South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela

Level 2 Intermediate
1 Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.

reconciliation euphoria bitter-sweet squalid warder

veteran astounded transition apartheid alarmed

1. A period of ____________ is the process of changing from one situation, form or state to another. (para 1)
2. ____________ was the political system that existed in the past in South Africa, in which only white people had
political rights and power. (para 1)
3. If you are ____________, you are extremely surprised and shocked. (para 3)
4. If you feel ____________, you feel worried that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen. (para 3)
5. A ____________ is someone whose job is to guard prisoners in a prison. (para 3)
6. A ____________ occasion is one on which you feel happiness and sadness at the same time. (para 4)
7. ____________ is a feeling of great happiness that usually lasts for a short time only. (para 4)
8. A place that is ____________ is dirty and unpleasant. (para 5)
9. ____________ is a new and friendly relationship with someone you argued with or fought with. (para 6)
10. A ____________ is someone who was in the armed forces, especially during a war. (para 7)

2 Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.
1. Who was the first black president of South Africa?
2. How long did Nelson Mandela spend in prison?
3. When was he released from prison?
4. Who is the current president of South Africa?
5. Which president announced the release of Nelson Mandela?
6. How many African countries have hosted the football World Cup?
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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Intermediate
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 South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 2 Intermediate
South Africa celebrates 20 years of years in office. It was an inspiring example of
freedom for Nelson Mandela occupying the moral high ground. That’s now
gone and I suppose I look at it with a sense of
David Smith in Johannesburg
sadness. This anniversary is bitter-sweet. When
11 February, 2010
you look at the personal morality of the current
1 Thousands of people gathered near Cape Town leadership, the level of corruption, the delays
in South Africa to celebrate the 20th anniversary in the provision of basic services, the euphoria
of Nelson Mandela’s release. It marked the of the victory over apartheid seems a long
moment that Mandela emerged after 27 years in way away.”
prison, introducing a transition from apartheid to 5 Optimists say South Africa is a stable democracy
multiracial democracy and the beginning of his with a strong liberal constitution, has the
rise to become the country’s first black president. continent’s biggest economy, is about to become
2 Mandela himself was not present, but made a the first African nation to host the football
rare public appearance in parliament later the World Cup and has seen an improvement
same day to hear the fourth post-apartheid in race relations that was unthinkable in the
president, Jacob Zuma, deliver a state of the 80s. Pessimists argue it is the most unequal
nation address. The prison where Mandela spent society in the world, with about one in four
his last months in captivity was named people unemployed, violent crime and political
a memorial site by South Africa’s National corruption common and the majority of black
Heritage Council. people living in squalid townships or settlements
that are no different from two decades ago.
3 Mandela’s release followed years of political
pressure against apartheid. President F. W. 6 Professor Jonathan Jansen, the first black rector
de Klerk signalled it was about to happen in a of the historically white Free State university,
dramatic speech to parliament on 2 February, said, “We need a Mandela II to get us out of this
1990. Nine days later, Mandela walked through moral crisis. Race relations are on a knife-edge.
the prison gates holding his wife Winnie’s hand The modern state was founded on a spirit of
with his right fist raised. A huge crowd was reconciliation, but the longer the inequalities
waiting for him. “I was astounded and a little exist, the more desperate people become and
bit alarmed,” he recalled later. “I truly had not the greater the risk of a crack in race relations.”
expected such a scene. At most, I had imagined 7 Some veterans of the struggle have a deep
there would be several dozen people, mainly the sense of disappointment. Professor Willie
warders and their families. But this proved to be Esterhuyse, an Afrikaner academic who liaised
only the beginning.” The Mandelas climbed into between de Klerk’s government and the ANC
a silver Toyota Cressida and were driven to the before the end of apartheid, said, “Mandela
centre of Cape Town to address a huge crowd captured the hopes of whites and blacks. But
outside city hall. Mandela pulled out his speech that hope did not really materialize because
and realized he had forgotten his glasses, but the problems were too big. The socioeconomic
Winnie gave him hers. issues were just too awful to deal with in a
4 The 20th anniversary of South Africa’s equivalent 10- or 20-year timespan. When the management
of the fall of the Berlin Wall has started a debate of these problems didn’t make the grade,
on whether the promise of that great day has they worsened.”
been fulfilled. Andrew Feinstein, a former African 8 Esterhuyse added, “We should be thankful on
National Congress MP who resigned in protest this anniversary but I don’t think we should
over alleged government corruption, said, “My rejoice too much. There’s no way we can say
main feeling when I look at South Africa today it’s all wonderful songs. We can reflect on what
is just how far we as the ANC and South Africa we’ve achieved but then let’s see if we can fix the
have fallen from the heady days of Mandela’s
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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Intermediate
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 South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 2 Intermediate
problems we’ve created, because we’ve 10 Frans Cronje, deputy director of the South
created some really serious political problems.” African Institute of Race Relations, said, “We’ve
all realized to some extent that South Africa is
9 While Mandela has the status of almost a
in fact just another normal society. Its problems
saint to most South Africans, Zuma is facing
are increasingly normal. International attention
the biggest crisis of his presidency after
has gone to other issues: the Middle East and,
being forced to apologize for an adulterous
from time to time, other crises like Haiti. South
relationship in which he fathered his 20th child.
Africans have been left to get on with it.”
But the fact that sex scandals dominate the
news headlines suggests that the country is © Guardian News & Media 2010
becoming increasingly like some other First published in The Guardian, 11/02/10
western countries.

