Nelson Mandela My Neighbour

My Grand Parents and the Mandela Family have been neighbour’s since the early fifties. You will recall that NELSON MANDELA, Eloped from his homeland, Transkei, Running –away from a forced marriage and settled in ALEXANDER. Once qualified as a lawyer, he moved to WESTCLIFF also known as ORLANDO WEST.

I suppose he might have got his house through the influence of WALTER SISULU whose house was at PHOMOLONG–Some BLOCKS AWAY from Mandela’s house.

My Grandfather settled here after the second world war.

EVELYN–Mandela’s first wife had three children, Thembekile, Makgatho and Makaziwe.

When Mandela got married to Winnie, Ndaba did not take well to the news and moved to stay with his Paternal Grandmother and later to Cape-­‐Town. He died in a car accident thereafter.

Nelson Mandelas Mother and sister used to visit Orlando West during Winter an Autumn.

In Summer, they would be ploughing at harvest and would bring them mealies and some fruits. They would share with my Family and anything they would have brought. Their arrival would be known, they would be fetched from ORLANDO STATION by then the train was known as ISITIMELA SASEMAMPONDWENI.

They would stay for a month or two and unfortunately their visit stopped once NELSON DIVORCED EVELYN.

As the NDLOVU FAMILY, we understood the reason for separation–Politics. NO.. 8115 was a centre of meeting places.

Twice a week there would be a meeting at Mandela’s place.

MANDELA, SISULU AND NOKWE were 3 MUSKETEERS. Sisulu would be the 1st to arrive just in time for a meeting, DUMA NOKWE would arrive just in time for a meeting in his blue BUICK.

Very little is said about the latter though he was an advocate by qualification.

After their meeting, Nelson would jump our dividing chicken fence into my Grandparents’. He would spend up to three hours writing notes, having left strict message at his house not to be disturbed.

One surmises that the notes were intended for ANC PRESIDENT CHIEF ALBERT LUTHULI.

This was after the Sharpville shooting & Declaration to form Umkhonto we Sizwe.

When my Father was born in 1957, Zenani, Winnie and Nelson’s first daughter, was born two weeks later. There was an exchange of gifts (presents).

When the security-police vigilance on Mandela’s house intensified, Mandela’s mother and the children were moved to a safe place.

Indeed there was a search of Mandela, My Grandmother fearing that the search would extend to our home, instructed my uncle to put the books in a coal–sack and buried them under the ground. those books where eaten by the soil.

In short when Mandela was released from prison, he did not forget my Grand Parents. See photo below of the Family and this Great Man who played a very significant role in the History of South Africa.