Madiba: a tribute

Despite the fact that former president Nelson Mandela was gravely ill and very frail, the news of his death still seemed to have stunned the world.

Mandela was not only the father of the nation, as he was popularly known, but, in a sense, a father figure to the entire world.

His brave efforts did much more than just free black people in South Africa from the terrors and injustices inflicted on them by the Apartheid regime.

He also opened the eyes of many white people to the realities of Apartheid.

As a 16-year-old casual (weekends and school holidays) bank teller at a bank in Hillbrow, the first time I realised that there was something terribly wrong in this country was in 1993 when former Communist Party leader, Chris Hani was shot in 1993.

Up to that point, I had not taken any notice of politics, but instead focussed by attention on school work and pretty girls as do most 16-year-old boys.

A massive protest action in the streets of Hillbrow on the day of Hani’s funeral (the first I’ve ever experienced) peaked my curiosity and got me questioning co-workers.

I was shocked to discover what’s been going on right in front of my eyes without me ever taking any notice.

I knew that black people attended different schools, lived in different neighbourhoods, and were subservient to “us”, but that was my “normal”.

The only contact that I had ever had with black people up to that point was our old domestic worker Jane, who had worked for my family for what seemed to be forever, and my co-workers at the bank, all of whom I’d only recently met.

I counted them among my friends and we regularly had social gatherings on Saturdays after work in the bank’s staff room, where everyone; black, white, Afrikaans, English, coloured and Indian people would eat, drink, play pool or darts and even dance together.

There was no “us and them” mentality there and politics never entered into any of our conversations.

So I found out everything I could about what was going on in the country and I remember thinking in that naïve and childish way of a typical 16-year-old boy, how unfair it all was.

It suddenly dawned on me that we always had our social gatherings at work because we would not be allowed to go to the same restaurants or other public places.

By 1994, before being elected as president, Nelson Mandela had become a frequent sight on television and, as a 17-year-old, my interests was still not really in politics.

His conduct in the next few years, and every year since, has instilled in me a growing sense of respect for him.

It dawned on me at some point that he could have easily come out of prison with vengeance for the horrors inflicted on him as well as on his people on his mind.

It dawned on me that despite “us” putting him in prison for the majority of his adult life, he came out on the other side with reconciliation at front of mind.

His passion for fairness and human rights impressed me, but it was not until the 1995 Rugby World cup that I was well and truly won over by him.

The way he brought people from all walks of life together during that time was, and remains, a remarkable accomplishment and the mark of a man I would come to regard as one of the two greatest men ever to walk this earth, the other being Mahatma Ghandi.

I remember going with my family to a public park for a braai while the World Cup was in full swing.

We ended up meeting a couple of black families also having a braai there and before we knew it, the guys were sharing beers and kicking the rugby ball around with us.

The kids were running around having the time of their lives and the women all bonded over a glass of wine (or 10) around the picnic blankets.

We came to regard him not only as a kind of grandfather, but as our grandfather.

The sweet old man with the mischievous twinkle in his eye who always spoils the children with sweets when mom’s not looking.

That is how I will forever remember Madiba.

And to be honest, I think that is the way that he would have liked to be remembered.

Nelson Mandela lived a remarkable life.

One which saw him become one of the most fearless, influential and respected leaders this world has ever seen, but also one that has seen him become the beloved grandfather of the whole world.

I honestly do not think that the peaceful move from Apartheid South Africa to the country we have today would have been possible without this great man who inspired every one of us with his bravery, his capacity for forgiveness and love and his extraordinary humility.