Remembering the day February 2, 1990 in South Africa! On an epic day the then president de Klerk offered South Africans, of all persuasion, and the world a total dismantling of the apartheid regime. Read an excellent article on this here.

It makes one reflect that anything is possible. Not many South Africans considered this option a possibility. And yes there was a fair amount of resistance amongst the ruling white class after its announcement. But by making this step publicly and with conviction there was just no going back.

How often do we hesitate before we take a tiny step. We agonise over the consequences, the possible fall-out, the damage to our ego and the expected personal humiliation we are sure we will be subjected to.

And none of that is significant really. When a single person can stand up and announce a huge change of direction for his country, a total reversal of all things previously fought for and held onto then our small challenges feel insignificant surely.

But it’s not only our individual small changes that become minute in comparison. It is also the foolish stances that politicians all over the world take in their determination to protect their authority or avoid losing face in their mindless effort to hang onto a bad status quo.

If one small relatively unknown politician can change the fate of an entire country, then those other little politicians can do a lot more to ensure that their subjects are offered a life of equality, justice and freedom just to mention a few of the rights many people never get to experience in their lifetime.

Well done South Africa. Well done to both W F de Klerk and Nelson Mandela for showing the leadership required to make the impossible become possible.