Freedom demands more: Making “good trouble” in a world adrift

 “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

I invoke these words of radical revolutionary and iconic statesman, our Foundation’s revered namesake, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, to ground what is an undeniably difficult and deeply unsettling moment in which we find ourselves – as a nation, and as a global community.

For over 45 days, the world has watched on tenterhooks as escalations in the US-Israeli war on Iran have intensified, sending oil prices soaring and global markets into decline. Yet beyond these economic tremors lies a far graver truth: in what appears to be a war for power – for the ultimate control of oil flows – it is human life that bears the heaviest cost.

Each day, the conflict claims dozens more lives, with fatalities mounting into the thousands. And while this war rages beyond our borders, closer to home, over the past six months, the corrosive reach of corruption within our justice system has been laid bare for all to witness at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption – the Madlanga Commission. 

At a moment such as this, where freedom is being contested across territories, boardrooms, and broken institutions, Madiba’s own name – Rolihlala, loosely translated as “troublemaker” – feels especially resonant. It reminds us that today we need more Rolihlalas willing to take a stand and fight for just societies.

Freedom Day, commemorated each year on 27 April, marks the triumph of the liberation movement in dismantling colonialism and apartheid.

On this day, 32 years ago, South Africans – regardless of race or creed – stood united at the ballot box, participating freely in the first democratic elections that ushered in our constitutional democracy.

And yet, while many will invoke the legacy of the late, great Madiba, his true vision of freedom –anchored in the Freedom Charter, ethical leadership, and a commitment to global justice – is sorely absent in a world increasingly defined by geopolitical instability, democratic regression, and shifting centres of power.

Adopted 71 years ago at the Congress of the People in Kliptown, the Freedom Charter remains not merely a historical document, but a living blueprint – a moral and political compass for equality, human rights, and democratic accountability in our time.

Its relevance is sharpened as we witness a growing assault on international law and the erosion of multilateral institutions by those intent on their collapse. And so, we are compelled to ask: who, then, holds power to account when the very systems designed to safeguard our freedoms begin to falter?

In 2003, during a visit to Malawi, Madiba reminded us that “international multilateral bodies have the ability to, if there is political will, solve and prevent conflicts.” He further asserted that business leaders, too, carry a responsibility in shaping a more peaceful and prosperous world.

So we must ask: who, then — as our Board Chair, Dr Naledi Pandor, has so aptly challenged – is “making good trouble”? Who is confronting the evolving architecture of wealth corruption, and the resurgent forces of racism and white supremacy that continue to erode decades of hard-won trust?

Who is meaningfully addressing the climate crisis, whose harshest consequences are borne by societies in the Global South? Who is raising their voice against the atrocities unfolding in real time, where human lives are reduced to collateral in a geopolitical contest for power?

And how far into these questions do we travel before we arrive at an uncomfortable, yet necessary answer: “me”?

In a world increasingly defined by apathy and narrow nationalism, Nelson Mandela’s legacy of principled resistance, moral courage, compassion, and diplomacy – stands as both a challenge and a call to action.

As a Foundation, our role is to honour the fullness of Madiba’s legacy, not merely to remember it – to mobilise it in service of ongoing struggles for justice, and in pursuit of more just and equitable societies.

Six months ago, we gathered at the 23rd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture under the theme “Enhancing Peace and Global Cooperation.” At a time marked by rising conflict, deepening inequality, and the weakening of multilateral institutions, the lecture served as a powerful reminder: peace and cooperation are not inevitable – they are choices. Choices that demand courage, conviction, and collective will.

To realise systemic change, we must insist on accountability at the highest levels of leadership, while also enabling those in positions of power to rise to the demands of this moment. It requires that leaders, scholars, and activists alike embrace their role unapologetically – as agents of disruption. As principled, and proud, troublemakers.