‘Last respects’ of a caring cohort
Nelson Mandela really appreciated his staff; they were part of the family, which is why their thoughts on the man -and his wife -- who they served matter, writes Graça Machel
ONE of Madiba’s great gifts was that he never took anyone for granted and he valued every single person who came across his path. In particular, he held a deep appreciation for his dedicated staff, whether they worked in our household, his office, in his security team or, at the end, in his medical team.
Their presence in his life touched him as a human being, and all the tasks they performed allowed him the space to focus on the demands of his extraordinary calling.
They made his daily life easier and freed him to meet his bigger obligations.
He truly treasured each person who worked for him, which is why he always made the time to say to them: “Good morning. How are you?”
He was genuinely concerned about their well-being.
He would ask them about their loved ones and often supported them to resolve their own family issues.
It is precisely because I witnessed his thoughtfulness and concern for those who worked for him that, after his passing, I felt I should meet with as many of them as possible to express my gratitude and say “thank you”.
I had to express my appreciation in my own right because they made my life, as his wife, much easier as well.
I convened them for touching reflection sessions on their time working for Madiba and thanked them on behalf of the two of us.
We, as Africans, believe that wherever you are in the world, when you experience a loss, if you do not have a chance to look closely into a person’s eyes, there can be no closure.
I would not have had peace with myself if I had not met with them, mourned the loss of our beloved Madiba together and thanked them sincerely for their service.
Most of the people who have contributed their stories to this book were part of our lives for many years.
They took care of Madiba and me and helped raise our grandchildren.
They became like family to us. We went through so much together – beautiful moments and difficult moments.
Therefore, it was important for me to meet face to face with each of them and to experience the closure of his passing in a space of gratitude and love.
The idea to gather the memories of those who served Madiba into a book came from an understanding that most people in South Africa, and those around the world, knew him as an icon, as a public figure.
It was important to me that the stories of those close to him be published so that 50 years from now, even 100 years from now, when future generations want to know who Nelson Mandela was, they would not only be told the story of the head of state, but they would be able to read the story of a human being with a caring heart and generous soul.
Many people have their own stories of what Madiba meant to them, but the people in this book are those who occupied a significant place in his life from the time he came out of jail.
They may have even spent more time with him than his own family. They travelled everywhere with him and grew to know him on a personal level.
Their unique and intimate stories need to be heard.
It is critical for me that the individual members of the teams who supported Madiba in their different capacities are not wiped out of our history, but that they are acknowledged for what they did for him.
For me, the best recognition we could give to them was this opportunity to tell their touching stories.
Now that this book has finally been completed, it will give a name to these women and men who shared so much with Madiba.
It will give them a face and it will give them a voice.
I want people who read these stories to see Madiba through the eyes of his staff.
Even when he was president, Madiba did not lose sight of his own humanity.
His human side could easily be forgotten if we had not created this space for people to share their memorable experiences with him in his everyday life.
I would like to thank the Nelson Mandela Foundation for accepting as a duty my idea to create this book.
Particularly, I would like to thank Vimla Naidoo and Sahm Venter for collecting all these memories and curating them here.
I would also like to thank those who took up the challenge and shared their heart-warming stories for the world to now enjoy.
For me personally, this book is a significant record of history and I am happy to have this collection of tributes to Madiba from those who provided him with comfort and security, and often made him smile.
He connected with them in a very special way and it is imperative to me that they are recognised for their important contributions to his life.