Tsakane – Set at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Thabo Mbeki’s presidential inaugural remains special for many reasons.
“All the visiting heads of state were assigned liaison officers, and I served former president of Trinidad and Tobego, Arthur Robertson.
“We were walking in and I was introducing my guest to Madiba,” explains Zwane.
He says he soon realised that Tata’s hearing was failing him.
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“I had to lean in, with my arm over his shoulder, for him to hear me.
“It was a beautiful moment to realise how close I was to the great Nelson Mandela.”
A freedom fighter himself, Zwane says he has always been inspired by the sacrifices Mandela and other activists made in the struggle for freedom.
“It wasn’t the first time I had met him actually. In 1993 we had a gathering at Shell House after he was released from prison.
“And there was some unrest so he came to reassure us that freedom is on the horizon.”
Zwane says he joined the African National Congress’ UmKhonto we Sizwe in 1985.
“I was in Angola and later transferred to Yugoslavia, for most of the late eighties.
“We always knew that our lives were in danger, but the boldness of Madiba and the other leaders kept us going.”
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In 1991 he graduated as a warship navigator at the Caspian Naval College in the Soviet Union.
“The most important lesson we can learn from the life of Madiba is to fight for what we believe in.
“To fight for what is right, no matter how hard it gets.”
He believes it is important for each person to ensure the betterment of his neighbour and not just himself.
“Some of us left the country thinking that we were going to change the world, but in many ways, the world changed us.
“I would have never been introduced to the career I ended up in had I stayed.”
In 1994 Zwane and others were integrated into the South African Navy where he retired in the year 2000.
“The experience has been priceless, travelling the world and meeting different people.
“Unfortunately, I don’t believe that our struggle icons would be proud of the state of our nation.
“But they carried the burden for the generation. It is now up to the next generation to create a better South Africa.”
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