In the 25 years since the late anti-apartheid hero's release from prison on February 11, 1990, South Africa has had to confront the realities of its divided past.
It has not been easy, and race remains a dividing factor despite the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which sought to help heal the wounds.
A recent spike in race-tinged comments from the public and political leaders alike has raised questions about the country's ability to fully reconcile with its history, and the extent of apartheid-era divisions in the public psyche.
Perhaps South Africans "tried to reckon with our pasts too quickly", he said, referring to the TRC, which focused on politically-motivated crimes during traumatic hearings which began in 1996.
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"Some countries can wait. Even 20 years. We could not wait," he said, adding that the old schisms in society had resurfaced.
The renaming this month of a Cape Town street in honour of the country's last white apartheid-era leader, FW de Klerk, was met with protests by some in the black community who queried his role in bringing about change in South Africa.
Black critics, however, point to the role of De Klerk's government in atrocities even in the dying days of apartheid.
In a speech on the renaming, De Klerk referred to the "new, bitter and confrontational tone in the national discourse" as the antithesis of everything that Mandela worked for during his time as president.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which is tasked with preserving the legacy of the late peace icon, has been hosting public dialogues on issues of reconciliation.
South Africa needs to look beyond the TRC and consider implementing new strategies for reckoning with the past.
"The vast majority of South Africans live in a reality that is still profoundly shaped by apartheid. It makes them angry... Old divisions and old schisms have become more marked now," he said.