Jailed Abathembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo pays tribute to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on her 80th birthday.
Aah Nobandla!
I am one of your grandsons from the royal house of the Madiba clan and I am also your king. My good spirit has whispered through my soul this morning, in my dark prison cell, that I must be among those who pass on best wishes for your birthday celebrations.
You have made a contribution in my life as a mother through my dark days when I needed love and comfort during the extremely cold and life-threatening days of apartheid, when I was far away from home.
You gave me a sense of hope that one day we would see the light. I believed in you and I began living with hope until today.
Life is such a long journey that has an unknown end. Believe me when I say, I wish I was among those who are blessed to spend this day with you, sharing lifetime experiences and the future of our struggle under current deeply worrying circumstances.
I am also encouraged by the Book of Job, a man who was so loyal to his God that he asked that all God’s protection surrounding him be removed, to see if he could still be loyal to God.
God agreed to hand Job over to the hands of the enemy, and ordered the devil to go ahead and do anything to him that he wished; that he could destroy his wealth, dignity, family, including dethroning him from any position he held in society - but that he should leave his soul. If Job passed the test, I also believe that I will see the light someday.
The struggle for our freedom of expression, exercising our indigenous customary laws and values, shall continue.
The kingdom of abaThembu that gave birth to your husband, uTata omkhulu Mandela, whom you worked with under brutal circumstances to bring us freedom, the kingdom that raised your children and grandchildren, must gain strength and be fully recognised with no reservations.
Long live my grandmother.
May God bless you and see you through your endeavours.
I salute you Makhulu.
* Abathembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo is serving a 12-year sentence at the East London Maximum Correctional Centre after being found guilty of kidnapping, assault arson and defeating the ends of justice.
The Star