A separation too painful to relate
Rea Khoabane recalls a visit to Mama Sobukwe last year
Nkgono. Last year at this time I had come to GraaffReinet to interview you about your life. “I’m sorry, I can’t speak to you guys now,” you said softly. “I have a headache and I would like to rest.” It was too painful to talk about your husband and his role as an anti-apartheid activist.
As you walked to your bedroom the sun reflected on your face. There were pictures with PAC flags on the wall.
When I told my editor that you were turning 90 on July 27, she said we needed to pay you a visit. We got on a plane to Port Elizabeth and drove for about two and a half hours to Graaff-Reinet. I had never heard of the town before, but it’s one of the oldest towns in SA.
We met your son, Dinilesizwe Sobukwe, known as Dini, and he told us to come and see you the following day at 5am as you were a morning person.
“Mama is up at 4am and at 5am she starts walking around the house,” he said. A habit picked up during your days as a nurse.
He also told us that you didn’t like interviews, so we should be prepared that you might change your mind.
“When you come, tell her you heard stories about her in Galeshewe. She has a lot of stories to share about her and Papa from there,” Dini said. Galeshewe, outside Kimberley, is where your husband, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, was banished to in 1969 after he was released from Robben Island.
The following day, we got up early to come and see you. The guesthouse where we were staying was not far from your house.
We woke up to a beautiful mountain mist. It was quiet and tranquil. There’s something special about Graaff-Reinet, apart from the huge division between black people and white people.
I wanted to tell your story, but you carried Robert Sobukwe’s pain even after he was long gone. The pain of separation and hardship was still too great.
The light in your face stayed with me and now I will always wonder what you might have told us.