SA reads discussion

Part 11

This final blog post is taking me longer than expected - I will post it tomorrow. In the mean time...

After his release from prison,NM undertook a tour of Africa. He says that during the first six months after his release, he spent more time abroad than at home:

'Winnie tried to get me to slow down, but there was simply too much to do; the organization wanted to make sure we took advantage of the euphoria generated by my release.'

I felt sad as I read this. Mandela, throughout his dark days in prison, said repeatedly that Winnie, and her love, sacrifice and dedication, had been his strength and inspiration. And yet upon his release he is unable, or unwilling, to return the sacrifice by dedicating more time to her and the family.

This is my final post for A Long Walk To Freedom:
NELSON MANDELA'S TOP TEN TIPS FOR GREATNESS
http://www.johnmountford.com/blog/

Thank you to Lisa and Adele for the privilege of allowing me to lead this discussion. It has been deeply inspirational for me to delve into Nelson Mandela's words to find the meaning behind the man. I feel that I know him better than ever, and am blessed by that deeper insight.
Thank you to those who joined me on this nine-week walk to better appreciating the legacy of this amazing human being. Your comments and insights were of a particularly high quality.

Viva Mandela!

John.

I echo your sentiments, Don. Thank you, John, for such thorough and informative blog posts and discussion points. It has been a wonderful experience to explore the life of such an incredible leader, and I hope that Mandela's legacy will live on in South Africa and hopefully extend to other countries as well. Everyone, both leaders and laymen, can learn from his example.

I completed the book. The final section is definitely not the definitive account of the negotiations and final days of apartheid. He provides a very high level view of the events.

(In terms of his actual release, Trevor Manuel is absolutely hilarious in his description of the events of the immediate days. He was one of NM's minders. He tells how on the first morning after his release NM was very upset when he couldn't find his training equipment to do his exercises.)

Thanks so much for leading the discussion, John and for everybody else's comments and insights. It added much to my enjoyment of the book. I'd love to have more discussions like these on SA non-fiction at some time.

I wonder if Mandela recognised the humorous irony of Major Marais tying his tie in a double Windsor knot for him and Dr. Barnard tying his shoes for him just before the first meeting with P.W. Botha.

Thank you, John, for leading this discussion and thanks to everyone for answering questions and asking them. The book and all of your comments changed my belief that all modern politicians are self-seeking creatures of expedience: no mean feat, I assure you!

Carolien wrote: "I completed the book. The final section is definitely not the definitive account of the negotiations and final days of apartheid. He provides a very high level view of the events.

(In terms of his..."

I agree, Carolien. Mandela sounds more authentic when dealing with his pre-release experiences than with those after.
Thank you for the unique titbits and insights you have contributed so consistently.

I wonder if that's because the post-release experiences were so overwhelming that he had to prioritize very specifically? Finding time, which he had such a lot of in prison, must have been a new experience for him.

Karlyne wrote: "Thank you, John, for leading this discussion and thanks to everyone for answering questions and asking them. The book and all of your comments changed my belief that all modern politicians are sel..."

Karlyne, I'm happy that we have achieved for you what many would consider impossible...but then, we had a special subject to help us. I too am grateful for Mandela's example - somehow I do not think of him as a politician, even though he did serve a full term in office. Thank you for your interest and contribution.

Interestingly enough, he wasn't that involved in the day to day running of the government once he became president. He handed a lot of that over to his deputy (Thabo Mbeki) and concentrated his efforts more on nation building. Yes, I too wish there were more politicians like him, however he seems to have been pretty unique.

I think that's why he comes across as a man of integrity, because his focus was indeed on "building a nation". He made mistakes, as did Jefferson and Washington and the other U.S. founding fathers, but at heart he wanted to build a good nation, not just a wealthy or free or even a happy one. By taking the moral high ground, he showed what is important in a life and in a country.

I think the Nation Building was vital. There were so many fears and worries at that time. Our country's identity evolved and we needed someone to show us that identity. We are still such a young democracy, I wish we had more of that still.

I think the Nation Building was vital. There were so many fears and worries at that time. Our country's identity evolved and we needed someone to show us that identity. We are still such a young democracy, I wish we had more of that still.

John said:"Thank you to Lisa and Adele for the privilege of allowing me to lead this discussion. It has been deeply inspirational for me to delve into Nelson Mandela's words to find the meaning behind the man. I feel that I know him better than ever, and am blessed by that deeper insight."
Thank you so much John for your incredible effort. The blog posts and your other personal touches were fantastic.
Thank you for doing this book justice.

I'm writing an exam on Fundamental Rights on Monday and as part of the preparation I had to read the Bill of Rights in the Constitution in a fair amount of detail. What struck me is how the experiences of the political prisoners and persons in exile are reflected in some of the detail in the different sections.

Section 35 which details the treatment of Arrested, Detained and Accused persons is one of the longest sections. As you read it, the various situations faced by the prisoners come to mind and you understand the context of some of the subsections in detail e.g. section 35(3)(l) "not to be convicted for an act or omission that was not an offence under either national or international law at the time it was committed or omitted".

I've always understood Section 21 which relates to Freedom of Movement and Residence in the context of the Group Areas Act, but it is much more than that. It actually also relates to the experience of those who were exiled by the government who granted them an exit visa, but no legal way to return to SA.

I just find it interesting how my own view of the Bill of Rights has been affected by my reading and better understanding of the overall situation at the time.