Death of ex-wife forces Mandela home

DESPITE being grief-stricken over the death of his first wife, Evelyn Mase, former South African president Nelson Mandela expressed profound gratitude to the people of Trinidad and Tobago for making his last international trip, one of the most unforgettable moments of his life. Mandela and Mase were married in 1944 and divorced in 1957 after having three children. Mase died in South Africa on Friday and Mandela decided to fly directly home instead of to Tobago yesterday and then to Grenada to address a CONCACAF Congress.

Prior to his departure from Piarco International Airport at 10.30 am, Mandela told Prime Minister Patrick Manning that he was very impressed with the warm reception that he received from the population during his two-day visit. He thanked the Government and the population for “an enjoyable stay” and his “deep disappointment” for being unable to attend activities planned for him yesterday in Tobago. In return, the Prime Minister expressed the Government’s and people of TT’s deep condolences to Mandela and simultaneously thanked him “for giving the people of TT the opportunity to share with him this historic visit.”  Manning also wished him “a safe journey” home.

CONCACAF president Jack Warner was also at the airport to bid Mandela farewell. Speaking with Sunday Newsday mere minutes before departing for Grenada, Warner said he expressed CONCACAF’s condolences to Mandela and he was disappointed that Mandela would not get the opportunity to advance South Africa’s World Cup 2010 bid to the CONCACAF Congress. He said Mandela was equally disappointed but the Congress will go ahead, with other members of Mandela’s entourage speaking in his stead. Meanwhile, Government sources in Grenada said there was “tremendous disappointment” there about the cancellation of Mandela’s visit. Head of the Grenadian Government Information Service (GIS), Selywn Noel, announced that a mass rally at the National Stadium in St George’s for Mandela, a State dinner for him later in the evening and  plans for Mandela to unveil a plaque and plant a tree in the Botanical Gardens have been cancelled.

Neither Grenadian PM Dr Keith Mitchell nor any member of his government have made a public statement about the cancellation of Mandela’s visit and up to press time, Mitchell was reportedly behind closed doors in a meeting. The sources also said there was confusion about whether former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu would deputise for Mandela and the cancellation of Mandela’s visit had thrown a damper on yesterday’s Labour Day celebrations in Grenada. Tutu left TT on Friday for New York. Addressing a mass rally at the Queen’s Park Oval on Friday, Mandela said because of health and other concerns, his trip to TT would be his last overseas trip. A report in yesterday’s Business Day of South Africa, sources close to Mandela said while he was in good health during his visit to TT, the former South African president was “bloody tired.” Mandela’s health has been a source of concern for many years, after having successfully fought against prostate cancer.

The sources said Mandela’s public appearances are likely to be reduced to three foundations that bear his name — the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the Mandela/Rhodes Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.  These foundations deal with two issues dear to Mandela’s heart — children and the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Head of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, John Samuel, confirmed that Mandela’s workload will be reduced but he is not ready to totally withdraw from public life. “When Mr Mandela is ready to do so, he will announce his retirement from public life. The fact that we are trying to reduce his workload is being interpreted as retirement,” Samuel said. After his visit to TT, Mandela was supposed to visit FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland to promote South Africa’s World Cup bid but that trip is now in doubt. Another source said Mandela wanted to devote more time to writing the second volume of his autobiography The Long Walk to Freedom which will cover the years covering his release from prison on February 11, 1990.