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'Busier than ever'
18/07/2007 09:59 - (SA)
Verashni Pillay
Cape Town - A hero to the nation and to the world, Nelson Mandela may have officially "retired" in 2004, but he continues to achieve in retirement what most may only dream about throughout their lives.
Madiba, the clan name used affectionately by South Africans, fought long and hard against an oppressive regime, led a nation out of crisis and served as South Africa's first black president, but he has been busier than ever since leaving politics in 1999.
With South Africa and the world making demands on the famed world icon, Mandela - who dislikes saying no to people - has barely had time to rest. World leaders, celebrities and the media all clamour for a piece of Mandela, and an opportunity to meet the man regarded as a saint is a celebrated moment in most people's lives.
But with so much pressure on his time, Mandela has gone so far as to yearn for the long hours of quiet he had during his notorious prison years. "One of the things that made me long to be back in prison was that I had so little opportunity for reading, thinking and quiet reflection after my release," he said at a press conference in 2004, where he officially announced his retirement.
Extremes
It would seem that Madiba's levels of activity have followed serious extremes. Twenty-seven years of near solitary confinement where he was deprived of activity, and the 17 years since his release where he has been increasingly busy.
During Tony Blair's farewell tour to South Africa last month, Mandela jokingly warned the former British Prime Minister that he would find himself even busier after his official role in politics.
"I need to warn you that some of us become more active after stepping down from office," he had said.
He would know. A Zapiro cartoon depicts the much-loved statesman heading towards an armchair and a pile of books, only to be pulled back by grasping fingers.
In the speech to media and dignitaries announcing his retirement from public life, Mandela begged for some time off particularly to work on his "memoirs about the presidential years that now really need my urgent attention".
"I am confident that nobody present today will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I am still in good health, with my family, my friends and also with myself."
That speech, made in June 2004, was at the tail end of much activity for the then 86-year-old Mandela. He was instrumental in securing South Africa's rights to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup. He had met several times with crucial FIFA executives involved in the process and ultimately tipped the odds in South Africa's favour.
'Huge' amounts of energy
"Our former president Nelson Mandela who spent a huge amount of energy pursuing this dream," was how 2010 chief Danny Jordaan described him on Wednesday at the Soccerex business and football conference at Wembley Stadium.
A huge amount of energy indeed. But Mandela is no stranger to hard work at an age where most would retire. His personal assistant and spokesperson, Zelda la Grange told News24 that Mandela has channelled his energy into three organisations since stepping down from politics.
"Mr Mandela has been dedicating much of his time to his three charitable organisations which he set up in SA to continue his work into perpetuity," said la Grange.
"They are the Nelson Mandela Children's fund which focuses on the plight of orphans and vulnerable children, the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, responsible for building leadership capacity through Africa by providing scholarships to African students and the Nelson Mandela Foundation where Mr Mandela's office is situated, (which is) tasked to define and disseminate the legacy of Nelson Mandela."
Through the Nelson Mandela Foundation, he has championed the causes of poverty, HIV/Aids and education: the three biggest challenges he believes the nation faces.
"I have always maintained that these three pose the biggest threat to us and I still do," he said in an interview recently.
Centre of Memory
La Grange said that the Nelson Mandela Foundation also housed the Centre of Memory and Dialogue and "hopes to become a centre where people from across the world can have access to any materials/items related to Mr Mandela".
"The Foundation also participates in 46664, Mr Mandela's Aids brand which is used worldwide to tackle HIV/Aids awareness."
The now annual 46664 concerts were first hosted by Mandela in 2003 as a means to draw attention to the issue of HIV/Aids, and included artists like Bono, Anastacia and The Corrs. Subsequent concerts have taken place in venues as far afield as Spain and Norway.
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, started in 1995, is a programme to address the needs of young people facing homelessness, joblessness and poverty. It has now increasingly focused on the problems faced by Aids orphans.
According to the SouthAfrica.info website, Mandela began the Fund in 1995 after encountering street children in Cape Town one cold evening. He recalls: "We were driving back to the presidency in Cape Town one cold winter's evening, when I saw a group of street children and stopped to talk to them.
"The children asked me why I love them. This astounded me, and I asked them why they asked this, and they said that because every time I get money from overseas, I share it with them."
His brief encounter with the street children inspired him to take action, according to the site. He formed the fund, pledged one third of his Presidential salary to it, and proceeded to raise millions of rands for the betterment of the country's vulnerable and disadvantaged children - from birth to 22 years of age.
153 grants
At the end of the last financial year the fund had disbursed 153 grants totalling R36.8m which were awarded to projects in all nine provinces, according to the fund's site.
Since his retirement in 2004 he attends only the exceptional public event and has never granted any interviews, according to La Grange.
His 89th birthday will mark a huge exception in this regard, when Madiba will once again be acknowledged by millions whose respect and love he has won.
While soccer stalwarts like Pele and Eno are playing a game to mark his birthday in Cape Town, Madiba will be in Johannesburg launching a new initiative of world "elders" to address global issues.
Afterwards, he will enjoy lunch with his family. As la Grange put it: "It is the one day in the year that we leave to Madiba to decide to spend time with whomever he chooses."
And at the very least, he deserves some time off.
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