Ahmed Kathrada talks Madiba in Matholesvile
After his speech, Ahmed gave those attending a chance to ask him questions about his life.
The youth should study was one of the messages from Ahmed Kathrada as he spoke to hundreds of people at the Matholesville Hall this weekend.
Ahmed was invited to speak at the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture as part of the Mandela Day celebrations.
Kathrada spoke of his time on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela and how they fought for freedom.
“Madiba treated everyone as an equal and that is a big lesson I learned from him. Despite being a lawyer, leader and president, he remained a humble and ordinary person. In prison, I was the youngest while Madiba was 11 years my senior. As an Indian, I was given long pants while the black prisoners were given shorts. I received bread daily while the black prisoners received bread after 10 years. However, despite all the hardships, those who were jailed and were illiterate left jail with the ability to read and write,” he said.
ANC in Zone 5 and the ANC Youth League were present in lecture and Zone 5 ANC chairperson Phosane Mngqibisa said he was honoured to have shared the podium with Ahmed.
“Ahmed and the other stalwarts at the Rivonia Trial said they would rather die than see South Africans suffer. They made selfless sacrifices and did not want to become leaders because of state power and resources,” he said.
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