Former South African president Nelson Mandela is leading the field in an SMS and Internet poll to find the greatest South African ever, reports Tracy Burrows on
ITWeb. Similar projects are being run in Germany, France, Canada, and Russia. The winners in each country will be pitted against each other in a "Great Human" contest.
The
Great South Africans Project, run by the country's national broadcaster (
SABC), is being staged to find who is regarded as the greatest South African ever and looks at the role played by individuals in the country's life and development. Mandela tops the list of 400 nominees, having earned 1,000 nominations out of 8,000. However, other names on the list include South Africans like 19th century mining magnate Barney Barnato and local Internet billionaire -- and the second citizen in space -- Mark Shuttleworth.
Quite surprisingly, apartheid architect Hendrik Verwoerd is also included on the list of "great South Africans" that people can choose.
