WALTER SISULU FUNERAL PROCESSION RE: MANDELA AND MBEKI SPEECHES ORLANDO STADIUM NB: TIME CODE BREAK

Record ID: 882431

  • Title: WALTER SISULU FUNERAL PROCESSION RE: MANDELA AND MBEKI SPEECHES ORLANDO STADIUM NB: TIME CODE BREAK
  • Date: 17th May 2003
  • Summary: WALTER SISULU FUNERAL PROCESSION RE: MANDELA AND MBEKI SPEECHES ORLANDO STADIUM NB: TIME CODE BREAK
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  • City: Orlando Soweto
  • Country: South Africa
  • Reuters ID: 03MAY17R02
  • Story Text:WALTER SISULU FUNERAL PROCESSION
    RE: MANDELA AND MBEKI SPEECHES
    ORLANDO STADIUM
    NB: TIME CODE BREAK

    23.38.14 ACHMED KATHRADA, MANDELA, MBEKI, STOFILE AND SHILOWA SEATED.
    23.38.50 BIZOS WAS ALSO IN ATTENDANCE.
    23.39.10 SHOT OF NELSON MANDELA.
    23.39.20 MEDIA OFFICIALS AROUND THE STADIUM.
    23.39.50 CROWD SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.
    23.40.29 MILITARY TROOP SALUTES THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.
    23.40.40 DIGNITARIES STANDING.
    23.40.51 CROWD SEATED SHOTS THROUGH A FENCE.
    23.41.03 A WHITE WOMAN WEARING THE ANC DÉCOR CLOTH.
    23.41.15 STUDENTS ON THE FENCE ARE HOLDING UP SISULU POSTERS.
    23.41.26 MEDIA OFFICIALS HANG AROUND.
    23.41.46 SEATED CROWD.
    23.41.53 READING OF WALTER SISULU’S ORBITUARY.
    23.44.09 SHOT OF MANDELA AND MBEKI.
    23.44.24 SHOT OF STOFILE AND SHILOWA.
    23.48.35 SHOT OF THE SURROUNDED COFFIN NEAR THE MARQUEE.
    23.48.55 WIDE SHOT OF THE STADIUM WITH THE RED CARPET.
    23.49.02 DIGNITARIES SEATED.
    23.49.16 IFP LEADER MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI WITH THE ANC WOMEN’S LEAGUE MEMBERS.
    23.49.37 MARA LOUW THOMPSON RENDERS A MUSICAL ITEM.
    23.51.24 MARA LOUW GREETS THE DIGNITARIES.
    23.52.13 MANDELA AND MBEKI STANDING.
    23.52.37 CROWD SINGING, HOLDING SISULU POSTER.
    23.52.44 WIDE SHOT OF DIGNITARIES, WITH MANDELA ON THE PODIUM.
    23.52.52 MANDELA SALUTES THE JUBILIANT CROWD WHICH CHANTS ANC SLOGANS.
    23.53.04 SHOT OF A TEARFUL MANDELA.
    23.53.23 SOUND BITE OF MANDELA: ‘ My President, other states of government here, ministers of religion, ladies and gentlemen. In the last few years we have walked this road with greater frequency, margining the procession to bid farewell to the veterans of our movement. Paying our last respects to the fallen spears of the nation, from a generation now reaching the end of a long and heroic style. Those of us from that generation who are singled out to stay the longest have to bear the pain of seeing the one comrade go. We shed tears over them, because we have walked such a such a long road together, shine trials and tribulations, danger, anguish and fear. And also precious moments of joy, gladness and laughter, their going must leave an emptiness with those of us who stayed behind. Our sadness over them is tempered by the comforting knowledge that the separation will now not be… And more importantly by the sure knowledge that their lives were not wasted and spent fruitlessly. They fought a noble battle and lived their lives of pursuit of a better life for all, who follow. The democracy in which we bury them and honor them is the sweet fruit of their lives for struggle and sacrifice. Today we stand at the grave of one of the greatest among that generation of great freedom fighters. We take lead of a man of whom I have criticized in this sad day, since his death. That from the moment when we first met he had me as a friend, my brother, my people, my comrade. Our pass first cross in 1941, during all of these years since, our lives have been intertwined. We shared at the growing of living and the pain, together we shared ideas forced to come into commitment. We walked side by side through the valley of death, nursing each other’s boozy, holding each other up when I was at fault. And together we were privileged to savoir the taste of freedom. We shall not weep for Xhamela, he will not expect us to or approve of us doing so. We do though deeply mourn his death a part of us of course. We have so often made at this point when Xhamela was still alive and since his passing away. But it needs a repeating where into the future he nurtured his authority by virtue of office. He was ever ready to draw others into leadership and he never asked of others what he was not prepared to do himself. Rivalry between the organizations was to be expected in prison, many amongst us prisoners were perceived to be leaders of one or other organization. But all prisoners saw Xhamela as the leader of all of us, irrespective of the organization one belonged to. A leader of the entire people, his greatness as a leader, he derived form his humility and his great belief in a respect for connective leadership. He knew and taught us that wisdom comes from sharing insight and listening too, and learning for each other. He was always unified, never defied where others of us will speak a hasty word or add in anger. He was a pain shadower, certain to heal and bring together. And how can you speak about this great unified of people without recognizing and honoring that great unity in his own life, that of Walter and Albertinah as a marital couple. A unity of such deep friendship and mutual respect, a personal and political partnership that transcended and survived all the hardships, separation and persecution. And if our nation has to take an example of its own future together, where better than to look to the family that Walter and Albertinah nurtured held together and less. That in family speaks to us of how quality and greatness are bond out of suffering and adversity.
    00.00.34 We console Albertinah and the children by paying tribute to what have come to represent in our national life, spear of the nation has fallen as the militant use of our country once said, during funerals: ‘Let us pick up the spear now to build the country after the example that Walter Sisulu has set for us’.
    ‘Tsamaya hantle Xhamela, xhawe la maxhawe- (Go well Xhamela, hero of heroes).'

