‘My mother sacrificed for her children. . . that is all mothers’

THE “In Conversation” was aimed at commemorating Nelson Mandela Day and the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

It also took former politician Mac Maharaj down memory lane.

“My father was disabled and weighed over 200 pounds (90kg),” he reflected.

“My mother was thin and wiry. She did all the work in the home, in our shop, shovelled coal and sold, gardened and also managed the chicken run. She did all of this and cared for us, and our dad, but he was still the boss.”

Maharaj described his relationship with his mother as a “house on fire”, before adding that she had hair that reached the floor.

“I would love to plait her hair again. Put coconut oil and make two plaits… She had no time in life except when she went out to dry her wet hair…”

He said that when he left home for Johannesburg, his mother had given him her ring.

“She said she would like to be there to chose a girl of her approval for me but (she) knew she would not be able to, so she gave me her ring as her approval

“My mother sacrificed for her children.

“That is all mothers.” Maharaj said he would have loved for her to visit him when he was released from Robben Island but she had already died.

When questioned about his time on Robben Island, he said the regime made the mistake of putting political prisoners together.

“With that environment, you could not drown yourself in self-pity. We never doubted that people would not be free. We only doubted if we would live to see the freedom.”

When voting for the first time, Maharaj said he was so afraid of spoiling the paper that his hand shook.

“…It was my first time voting… after I felt relieved and then there was a change in my focus, I realised I had voted in an elite white suburb.”

The guests at the event included MEC for Treasury Ravi Pillay, former eThekwini speaker Logie Naidoo, Gandhi’s granddaughter Ela, activist Sunny Singh, and former MP Omi Singh.