SA not the one I had hoped to see when I was with Madiba in prison, says Sexwale

'Our first deal in South Africa was the arms deal, that was wrong, we should have made a deal for education or health,' he says.

Tokyo Sexwale. Picture: Fifa

ANC stalwart and former Cabinet minister Tokyo Sexwale said South Africa was “not a sweet one today” and that the state of the country was far from what they had hoped for with former statesman Nelson Mandela when they were imprisoned by apartheid government.

Sexwale was speaking at the launch of the fourth installment of the Mandela Remembrance walk in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
He is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

He said the walk symbolised a life where one has to walk and even run for change to happen.

“Our country is not a sweet one today, definitely not the one I had hope to see when I was sitting with him in prison, things should have been better, we are not in the space where I think we should be, the children are right, this fees thing, we should not be here, I support them one the fees.

“We should have not started with the guns. Our first deal in South Africa was the arms deal, that was wrong, we should have made a deal for education or health. This is no time to cry, we have to fix these things, the walk continues. We are running because we have been left behind, a bit of running is going to be required.”

Sexwale also commented on the next leaders of the country and the alleged coup situation in Zimbabwe.

“We want to see others handling this ship and doing it properly because my support won’t go to anybody who want to repeat the mistakes and crimes that are happening in front of us at highest government level, from the office of the president down to the local council, state owned enterprises are messed up. We want to make sure that this walk is associated with correcting these things.

“It’s a sad thing that is happening to the people of Zimbabwe. I know some of the people there in uniform. I don’t think they would have seen themselves holding a press conference of that nature. I don’t think so, it’s never planned, but when you neglect you responsibilities you find yourself in that position, if you neglect your space, it will be occupied by others.

He said the foundation wished for calm and peace in Zimbabwe.