In Cape Town, Leaders Pay Tribute to Mandela

Former Republic of South Africa President Nelson Mandela shown after receiving a R3-million donation to his foundation on June 18, 2008., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

In Cape Town, leaders pay tribute to Mandela

Rebecca L. Weber, Special to USA TODAY 5:13 p.m. EST December 9, 2013

A day of tribute for Mandela in the legislative capital of South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Some remembered his kindnesses; others reminisced about his charity.

And at a special session of Parliament today, dedicated to paying tribute to the country's first democratically elected president, all praised Nelson Mandela for his sacrifice, wisdom and humility.

"In a modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint," said Kgalema Motlanthe, South Africa's deputy president. He said that it's important that the Mandela experience does not "fizzle out," but "rather become the turning point for social change."

Public capacity was reached before the ceremonies began. In one overflow room, people danced and sang songs from the struggle against apartheid.

Many wore somber Western-style suits or formal African dress. Yellow T-shirts from the African National Congress (ANC), Mandela's party, were also popular.

A large number of women covered their heads with hats or scarves, representing traditions for both married Xhosa women and Western mourning customs.

"The icon of the world has gone to join his ancestors," said Thandi Modise, premier of the North West Province, which was met with wide applause.

Numerous prominent Americans, including Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta Scott King were quoted by the leaders of South Africa's government.

In addition to the large number of regular citizens in attendance, numerous children were present.

"I came to pay my last respects for a remarkable leader — the greatest leader ever," said Virginia Engel, who used to be Mandela's private secretary and once traveled with him to Washington, D.C. "I'm rededicating myself to Madiba's ideals."

Engel said that her most special personal memory of Mandela is of the time she was sick and had to be hospitalized.

"He took the time out of his busy schedule — and I knew more than many others how busy that schedule was — to come and visit me in (the) hospital."

Engel was accompanied by her 7-year-old grandson. "I brought my grandson today to share in the history. He's too young to understand. But one day, when you're much bigger and learn about Madiba at school — I'm sure long after we have passed, they will learn about Madiba at school — you will understand why I brought you here today."

Khilona Radia-Dheda, a business consultant who lives in Cape Town, came with her mother, Sushila N. Radia, and her three young children. Radia-Dheda said she first learned about apartheid during a family outing to Zoo Lake in Johannesburg. "I desperately needed to go to the toilet. It was filthy. So I walked around and went to the clean toilet. My mother came and she pulled me out and she said, 'You're not allowed to go in there. That's only for whites.'"

Radia and her husband had a textile shop in Johannesburg that sold traditional shweshwe fabric from the Eastern Cape, until the Group Areas Act came into being. They found their shop padlocked, with a notice that they had one week to remove all their goods.

"The customer base was African. They did not want them in the area, and they did not want an Indian trader in the area either," said Radia-Dheda. "The next week, they threw all the reams of material out on the ground."

She said she brought her kids to honor Mandela and to "celebrate the values and struggle and appreciate what they're growing up with. The values that they must live with, that's very important."

Sandra Jansen, a teacher, said that she uses Nelson Mandela as part of the curriculum with her second-grade students. Today she visited Parliament with her three grandchildren.

"I know the apartheid years. I've grown up in those years. Whites-only signs: can't go in there. When he became free, we all became free."

Jansen said she hopes to learn to be as forgiving as Mandela was. "I just recently saw the new movie where he once again told us, if he can forgive, so can we. That is my greatest lesson."

An outdoor wall of remembrance where visitors left graffiti-style messages, will be up and open to the public for the rest of the week.