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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