‘The last pure hero’

Of the many tributes that have poured in over the weekend following the death of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, none caught my attention more than this brief line that was used to describe history’s longest serving political prisoner.

It was during an interview with former Time managing editor Richard Stengel, now US President Barack Obama’s undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public

affairs, that Mandela was referred to as the “the last pure hero.” (Stengel also collaborated on  Mandela’s autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.”)

We all know that Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison, 18 of which were served on Robben Island, off Cape Town in South Africa.

Upon his release from Victor Verster Prison in February 1990, he spoke before a huge crowd that had gathered to welcome his return to freedom. He told them that he was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances and therefore, “I place the remaining years of my life in your hands.”

Mandela urged his followers to lay down their arms and join hands in peace. “Take your guns, your knives, and your  pangas  and throw them into the sea.” Many of his people thought that with freedom and democratic elections scheduled for 1994, life would change overnight. He spelled out the reality: “Do not expect to be driving a Mercedes after the elections or swimming in your own backyard pool. Life would not change dramatically, except that you will have increased your self-esteem and become a citizen in your own land. You must have patience.” And he challenged them: “If you want to continue living in poverty without clothes and food, then go and drink in the  shebeens  (illicit pubs). But if you want better things, you must work hard. We cannot do it all for you; you must do it yourselves.”

Mandela also spoke to the whites telling them, “We need you” and that he did not want them to leave the country; that they were South Africans “just like ourselves” and South Africa was their land, too. He did not mince words about the horrors of apartheid but repeatedly stated: “We should forget the past and concentrate on building a better future

for all.”

On May 10, 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president with his election opponent, former President F. W. de Klerk, sworn in as second deputy president. Thabo Mbeki became first deputy president.

The inaugural ceremonies included a fly-past of South African jets, helicopters and troop carriers in perfect formation. Mandela described the scene: “It was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force but a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy, to a new government that had been freely and fairly elected. Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African Defense Force and police, their chests bedecked with ribbons and medals from days gone by, saluted me and pledged their loyalty. I was not unmindful of the fact that not so many years before, they would not have saluted but arrested me.”

One would think that Mandela would be elected by an overwhelming majority, but the voting results showed that his party, the African National Congress (ANC), polled 62.6 percent, representing 252 out of 400 seats in the National Assembly. This majority was slightly short of the two-thirds needed to push through a new constitution without support from other parties.

Mandela said he was actually relieved that the ANC did not receive the two-thirds mandate, “Had we won two-thirds of the vote and been able to write a new constitution without inputs from others, people would argue that we had created an ANC constitution, not a South African constitution. I wanted a true government of national unity.”

This spirit of reconciliation, of binding the wounds of the nation, and of bringing about trust and confidence among the people, has served as Mandela’s greatest legacy.

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“Invictus”

In 1995, a year after Mandela’s election, South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup. Their team, known as the Springboks (antelopes), was made up of white players and one colored. Many black South Africans saw the team as a product of the apartheid era and wanted it dismantled and replaced, possibly with black players. Mandela disagreed and saw the situation as a means of bringing about greater unity among his people. He called for the team captain, Francois Pienaar, encouraging him to reach out to the community in a bid to gain support for the coming competitions. The team responded by going to the slums and teaching black boys how to play the game.

As South Africa prepared for the World Cup, the minister of sports told Mandela: “According to the experts, we will reach the quarter finals and no further.” Mandela replied, “According to the experts, you and I should still be in jail.” Just before the start of the game, he gave to the team captain a copy of the poem “Invictus.” The last stanza reads:

It matters not how strait the gate,

how charged with punishments the scroll

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul.

In the finals, South Africa went on to defeat the heavily favored New Zealand team in overtime. The movie “Invictus” is based on a novel written by John Carlin, “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation.”

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Personal notes.

In March 1997, I had the rare opportunity to meet

Mandela. Three years after his inauguration as the first black president of South Africa, Mandela arrived in Manila for a state visit, the first ever between the two countries.

At a reception in Malacañang, hosted by President and Mrs. Fidel V. Ramos, Mandela and his lady companion Graça Machel, greeted the guests as they entered the ceremonial hall. Machel is the widow of Samora Machel, the first president of independent Mozambique. As first lady of Mozambique, she also served as minister of education and culture in her late husband’s cabinet.

In his remarks before dinner, President Mandela paid tribute to the leadership of President Ramos, citing the “amazing development of your beautiful country.” He also praised President Cory Aquino, “who has been an inspiration not

only to her own people but to the world.” He thanked the

Filipino people, “for your solidarity over the years.”