, a 30-foot bronze state in Pretoria. Mandela is revered worldwide and celebrated on July 18, his birthday. But at home, a younger generation is disillusioned with the country, his party and the anti-apartheid leader, too. — Photos: ©2023 The New York Times Company

IN South Africa, Nelson Mandela is everywhere. The country’s currency bears his smiling face, at least 32 streets are named for him and nearly two dozen statues in his image watch over a country in flux.

Every year on July 18, his birthday, South Africans celebrate Mandela Day by volunteering for 67 minutes – painting schools, knitting blankets or cleaning up city parks – in honour of the 67 years that Mandela spent serving the country as an anti-apartheid leader, much of it behind bars.