3 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
1. Nelson Mandela was released from prison on 11 February, 1990.
2. Nelson Mandela spoke to thousands of people in Cape Town on the 20th anniversary of his release from prison.
3. South Africa has the biggest economy in Africa.
4. About 40% of South Africans are unemployed.
5. Jacob Zuma has 20 children with his wife.
6. South Africa is a democracy.

4 Find the word

Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1. a five-word expression meaning a speech describing the condition of the country and any new laws that may
be passed (para 2)
2. an adjective meaning very exciting and making you feel you can achieve anything you want (para 4)
3. an adjective meaning making you feel enthusiastic or excited about something (para 4)
4. a noun meaning dishonest or illegal behaviour by people in positions of power when they accept money in
exchange for doing things for someone (para 4)
5. an adjective meaning impossible to imagine (para 5)
6. a four-word expression meaning in a situation where success and failure are equally likely (para 6)
7. an adjective meaning very worried and angry because you do not know how to deal with an unpleasant
situation (para 6)
8. a verb meaning to provide a means of communication between two groups (para 7)
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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Intermediate
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 South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 2 Intermediate

5 Adjective + noun collocations

Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column to
make phrases from the text.
1. moral a. crime
2. personal b. appearance
3. basic c. high ground
4. stable d. services
5. violent e. democracy
6. public f. morality

6 Word building
Complete the table using words from the text.

verb noun
1. appear
2. lead
3. provide
4. settle
5. reconcile
6. disappoint

7 Discussion
Is Nelson Mandela a hero? Why? Why not?

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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Intermediate
CA O
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 South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 2 Intermediate

KEY
1 Key words 4 Find the word

1. transition 1. state of the nation address

2. apartheid 2. heady
3. astounded 3. inspiring
4. alarmed 4. corruption
5. warder 5. unthinkable
6. bitter-sweet 6. on a knife-edge
7. euphoria 7. desperate
8. squalid 8. liaise
9. reconciliation
10. veteran
5 Adjective + noun collocations

2 Find the information 1. c

2. f
1. Nelson Mandela 3. d
2. 27 years 4. e
3. February 1990 5. a
4. Jacob Zuma 6. b
5. F. W. de Klerk
6. None (South Africa will be the first in June 2010)
6 Word building

3 Comprehension check 1. appearance

2. leadership
1. T 3. provision
2. F 4. settlement
3. T 5. reconciliation
4. F 6. disappointment
5. F
6. T
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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Intermediate
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