90 Years Mandela

Page 8

P R E FAC E

Open-mindedness By Clem Sunter

T

hat was the answer to a question which I posed

happened subsequent to his release. The negotiations over the

to a young woman called Taki at a bank’s

new Constitution and his five years as President displayed a

recent networking forum in Johannesburg.

magic touch of pragmatism on his part, combined with deep

The question was: “What is Nelson Mandela’s

moral values. At no time during his period at the helm of the

legacy?” I totally agree, having had the

country was there a hint that some political dogma was about to

privilege of meeting the man in prison just before his release.

be unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Quite the reverse. He

showed an amazing ability to adapt his thinking in pursuit of

We talked about the changes taking place in the world

economy and the challenges facing South Africa. He at the time

the one thing that he really believed in – reconciliation.

was fully committed to the Freedom Charter which included

nationalisation of key elements of the private sector including

prepared to see opportunities and possibilities where others

the mines and the banks. He even issued a statement from

saw limits. This is in sharp contrast to many of the leaders

prison confirming his commitment. This sent a shiver down

in the world today who get hung up on a single idea, and

the spines of many business executives who thought of their

will not relinquish it even when they should obviously do

companies as potential targets for nationalisation.

so. Consistency turns into obstinacy and a blindness to any

facts that are in opposition to their stated policy. Loss of face

I remember, after my visit to see him, having to

In my language, Mandela was a quintessential fox

reassure my colleagues at Anglo American that the man I

becomes of paramount concern.

experienced was searching for new perspectives in a way that

was the exact opposite of an ideologue. At one stage of the

we might as a human race live more comfortably with each

conversation in prison Deng’s quote came up: “I don’t care if a

other and be more open-minded about each other’s differences.

cat is black or white as long as it catches mice.” Deng of course

Nations would seldom take entrenched positions and less often

was trying to distance himself from his predecessor, Chairman

pursue their own interests to the detriment of others. They

Mao, and policies like the Great Leap Forward. Indeed, one can

would understand that a higher level of equilibrium can be

say that the turning-point in China – the moment when the

attained through negotiation and compromise. But that is why

Dragon woke up – was 1978 when Deng’s open-door policy was

he is in a class of his own and is probably the most respected

first introduced. Mandela appeared to me to agree with that

person on the planet today. He came out of prison wanting to

approach during our interview.

learn in order to lead. Taki was right to choose the attribute

she did.

Anyway the validity of my interpretation really does

Oh for more Mandelas in the international arena! Then

not matter in light of the way he behaved and what actually

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11/27/08 2:20:54 PM


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