100 THE MANDELA YEARS - 100 The Mandela Years

There are people who will argue that you do not need another book on Nelson Mandela. There has been so much written about him over the years and especially in the year when he would have celebrated his centenary.

But how much can one realistically pay tribute to, without doubt, the greatest South African who ever lived? How can we ever say thank you enough for all the hard work and sacrifice he made to ensure that South Africa becomes a free country? How can we ever thank him enough for his wisdom and humility?

When we produced the book to celebrate Madiba's 90th birthday, he was still alive, even though he was retired. He has since passed on, but his message and his legacy will live on forever.

Mandela's influence reached far wider than South Africa. In fact, it can be argued that he was truly a global leader who cared about the poor and downtrodden irrespective of where they were in the world.

In this book, we carry special messages from prominent and important people who talk about the impact

that he made on their lives and their careers. But we also look more generally at what made this man so special: from his special relationship with the people who were supposed to guard him at prison, to his unbridled love for children. We also look at the meaningful contribution he made to sport and arts and culture and, of course, the fashion industry with his trendsetting Madiba shirts.

At a time when many feel that we have lost our way on the democratic path that we set out on in the

early 1990s, it is important to learn from Madiba's wise words and experiences. Hopefully, all of us will be inspired to get our country and our democracy back on track. Read this book, feel inspired and find the Mandela inside you.