Qunu does the Madiba jive

Qunu 18.07.12 Prisoners from the Umthatha Correctional Services celebrating in song Nelson Mandelas Birthday today at Qunu Primary School, Qunu. picture : neil Baynes Reporter : Hendrette

Qunu 18.07.12 Prisoners from the Umthatha Correctional Services celebrating in song Nelson Mandelas Birthday today at Qunu Primary School, Qunu. picture : neil Baynes Reporter : Hendrette

Published Jul 18, 2012

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South Africans are the “luckiest people in the world at this moment to be under the same sky as Nelson Mandela”, said Tokyo Sexwale on Wednesday morning as people across SA celebrated Madiba’s 94th birthday.

In Mandela’s home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, traditional dancers performed at Qunu Secondary School to mark the start of celebrations in the village.

Pupils from the school, located near Madiba’s homestead, were entertained by the dance group, Indlame, which performed traditional dances with white sticks.

Mandela himself is understood to be too frail to address well-wishers. But residents of the three villages where he grew up, including Qunu, where he has retired, began celebrating his birthday from early on Wednesday.

The dance group, all prisoners from Mthatha prison, were set to clean the school’s garden, plant trees and paint the buildings.

Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale opened the second day of a two-day colloquium at the museum in Qunu on Wednesday morning to co-incide with Madiba’s birthday.

He told delegates: “It’s instructive and highly remarkable that on Wednesday once again the entire world has paused in order to focus on one important episode in the life of a living legend. A hero of his people, an iconic personality who is simply one of a kind – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Madiba.”

Sexwale said South Africans were on Wednesday the “luckiest people in the world at this moment to be under the same sky as Nelson Mandela”.

“We, black and white, should carry our heads high wherever we go in the world.

“Our responsibility is to preserve and honour the name of Nelson Mandela and the struggle of his life, the example of his leadership, guiding light of his principles... (we must ensure) the father of democracy, the unifier of the nation, is preserved and inspires us in future,” Sexwale said.

Cape Argus

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