Will Mandela ever really
retire?
By Sun News Publshing
Monday, August 2, 2004
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• Another
honour for Mandela
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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With a pithy "don't call me, I'll call you", former
South African President Nelson Mandela told the world in June
this year, that he was retiring. But we in South Africa had
heard it all before.
He had warned us in 1997, when he anointed Thabo Mbeki to
succeed him as president when his term ended in 1999, that
he intended to step out of the limelight and live the life
of a pensioner.
No-one really believed that he would fade from prominence
because as arguably the most famous pensioner in the world
- everything he does is news.
And since his latest retirement announcement, Mr Mandela does
not seem to have slowed down a bit.
Workaholic
He was an Olympic torch-bearer when the flame came to Cape
Town in June, en route to Athens. He flew half-way round the
world to deliver a major address at the UNAids conference
in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, earlier this month.
Then he popped by to "greet" the protagonists involved
in the Burundi peace talks, who were meeting in South Africa
last week.
He also celebrated his birthday - quietly this time - but
with a high-profile reunion with his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela,
who turned up at his rural retreat in the Transkei, to enjoy
the festivities with him and his current wife Graca Machel.
He even edited the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld for a day in
a special issue to commemorate his 86th birthday.
When he was given the freedom of the city of Johannesburg
just a few days ago, he jokingly requested that he be allowed
to drive his cows through the streets of the city of gold
without having to pay taxes. And this does not include the
numerous phone calls and guests Mr Mandela receives every
day. Let alone the places and people he decides to visit on
the spur of the moment.
Those who've worked with him say quite plainly that Mr Mandela
is a workaholic.
Hand-wringing
His ubiquitous personal assistant Zelda Le Grange said that
retirement for Madiba, as Mr Mandela is affectionately known
here, was for real this time. She said he would be spending
more time reading, waking up later than the usual 0500 and
just relaxing. He is also meant to be writing the next instalment
of his memoirs.
But when asked whether she thought Madiba really meant it
this time - Ms Le Grange just laughed. And so did we. Although
we did believe that he might take it easier this time around.
He is 86 and walks with difficulty.
But our concern for his health and well-being is not new either.
We've been worriedly wringing our hands since his release
in 1990, when he took on a punishing schedule of meetings
and travel, as well as the hectic negotiations which brought
about peaceful elections in South Africa in 1994.
When he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, everyone
believed once again that he would be forced to slow down.
This did not happen.
Instead, Mr Mandela completed his treatment, and as soon as
he was given a clean bill of health by his doctors, he was
again out and about, pronouncing on matters of great significance
- like the time he accused US President George Bush of being
"a president who can't think properly and who wants to
plunge the world into a holocaust".
Years in jail
In fact, not a week goes by without Madiba being featured
in the news. He continued to initiate campaigns to fight against
HIV/AIDS and he would invite tycoons on trips to rural areas
and delicately manipulate them into pledging money to build
schools and clinics.
At one time, President Mbeki was said to be exasperated by
Madiba's hyperactivity. But to their credit both men are gracious
about each other, with Mr Mandela making a point of reminding
everyone that Mr Mbeki is the president of the ruling African
National Congress, and leader of South Africa.
Mr Mbeki's reported exasperation and the general concern for
his health notwithstanding, Mr Mandela is clearly a man with
lots of energy, insight and the drive to try and influence
events in whichever way he can. Perhaps Nelson Mandela has
no intention of retiring - not if he can help it anyway. Perhaps
after so many years in jail for trying to make the world a
better place and with his concern for world affairs, he is
just not able to retire. Perhaps he feels he has given up
too much for too long to let other people just mess it up.
And he has spent much of his life at the very centre of one
of the greatest stories of the twentieth century, so how can
he retire?
Indeed, why should he retire?
He is Nelson Mandela after all.
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