Friendships

Known affectionately by his clan name of Madiba, Mandela has friends across the world ? Bill Clinton, Bono of U2, Naomi Campbell. His friendships go back in some cases 60 years, as with Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Ahmed Kathrada.

In his autobiography 'Memoirs', Kathrada recounts that he and Mandela affectionately called one another madala, isiZulu for old man.

"Charming and charismatic, he has both a magnetic personality and a commanding presence," writes Kathrada. "An uncommon amalgam of peasant and aristocrat, he is a living paradox: a democrat par excellence, with just a touch of the autocrat; at once proud but simple; soft yet tenacious; obstinate and flexible; vain one moment and humble the next; infinitely tolerant but also impatient."

Kathrada and Mandela spent 18 years together on Robben Island and a further seven in Pollsmoor Prison, along with Sisulu.

"For all the public exposure and media attention Madiba remains an enigma to all but his most intimate circle," concludes Kathrada.

He recounts an incident with a terminally ill girl, Michelle Britz, that is typical of Mandela. She wanted to meet Madiba, and when she met Kathrada on Robben Island, he got to know of her wish. Kathrada passed on her wish to the then president, who sprang into action immediately.

"The president of South Africa, a universally respected statesman with one of the busiest schedules on earth, flew to the Mpumalanga town of Secunda by helicopter, bearing gifts for a sick child.

"The emotional meeting between Madiba and Michelle was shown on national television, and as she clasped her little arms around his neck and kissed him, the eyes of millions must have filled with tears, just as mine did."

In his honour

Nelson Mandela has the freedom of 45 cities around the world, and honorary citizenship of 11 cities.

In Johannesburg, Madiba's image is cast in a 6m high bronze statue and stands preserved in his famous jive in Nelson Mandela Square.

Speaking at the statue's unveiling in April 2004, Ndileka Mandela, Madiba?s eldest granddaughter, said: "This is a very happy statue. The dancing stance pays tribute to the spirit of joy and celebration inherent in the people of South Africa."

The countless tributes to him around the world are without precedent. He has 23 schools, universities and institutions named after him; 25 halls, buildings, monuments and housing developments; 13 stadiums, squares, plazas, parks and gardens; 91 streets, roads, boulevards and parks; 32 bursaries and scholarships, foundations and lectures. Thirteen statues, sculptures and artworks carry his name.

Madiba had collected dozens of accolades from around the world: 18 sports-related honours and awards, and 115 other awards.

He has a range of strange items named after him: a landfill site, a spider, a seaslug, a protea, a tea, an orchid, a rescue dog, and a racehorse.

Marriage, children and old age

Mandela and Winnie divorced in 1996. In 1998 he married Graca Machel, widow of Samora Machel, the president of Mozambique until his death in 1986.

The 18th of July 2009 is not only Mandela's 91st birthday; it is also the 11th anniversary of his marriage to Machel. In a 2008 interview with Mike Hanna on the Al Jazeera television network, she describes how lonely Mandela was when she first met him.

"After 27 years in jail, what he most longed for was not the glory of political life, but to have a family life," she said. "It was a meeting of minds and a meeting of hearts." Although she hadn't wanted another marriage after Samora Machel's death, she decided that her gift to Mandela on his 80th birthday would be to marry him.

"Madiba has allowed me to continue to be myself. He has always respected my space. We have a deep sense of sharing, but at the same time we respect each other's identities.

"For a man of his age, a man who has gone through those kinds of experiences, he could have become extremely possessive. He's not. Maybe that's what love really means. We have found a balanced and respectful way of relating."

Mandela has outlived three of his six children , and only three of his daughters are still alive: Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindzi. He has 18 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. He has four step-children from his marriage to Machel.

Today he and Machel spend most of their time at their home in the upmarket suburb of Houghton, in Johannesburg. His greatest pleasure of his old age, he says, is watching the sun set, with the music of Handel or Tchaikovsky playing in the background.

A short distance from the tranquil surrounds of Houghton, his famous words from the Rivonia Trial echo on the walls of the Drill Hall in central Johannesburg:

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live and to achieve. But if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

This article is from www.MediaClubSouthAfrica.com