MANDELA – A LETTER FROM PRISON and POSTSCRIPT

Nelson Mandela who was discharged from hospital, on September 1, after a three months stay, is still reported to be critical and unstable in his home Intensive Care Unit. While Mandela is still “hanging on” the world around him does not stop. On July 18 on his 95^th birthday, at the United Nations, once again Nelson Mandela Day was celebrated.  In October he added the Republican Leader Bob Dole Institute’s leadership’s prize to his unbelievable list of honors. Also swirling around this icon’s aura is the sad negativity of those who have continually exploited his image. Now the South African police are investigating fraud in one of his charities and South Africa is being treated to an unseemly battle, involving different members of his family, over his funeral and where he should be buried.

MANDELA  PRISON LETTER UP FOR AUCTION

The above achievements are not the only reason why Jay H. Ell is following up his all encompassing tribute to him a year ago, ( Blog: Mandela, The British Golf Open and Immortality, August  4, 2012).  The reason is that for the first time he has seen a letter written by him go on public auction. The letter is not about any earth shattering deliberations, nationally or internationally. It illustrates what Bill Clinton has described as, “… a heart so big and a humility so great….”.

The letter was written from the Victor Verster prison and dated August 21, 1989 from 1335/88, (his prison number), Nelson Mandela.  To orientate readers to that date, he had already spent 26 of his 27 years behind bars. The referral to his prison number was just to facilitate easier communication with him as at that stage he was no longer a prisoner in the true sense of the word. He was living in the vacated Warder’s home with a cook in attendance.

Mandela had been conducting high power negotiations that would lead to a peaceful transition from apartheid to a non - racial society. He was at peace and in total control. He was juggling many balls because on his release he would begin the really tough negotiations to set up a transition to a peaceful non racial South Africa. There was still a long way to go in his “Long Walk To Freedom”. He was also in contact with the oversea ANC leader Oliver Tambo.

In fact Mandela could have been released up to a decade earlier but release was not was it was all about. He had started this journey over a half a century earlier to create a society free for all its members. So when Mandela wrote this letter he had achieved the necessary breakthroughs to allow him to accept release 5 months later. He was well on his way to one of the most monumentous non - violent change of control of power in the world’s history. The bloodbaths all had predicted in South Africa with change were not going to occur.

THE LETTER

So in this heady environment, at a time when he was on track to achieve a life -time ideal that few visionaries have ever achieved, he responds, in length, to a letter from a nurse who had looked after him during his stay in a clinic in Cape Town for the treatment of tuberculosis. Firstly, he reassures her that he had not slighted her as he had not received a previous letter from her. He states that, “.. he would never fail to directly thank you for all that you did for me, nor would I ever  fail to respond to any of your letters, even when they say nothing about the champagne.” (The latter apparently is a reference to a party Mandela gave on leaving the clinic).

He then enquires about the health of the nurse’s children and refers, by name to 10 clinic employees who had sent letters to him for his birthday. Implicitly, he had answered all these letters. He asks about the health of a sick health provider and implores the nurse writer not to tell him that she did not return to work.

Mandela ends by telling the nurse he looks forward to seeing her soon and that she is very much in his thoughts. He signs as “Ex Patient M”.

So the man, who could arguably be the figure of the twentieth century is as concerned with the day to day activities of at least 12 of those that cared for him in an illness as he is with negotiations that are going to change South Africa and set an example for the world.

THE FEARS OF WHITE SOUTH AFRICA.

One of the issues swirling around Mandela’s imminent death is the fear of many whites of instability. A white extremist group, the Suidlanders, believe that there will be genocide of the whites. There is no rational basis for this fear. However it is fair to say that the refrain in South Africa has long been, “What is going to happen when Mandela goes?’’. (Blog: Exit Mandela: Cry the Beloved Country Part 2, December 20, 2012.)

Jay H Ell believes that Mandela by “hanging on” has prepared all for his departure. South Africa will be “ready” for his passing and that it will not create instability as his death has already been accepted. However this does not guarantee that the values of a non –racial, democratic, just and non -corrupt society will follow. 

POSTSCRIPT TO LEGACY

There is a responsibility to those who have been bequeathed the Mandela legacy that has been ignored by some. Not only are there are continued instances of corruption, thugs have also taken to the streets of Cape Town smashing and looting in an attempt to destabilise the Cape Province politically . 

These hooligans were incited by an ANC Youth Councillor Loyisa Nkhola and have been condemned by the ANC Youth Leader in the Western Cape. That is frankly not good enough as the issue of hundreds of miscreants looting and damaging property needs condemnation from the highest levels in the ANC. This particularly so that the Cape is the one Province that votes for Helen Zillie's Democratic Front and not for the ANC.  These violent actions were designed to hobble her administration. ANC Premier Zuma, recently, missed a golden opportunity to castigate ANC supporters by merely looking on. The ANC has to wake up to whom they are supposed to be and where they came from. The self same mileu that ushered them in can usher them out. They need to be reminded that there is a Constitutional Court that has been put in place to protect those very rights that Mandela fought for.

Perhaps all these "Counter - Revolutionaries" could all club together and purchase the letter that is being auctioned and learn the values that are needed to meet the daunting continuing challenges that South Africa’s “Rainbow Society” face and in so doing continue provide an example for the world.

The letter is expected to fetch several thousand dollars.