| Mandela
laments passing of his friend
"Xhamela is no
more. May he live forever! His absence has carved a void. A part
of me is gone," is how former president Nelson Mandela
greeted the news of Walter Sisulu's death.
"Our paths first
intersected in 1941. During the past 62 years our lives have been
intertwined. We shared the joy of living, and the pain," Mandela
said in a statement released to the media.
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"Together we shared
ideas, forged common commitments. We walked side by side through the
valley of death, nursing each other's bruises, holding each other up
when our steps faltered. Together we savoured
the taste of freedom."
"In a sense I feel
cheated by Walter. If there be another life beyond this physical world I
would have loved to be there first so that I could welcome him. Life has
determined otherwise," Mandela added.
"I now know that
when my time comes, Walter will be there to meet me, and I am almost
certain he will hold out an enrolment form to register me into the ANC
in that world, cajoling me with one of his favourite songs we sang when
mobilising people behind the Freedom Charter:
Libhaliwe na iGama lakho
kuloMqulu weNkululeko
Vuma silibhale kuloMqulu
weNkululeko.
(Has your name been
enrolled
in the struggle for
freedom
Permit us to register you
in the struggle for
freedom.)
"I shall miss his
friendship and counsel. Till we meet again, Hamba
kahle, Xhamela. Qhawe la ma Qhawe! (Go
well, Rest in Peace, Xhamela.
Hero among heroes.)" - Sapa
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