Commemoration of the 20 Year Anniversary of Former President Mandela`s Release from Prison

Berlin, 11.2.2010. Today twenty years ago The long walk to freedom, the title of former President Nelson Mandela´s autobiography, was captured in one historic moment in Cape Town: It was the day when Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years.

500 meters before the prison gates, Mandela decided to get out of the car with his former wife Winnie Madikizela -Mandela and walk the last meters towards the gate where anxious supporters, friends, family, political activists and journalists waited for him.

Mandela describes this moment in his autobiography: “When I was among the crowd I raised my right fist and there was a roar. I had not been able to do that for twenty-seven years and it gave me a surge of strength and joy… I felt even at the age of seventy-one that my life was beginning anew. My ten thousand days of imprisonment were over.”

The Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Berlin, Sonwabo E. Funde says “the release of Nelson Mandela symbolized the end of Apartheid and a willingness and readiness of the former government to talk about the future of South Africa.”

The historic day was the beginning for a new South Africa: the end of the oppressive Apartheid regime, the four year discussions led by Nelson Mandela and President FW de Klerk which ended in 1994 with a democratic election in which the African National Congress received over 60% of the votes and Nelson Mandela was elected as the first democratic President of South Africa.
Former President Nelson Mandela`s way of leading his divided country to a democracy remains one of the most remarkable achievement of the history of the 20th Century. For Ambassador Funde “Mandela is a leader who led by example.” And he continues: “The World Cup 2010 in South Africa could not have happened without Mandela. And this event will continue to unify our country – it will take the issue of reconciliation a great leap forward and this is one of Mandela`s legacies”.

Today this historic day will be commemorated at the Groot Drakenstein jail outside Paarl. President Jacob Zuma will commemorate the event outside the prison. Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula says: “We are expecting the Mandela family and Mr. Mandela himself to be present.”  Mandela`s former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is supposed to lead the 500 meter symbolic walk she made with Mandela on his release 20 years ago. The State of the Nation address will be delivered by President Jacob Zuma on this evening and former President Mandela has confirmed his attendance at this historic event.

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