Let’s run for Mandela and unity
UGUST 5, 1962, is a historically significant timeline in our poignant political journey from the darkness of apartheid to the light of democracy, freedom, social justice, economic opportunities and human rights.
It was the day Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was arrested and put behind bars for 27 long years.
In this 54th anniversary year, I recall how our comrades in the Indian community warmed up to Madiba and hosted him to his last meal before he was arrested the next day.
As we prepare to host the Nelson Mandela Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Howick this Sunday, a legacy race that showcases and pays homage to a giant of a man who laid his life for us to enjoy freedom, I am reminded of the hospitality Indian South Africans gave Mandela while he was on the run from apartheid’s notorious police.
Mandela was nicknamed the “Black Pimpernel” when he went underground for 17 months and clandestinely engaged with freedom activists vehemently opposed to apartheid.
On August 4, Mandela slipped into Durban and headed for the home of GR Naidoo, a photojournalist. Once inside the house, Mandela’s admirers, trusted supporters and confidantes gathered to meet the fugitive leader, among them Fatima Meer, whom Mandela was happy to meet. Meer, an outspoken professor of sociology, later wrote his book, Higher than Hope, during Mandela’s 27-year incarceration on Robben Island.
Therefore in this women’s month and ahead of the legacy event, I want to salute Nagamma Naidoo, in her 80s, for having lovingly prepared a sumptuous dinner for Tata.
Mandela arrived alone at the Naidoo home in Dunrobin Crescent, Asherville, and Mrs Naidoo, at the request of her husband, prepared what was to become Mandela’s last meal in freedom: a sumptuous Indian dish which he ate before his arrest. Mandela was staying with the Naidoos to hold secret meetings in the city.
So, we must have a reprise of how an emotionallycharged Mrs Naidoo recalled the moment she first set eyes on the man whom she lived (and voted) for, witnessing him emerging from prison to presidency in 1994: “He (Mandela) walked up from the main road, then went around the house and finally through the gate into the yard. He wore a dustcoat just like those worn by drivers and he was carrying a basket in his arm like a vendor selling cakes”.
In the 1960s, Asherville was a hotbed of anti-apartheid resisters, and home of ardent campaigners for non-racial sports like Sam Ramsamy, Morgan Naidoo and Rama Reddy, hence the fruits of our 10-medal Olympic glory in Brazil. This is where Natal Indian Congress and SA Communist Party leaders like Dr Monty Naicker, Dr Kesaveloo Goonum, Swaminathan Gounden, RD Naidu (both banned and house arrested under the Communism Act) and countless others agitated for change and opposed the old guard at the city hall.
Mandela headed for Imbali for his last political address and he also secretly met the local leadership and shared the ANC’s political vision with activist-doctor Muhamed Chota Motala. Mandela spent the night with Dr Motala and Moses Mabhida. When he became president, Mandela rewarded the Motalas’ hospitality when he appointed Dr Motala as ambassador to Morocco.
Another staunch activist also involved in the marathon, uMgungundlovu mayor Yusuf Bhamjee, named a spectacular flyover bridge in memory of Dr Motala where thousands of road-runners will file past during the race.
More than a half-century later the marathon reminds us of how the police flagged down a car travelling on a lonely country road towards Howick. Pretending to be a chauffeur, Mandela was arrested despite posing as David Motsamayi to avoid arrest, and was captured at Tweedie. Cecil Williams, an activist, was in the passenger seat of the Austin Westminster car when they were halted at a roadblock on the R103 near Howick.
Recent reports indicate that an American diplomat doubling as an CIA agent tipped off police about Mandela’s movements after attending Mandela’s speech to the All-Africa Convention in the capital city.
Mandela stood trial with other ANC leaders in the famous Rivonia Treason Trial that culminated in the long prison terms on Robben Island.
After Durban, Mandela and Williams visited Chief Albert Luthuli in Groutville and briefed the ANC president on Mandela’s overseas trip, where he lobbied support for the banned ANC in London and received military training in Algeria.
Tweedie has since become the Capture Site, which I recently revisited with MEC for Housing Ravi Pillay and other MEC colleagues as part of our political pilgrimage each year on July 18, the International Mandela Day declared by the UN. There we recommit our progressive government to continue organising the Mandela Day Marathon with the provincial athletics authority and our private sector sponsors, donors and media partners.
Our provincial government will continue to spend millions of rand in preserving and protecting this world heritage site as a museum for future generations and tourists.
Against the backdrop of the majestic sculpture of Mandela’s face, thousands of men, women and teenagers – among them our newly-elected mayors, deputy mayors and councillors, as well as some of the new ministers in the provincial legislature, will run for home in the 10, 21.1 and 42.2km challenges.
After 1994, the Mandela Capture Site was simply a small bricked area with a plaque on the roadside. However, in 2012, on the 50th anniversary marking the arrest, a fascinating steel sculpture with an optical illusion of Mandela’s face, designed by Marco Cianfanelli of the Apartheid Museum, was erected to give this historical piece its full recognition and significance at the Capture Site.
The legacy does not end. It starts with a route full of history and character. Runners, walkers and spectators will find no better way to commemorate and celebrate the life and legacy of our iconic leader.
The stoical Indian contribution to the struggle for social justice and a freespirited new nation is further embellished in a landmark honouring Kasturba Gandhi at the Dussalle Point, named after the wife of Mahatma Gandhi – the man infamously shoved off a “whites-only” train coach at the Pietermaritzburg Station on June 7, 1893.
For their collective sweat and tears, the runners will each receive a uniquely designed Mandela Day Marathon medal for completing the punishing route.
This is a marathon where more than usual, every athlete dreams of running past the iconic finishing post.
Nelson Mandela will be smiling down on us to see how we show our true grit, mettle and triumphant spirit during this colourful marathon festivity of sporting excellence. From able-bodied people to the disabled and participants using wheelchairs, this extraordinary event celebrates Madiba’s life-long quest for equality, freedom, democracy, integrity, transparency and healthy lifestyles devoid of substance and alcohol abuse.
We are honouring our iconic founding president and preserving his legacy of peace, prosperity, reconciliation, nation-building, non-racialism and non-sexism. The event gives us a helping hand in pursuing social cohesion and uniting all our citizens around nation-building, tolerance and upwards mobility, economically and politically.
The Mandela Day Marathon is classified as a marathon with a potential to grow to 30 000 participants in the next five years as one of the world’s grandslam marathons on the scale and with the status of the New York Marathon.
It’s enjoyed exponential growth since 2012, witnessed a 77% growth since 2014 and doubled to 10 000 since 2013, when runners from 24 countries competed. Last year 13 000 ran the race and sponsorship peaked at R10 million. The male and female winners will pocket R100 000 each.
Let’s get togged up and into our stride to honour all our pioneering people who gave us a miracle nation.
Nomusa Dube-Ncube is MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KZN, one of the lead departments in the Mandela Day Marathon.