Mandela remembered
JOBURG - The news of the passing of former President Nelson Mandela has been met with a number of emotional responses.
The first democratically elected President passed away in his Houghton home after battling a recurring lung infection at the age of 95. Highlands North resident Penny Metcalf recalls her memories of Mandela.
The 66-year-old met Mandela at his 78th birthday celebrations in 1996, two years into the new South Africa, while she was assembling 2000 children from each province to attend the celebrations held at Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal.
All the children suffered from various disabilities and came from disadvantaged backgrounds. Metcalf said, “There were a total of 36 000 children, including caregivers, at the celebration. It was enormous, like a military manoeuvre. I had just undergone an operation on my arm and was struggling to page through the papers, and Mr Mandela sent someone to help me,” she recalled. “My wheelchair got stuck in a ditch and Mandela’s security officers ran to help; Mandela gave me a kiss later,” she added.
The speech therapist said meeting Mandela was an honour and a pleasure and seeing his interaction with the children was amazing. “Every child that could not walk went home with a wheelchair. It was such an amazing experience,” she said.
Metcalf said she had woken up in the middle of night before knowing of Mandela’s passing. “I switched on the TV and saw a news flash. I actually stayed up the rest of the night watching the sad news.”
In a letter signed by Mandela himself, sent to Metcalf, he wrote, “Thank you for helping me host such a wonderful day for the disabled children; 19 July 1996 will remain in the memory of our severely disadvantaged youth as a day when people demonstrated their concern and love for them.”
A memorial ceremony was held at the FNB Stadium in Soweto last Tuesday – which was also where Mandela made his final public appearance at the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Over 100 heads of state were present, including US president Barrack Obama and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Mandela’s widow Graca Machel sat on one of the stages dressed in a black coat, in a sombre mood.
Mandela will be buried in Qunu on Sunday, his birth village in the Eastern Cape. Thousands from around the country will gather at the village while millions will watch the funeral on TV.
