(Me in the background making my way from the canteen after meeting with the Mandela entourage)
Those of you out there who know me on a personal level will acknowledge that I am not a person who likes hanging out or partying in clubs or going to shopping centres unnecessarily. I prefer spending quality time with family and friends over a cup of coffee or a formal lunch or dinner. Yesterday I had a really fulfilling day visiting the ill at a hospital located close to my home. My family and I enjoyed ourselves being in the company of a 92 year old gentleman who has absolutely no real sickness with the exception of old age. It was the first time in his life that he was admitted to hospital for dehydration. It was fascinating listening to his childhood stories and stories of his youth. His eyes lit up as he related to us stories about his acquaintances with Nelson Mandela decades ago. His speech was filled with words of wisdom and advice. Someone once told me that you are definitely South African if you know someone or has a family member who was associated with the international iconic figure. Fifteen years ago Nelson Mandela was admitted at the hospital I worked for in Riyadh. He was a guest of the Saudi government. My colleague brother Ahmed who has been at the hospital for the last 25 years told me his experience when he met Mandela for the first time. He was walking alone in the hospital gardens with no security or anyone at his side. Brother Ahmed went up to him and greeted him. Mandela enquired about his roots and his occupation in the hospital. During their conversation a group of Saudi men came up to greet Mr. Mandela and told him that for a man of such stature it is not wise for him to walk alone without being accompanied by a security guard. Brother Ahmed said that he will never ever forget Mandela's facial expression as he replied to the gentlemen saying: "My name is Mandela. I am a man of peace. Only a man who has enemies will be afraid to walk alone." The Saudi gentleman were taken aback with his words of wisdom. Various other staff told me about Mandela's simplicity and humble nature. He instructed staff in the VIP ward to allow anyone to meet him. Expatriates from various African countries residing in the Kingdom made their way to the hospital to meet and spend some time with their hero. I was fortunate to have met Mandela myself on a few occasions during his medical check ups at Milpark hospital in Johannesburg. On many occasions he arrived at the hospital unannounced without any prior arrangements. The general public sitting in the foyer would be surprised and flabbergasted as he made his way through the main entrance. There were times when both adults and children would approach him to take pictures with them. Despite his ill health and old age he would never refuse but rather he would oblige with a smile.No doubt he has a heart of gold. I always thought of Mandela as being a man of vision and foresight and yet there are times when I feel that if a man loved his country immensely he would have protected the citizens of his country by keeping the death penalty and also implementing stricter border control measures when he became president. Perhaps if Madiba was released from prison earlier at a younger age, the South Africa we have today which is riddled with crime, murders, rape, hijackings, lawlessness, police brutality and corruption could have been a country he envisaged, a country of hope, freedom, peace and prosperity for one and all.
