In case you lost the memo somewhere along the way, yesterday was Tata Madiba’s birthday.

To remember the late former president, South Africans across the country donated 67 minutes of their time to charity doing whatever they thought would help, from knitting blankets to making peanut butter sandwiches.

But Economic Freedom Fighter Student Command Peter Keetse had another idea.

He chose to remember Madiba’s legacy by placing rats, some dead, some alive, at the feet of the Nelson Mandela statue in Sandton City, Johannesburg.

He explained his reasons for doing so to Times LIVE:

“We have long diagnosed issues of the people of Alexandra. There was once incident that happened where a child was eaten by rats. The story was there but nothing was done for the people of Alexander and their conditions.”

For all you Kaape mense, Alexander is the township neighbouring Sandton.

Keetse continues:

“They [people] have said here is the man who is celebrated internationally and when you check just next door [in neighbouring Alexandra] the situation is worse than it was in 1994. It is deteriorating each and every day. Nothing is being done with that condition. It is always about the question of land.

The scene of the crime:

“Those people there are just thrown as if it is a concentration camp…They [people of Alexandra] can just come and trim trees and flowers in Sandton and go back there where they are going to share the groceries with rats. It is very bad.

“We have said as Alex we are going to take this initiative and go to Mandela Square… and deliver a present to the old man.

“Conditions are still the same. Nothing has changed. We believe that they [Mandela and ANC leaders] are the ones who could have done better during the Codesa negotiations and not sell [us out] on the question of land.”

Fair? The group had captured around 30 rats from the township and, although some were dead, the rest escaped into Mandela Square when they were released.

The group also held a demonstration.

One might look at this as a little disrespectful, but sometimes you need to piss people off to get them to realise the reality of it all.

Even if that means bringing on the rats.

[source: timeslive]