    00.01.13 MANDELA LEAVES THE PODIUM AND THE CROWD CHANTING.
    00.01.46 CATHOLIC CHURCH FATHERS SEATED, WITH SISULU POSTER IN FRONT.
    00.02.05 MANDELA PERFORMING HIS FAMOUS MADIBA JIVE, A SOUTH AFRICAN FLAG IN FRONT.
    00.02.42 DIGNITARIES JOIN THE CROWD IN JOYOUS CELEBRATION.
    00.03.05 MANDELA TAKES A SEAT.
    00.03.18 ANC FLAG HELD UP ON THE STADIUM STANDS.
    00.03.36 A POSTER OF WALTER SISULU WRITTEN ‘HAMBA KAHLE’.
    00.04.26 SINGING CHOIR WITH CROWD JOINING IN.
    00.04.57 CHOIR MEMBERS PRAISING.
    00.05.24 THE DRUMMER KEEPING WITH THE BEAT.
    00.05.46 DIGNITARIES FOLLOW SUIT.
    00.06.05 PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI SALUTES THE COMRADES.
    00.06.16 SOUND BITE OF MBEKI: Long live the spirit of comrade Sisulu, long live! Mama Albertinah Sisulu and the Sisulu family, heads of states and government and other leaders of the people of Africa, other international guests, ambassadors, high commissioners and heads of mission, President De Klerk and other leaders and representatives of the people. Leaders of our executive and administrative authorities, our legislature, our judiciary and other organs of state, leaders and representatives of popular movements abroad, including women, youth, people with disability and children, leaders of business and trade unions, religious leaders and the world.
    Our country and nature itself have been mourning since that fateful day of the 5th of May, when Walter Sisulu seized to breathe. While he lived there were many in our country who never knew anything about him, except for what they have been told or not told by those who had been his jail lights. While he lived there were many who did not understand the unwavering humanism of his cause to which he dedicated his whole life. We are blind to what he did to ensure that his movement and his people remain forever loyal to their humanist calling. When this came to know that there had been such a gentle giant in their midst, hidden from them as though he did not exist, they asked themselves the question: ‘Why did we not know?’
    Well there were many others who knew of the place he occupied amongst great galas of leaders of our people, who had given their all to ensure that all of our people and all of Africa were liberated from oppression, from poverty and underdevelopment and intolerable pain of contempt and humiliation. This knew that Walter Sisulu belonged amongst those truly generations, who are the best representatives of the unherald and nobility of the masses of our people. The representatives who decide that their lives were worth nothing unless they dedicated those lives to services of all our people. As they embarked on the long march at the head of combat columns of liberators. Having conquered the fear of what might happen to them at the hands of the oppressors of their people. Ready to pay any price for the recovery of the dignity of the raptures of the earth, of them it could be said as the poet did: ‘ A sini thenganga nga zo izicelo, a sini thenganga nga…
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