Qunu: The Negotiator is the name that Mandela was given after he was circumcised and in Xhosa tradition, became a man.
And it’s this attribute that Mandela is most remembered for as we wander the village of Qunu and speak to those who knew him best.
“He was a man of the people. He would wander the streets and have a friendly word for everybody, but more than that he was a skilled negotiator who managed to bring together people from all religions, all political factions and all disciplines”, said Kwanele Mdikane, an ANC Councillor who has lived in Qunu his whole life. “He was also a humble man, respecting both old and young”.
Reminiscing about the times of the struggle, Kwanele said: “Madiba touches people with his courageous words. He is a reconciler who sees the fundamentals, what is practical and possible and makes it happen. When Chris Hani died we were angry. We were ready for civil war. But Mandela spoke to us on TV and we listened. He was a man who could turn his enemies into friends”.
Kwanele remembered Mandela sliding down the hill in an old metal sink, a gleeful image that almost makes you see the man behind the public figure and icon he became. As we ventured deeper into the surprisingly large and sprawling village of Qunu, ramping up rain-gutted roads in our 4x4, we encountered the stories that almost bring Mandela back to life. Like the time a cow was slaughtered in the village and it was taking too long to distribute the meat. “Mandela told us to go home and fetch knives so that we could cut a piece off ourselves. We all went home with huge chunks of meat”, said local women Nowndile Sandlana and Phumzile Ntuskwana. “He was more than a leader to us. He was our father and that’s why we call him Tata”.
Not only a force for change in the global arena, Mandela would walk around the village and seeing a dilapidated school, would get the funds to build a new one, related Kwanele. He was always motivating the youth about education. Chatting to high-school students, it was clear to see that he will always have a lasting impact. “Mandela inspired me to live my life with passion”, said Ziyanda Mangqombe. “ I have just finished high school and I will go on to study education”.
“Most of the children in Qunu are not even educated” said Zozibini Ngqeleni, a recent graduate, tour guide and logistics student. “Because of Mandela and the legend that he is, I knew I could make it regardless of my circumstances. I got bursaries and studied hard and I’m going further. I’m not done”.
But perhaps it’s Mandela as a freedom fighter we will always remember best. As we chatted through an interpreter to Slulami MIcheal Habe, who grew up living next to the man himself and was there protesting his confinement at Robben Island during the times of apartheid said: “He wanted everybody else to be released from prison before him. So when he finally was released, words cannot express the joy that we felt”. The old man started swaying, lifting his fist to the heavens. “Amandla! Awethu. Bring back, bring back Nelson Mandela, bring him back home”.
— Melissa Andrews is a freelance writer based in South Africa
