Brits pay tribute to an icon

2005-02-04 08:38

Sarel van der Walt and Ivor Price

London - Nelson Mandela came to talk about poverty, but the thousands of Britons who converged on Trafalgar Square had really come to see him, rather than listen.

It was as if they had come to say goodbye.

Many of them were straightforward: "Mandela is getting on in years and may never again come to London."

Forty years ago, there wasn't chance to say goodbye to one of Britain's great sons, Winston Churchill, when he was still living.

And, the same applied to Princess Diana, who died eight years ago in that ill-fated car accident in a French tunnel.

With Madiba, they did not allow the chance to slip away.

He may not be one of theirs in the same vein as Churchill and Diana, but he certainly is one of their heroes.

So, it was no surprise when the thousands burst into a huge cheer when South Africa's former president - clad in a black coat with a black Russian bearskin cap on his head - appeared in Trafalgar Square for the first time since 1997.

Huge cheer for Mandela

Madiba, with a white walking stick in one hand and his wife, Graça on the other, came slowly down the steps towards the podium on a typically London winter afternoon.

He waved at the crowd with a big smile.

And a huge cheer went up when he greeted them and said: "My friends..."

In front of him on the square, where years ago there were almost daily demonstrations to demand his release from jail, a sea of faces looked up at him.

Many people watched from the balconies and windows of buildings around the square.

Mandela was introduced to the crowd by international rock star/philanthropist Sir Bob Geldof, who said earlier in the week in an interview with a magazine that Africa was "becoming very boring".

In a passionate speech, Geldof said he was "fed-up with the politics of having to be nice".

"I'm sick of standing in squares like this, making speeches.

"I'm sick of the whole mess.

"Give the world food.

"We are hungering after justice.

"We are yearning for a time of having hope again."

But, on Thursday, the people wanted rather to hear Madiba, albeit for five minutes only, than Geldof's music.

After his short speech, Mandela gave white armbands to a group of school children, urging them to wear the bands to the G8 forum to be held in Scotland in July.

"I entrust this to you and I will watch you in anticipation," he said.

Geldof then, watched by the eyes of the world on TV, helped Mandela from the podium to his car.

Crowd followed his car

Before he climbed in, Mandela again turned and waved at the crowd.

Part of the crowd ran after the car for the about 150m to the South African embassy nearby.

Some of them climbed on to the fences, others stood on window sills and many surrounded his car before Mandela entered South Africa House.

Eventually the crowd dispersed to go home, but the "Madiba magic" permeated the air of Trafalgar Square for a long time.

- Beeld