RIBUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA DURING THE STATE BURIAL OF THE FIRST SOUTH
AFRICAN BLACK PRESIDENT THE LATE NELSON MANDELA AT QUNNU
SOUTH AFRICA ON 15TH DECEMBER, 2013
Your Excellency President Jacob Zuma, of the Republic of
South Africa;
Mama Graca Machelle,
Mama Winnie Mandela;
Members of the Bereaved Family;
Your Royal Highness, Prince Charles;
Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;
Honourable Ministers;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of
International Organizations;
Fellow Mourners;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I bring with me
fraternal and solidarity greetings from your brothers and sisters of the United
Republic of Tanzania. They have asked me
to convey to you our deepest condolences to you Mr. President, Mama Graca
Machelle, Mama Winnie Mandela, entire Madiba family and all the people of South
Africa on the passing of His Excellency Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, former
President of South Africa and the African National Congress.
They would like you
to know that you are not alone. They are
with you during this difficult and somber moment. They are saying your grief is our grief, your
loss is our loss. Nelson Mandela was our
leader, our hero and our father as much as he was yours. The people of Tanzania have lost a great
friend and great a comrade in arms.
President Mandela had
long standing relations with Tanzania.
It dates back to the times of independence and the liberation struggle
here in South Africa and in Tanzania.
Our parties, the African National Congress (ANC) and the Tanganyika
African National Union (TANU) had special relations. It was no accident, therefore, that after the
ANC decided to establish the armed wing, the Mnkontho Wasizwe, after peaceful
means seemed to be futile, Dar es Salaam was Madibas’ first port of call after
he left South Africa in 1962 to go abroad to seek support for the armed
struggle and a place to train MK combatants.
Comrades and friends;
Indeed, his visit was
a resounding success. It was this visit
which contributed to change the course of the history of this great nation culminating
into the fall of apartheid and the birth of the new South Africa in 1994. Though our first President and Father of the
nation His Excellency Julius Nyerere hesitated at the beginning, he later accepted
Madibas’ request and provided members of the MK both permission to live and
places to train in Tanzania. I am sure
to the MK veterans, names like Kongwa, Mgao, Mazimbu and Dakawa sound familiar
and may even rekindle nostalgic memories of the life they lived in
Tanzania. President Nyerere went further
beyond availing places to live and train, he also offered Tanzania’s own support
and was instrumental in mobilizing international support to train and arm the
combatants. Indeed, this applied to all Southern
Africa liberation movements namely MPLA, SWAPO, ZANU, ZAPU and FRELIMO.
Comrades and Friends;
This
trip also was to change the fortunes of the ANC after having been banned by the
apartheid regime here in South Africa.
The ANC found a new home in Tanzania from where it operated, organized
and spearhead the struggle. From
Tanzania the ANC was able to reach its cadres and members who remained and
operated from inside South Africa through discreet means of communication. From Tanzania the ANC was able to have
messages reach the broad masses of the people of South Africa through dedicated
radio broadcasts. As a matter of fact,
the Government of Tanzania had built a special radio station for the liberation
movements. The ANC was able to get back
the voice that was denied by the apartheid regime.
Comrades and Friends;
There
is another interesting thing about Madibas’ first visit to Tanzania in 1962. In order to keep the visit discreet, he could
not stay in hotels; he stayed at the
home of TANU’s Treasurer who was then the Minister for Commerce and Industries
Mr. Nsilo Swai, (now late). On his
departure to his onward trip to Accra, Lagos, Addis Ababa and Algiers, he left his
boots at Mr. Swai’s home in the hope that on his way back he will pick them
up. Unfortunately, he did not pass
through Dar es Salaam and shortly after he arrived in South Africa, Mandela was
arrested, tried and imprisoned for the 27 years in jail. Fortunately, the family kept the boots and waited. When Madiba was released from prison and in
1994 became the first black President of the new South Africa, the pair of
brown boots were handed back to him in 1995.
They were handed over by Mrs. Vicky Nsilo Swai the widow of the late
Nsilo Swai who died in 1994 the year Madiba became President. I took the liberty to bring Mama Vicky Nsilo
Swai with me to bid farewell to their special guest and friend. She and her late husband are exceptional
human beings to keep the boots of a stranger who stayed with them for only three
days and disappeared for over 32 years.
When I asked her what made them keep the boots for so long, she told me
her husband believed that Mandela would one day get out of prison and he may
claim them. If asked they should have
them at hand. Nevertheless, they did not
wait, instead she freely looked for Madiba and gave him what belonged to
him. What a trusting friends of Mandela
they were.
Comrades;
After his release
from Prison and after visiting Lusaka for meetings with the NEC of the ANC he
came to Dar es Salaam. He was met by
largest crowd the city has ever seen. Mind you, it rained heavily that day but
people thronged the airport and lined up the streets of Dar es Salaam braving
the rain to see their leader. Mandela’s
charisma was unmatched. Of course he
visited Morogoro and spent the night at Mgagao the MK’s training base.
Comrades and Friends;
I
have narrated all these stories and anecdotes to let people know how far back, the
present excellent relations between our countries have come from. It is no wonder that South Africa and
Tanzania enjoy excellent bilateral relations.
We see eye to eye on many regional and international issues. We support each other at regional and
international fora.
We are close friends and allies because
our common history unites us. It is none
other than our founding fathers President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who died in
1999 and President Nelson Mandela whom we are mourning today who are
responsible for this. They built very
strong foundations. That is why I said
at the beginning that Madiba is very much our leader, hero and our father as he
is to you. That is why your grief and
sorrow are ours as well.
Comrades and Friends;
As we mourn the death
of this great man Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela let us recommit ourselves to
continue to strengthen the relations between South Africa and Tanzania. (This is a landmark and overarching legacy he
has left behind for us to fulfill). Let
us also work closely together at regional and international fora to advance his
ideals for a strong SADC, a vitalized African Union and an effective United
Nations bold enough to fight for justice and equality of all nations and
peoples. And, let us fulfill his wish to
see developing countries working together in unity and solidarity in pursuit of
their rights and the quest to lift themselves from poverty to prosperity.
And you, my brothers and sisters of
South Africa, Madiba has lived his life well, you should ensure his legacy
lives on. He has left behind a vibrant
democratic nation where blacks and white South Africans live harmoniously. A nation where blacks can also prosper unlike
in the past when they were condemned to live in squalor, deprivation and as second or third class citizens in their
own country. We know that not all that
he stood for has been achieved. It is
foolhardy to assume that all the ills former apartheid system will be corrected
in these 19 years. Please stay the
course and always strive for greater excellence. This way, you will honour this great
statesman in a manner that would have please him if he were alive. This is the best way to live his legacy.
Long live Nelson Mandela!
Long live the people of South Africa!
I thank you for your kind attention.
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