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The Conversation
The Conversation
Jonny Steinberg, Senior lecturer in African Studies, Yale University

Nelson Mandela was a hard man who played a hard game. What if he was in Ramaphosa’s shoes?

Nelson Mandela Cyril Ramaphosa South Africa

In 2023 South African author Jonny Steinberg published a book on former South African president Nelson Mandela and his tumultuous marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. To mark the 107th anniversary of Mandela’s birth, Steinberg wrote the following as an introduction to our newsletter of 18 July 2025.

As Nelson Mandela’s birthday approaches, I find that without any conscious bidding my mind has embarked on a thought experiment: If Mandela were in Cyril Ramaphosa’s shoes now, if he were president of South Africa facing a truly shocking crisis in the criminal justice system, what would he do?

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