ABSTRACT
Icons are generally regarded as standing for or representing something else. They are signs that through heavy use have acquired rich connotations and consequently convey powerful meanings that are clearly understood1 and are recognizable2 by members of a community – local, national state or international. Nelson Mandela through his life and example is a powerful South African icon who has transcended his native South Africa and become an icon of hope in the face of adversity as well as of forgiveness and reconciliation. That does not prevent him from still being a husband, father and grandfather to his immediate and extended family members.
