Naturally it is an occasion, but I would rather not have had it. They would not, however, they said, be lining the streets and waving flags in his honour. Hendrik Verwoerd, who ruled as prime minister from 1958 until he was stabbed to death by a deranged parliamentary messenger in 1966, was the white leader probably despised more than any other by black South Africans. As a young ANC radical in the 1950s and early 1960s, Mandela dedicated his life to overthrowing Verwoerd's government, a commitment which finally saw him sent to prison for life in 1964. Mandela's generosity, which since his release from jail in 1990 and his inauguration as president in May last year has seen him striving tirelessly for racial reconciliation in South Africa, was a feature also of his prison years.
Assassination is a primitive way of contending with an opponent.
Mandela's latest gesture of reconciliation follows a luncheon he hosted last week for 18 wives and widows of apartheid and anti-apartheid leaders. Verwoerd and the widows of two black activists were also invited but were deemed too frail to make the trip. Mandela insisted on visiting all three. While earning praise for his nation-building efforts, however, Mandela faces growing calls for more commitment in tackling issues affecting black people. Aug 14 Sapa Police still in Sebokeng after Sunday's violence scare.