Mamdani's vision for an inclusive New York

NEW York’s newly inaugurated mayor, Zohran Mamdani, used his inaugural address to frame his administration around inclusivity, collective solidarity and a rejection of economic and social division, invoking the legacy of Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s Freedom Charter.

- SINENHLANHLA MASILELA AND XOLILE MTEMBU

Born in Kampala, Uganda, and raised in part in Cape Town, Mamdani has repeatedly credited his formative years in the Rainbow Nation with shaping his political outlook.

His childhood in Cape Town, where his father held an academic post at the University of Cape Town, exposed him to a diverse, post-apartheid society that he says taught him “what inequality looks like up close” and instilled an early sense of social justice.

At his inauguration, Mamdani posed what he described as an “age-old question” about ownership of the city, declaring: “New York belongs to all who live in it”.

He linked this principle to both global liberation narratives and lived experience, saying the city should be open and equitable for every resident.