#MandelaDay on 18 July is #Time2Serve. Mandela’s 1990 @UN address on #equality for all races...

[TheWorldNewsOrg]

#MandelaDay on 18 July is #Time2Serve. Mandela’s 1990 @UN address on #equality for all races continues to resonates. http://pic.twitter.com/iN9MbbVMfK

— UN News Centre (@UN_News_Centre) July 11, 2016

via TheWorldNewsOrg

via journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

[Arauna]

Mandela divorced his first wife who remained a faithful JW until her death.  He was more militant in his youth (peaceful means did not work) and then married Winnie - the wife who shamed him so much by being responsible for black children's deaths. Winnie was without any scruples or morals.  He divorced her after he came out of prison and married the widow of the Mozambique president.  

I often think that he had time to think when he was in prison and maybe (just maybe) he remembered a little he had learnt from his first wife because he became a reconciliatory figure in South African politics - which made him a great man.  I had the impression that he did not really want to be the first president but was obliged to take the position due to his popularity.  After his first term as president he graciously stepped down.  

[Guest Kurt]

Nelson Mandela´s youngest sister Was Also a Faithful Witness:

 

NELSON MANDELA HEARS THE TRUTH AT HIS SISTER'S FUNERAL. 

Report on Sister Lieby Piliso's Funeral held on February 9th, 1997 at 
Mount Frere, in the Eastern Cape. 

Sister Piliso, the youngest sister of Nelson Mandela, President of 
South Africa, was a witness for twenty years.. 

Mr. Mandela's first wife - Sister Evelyn Mandela, has been a strong 
and a faithful witness of Jehovah for the past 40 years. Although she had 
been divorced that long by Mr. Mandela before his imprisonment, she has 
remained a highly respected lady by all in this country, including Mr. Mandela 
himself, who has written to her on several occasions expressing his deep 
appreciation for her integrity and gracious qualities as a godly woman. 

There was a strong lobby within the African National Congress circles 
for Mr. Mandela to remarry her, but Sister Evelyn stood her ground that she 
did not consider remarriage and above all her former husband is not a 
worshipper of Jehovah like herself. 

As anticipated, this funeral drew a lot of attention from the media 
and especially from the people of the Eastern Cape. It goes 
without say that the presence and appearance of President Mandela 
always draws large crowds. Even at this funeral some expected him to say 
something to the throngs that gathered to see him. 

Sister Lieby Piliso was a a faithful servant of Jehovah up to her 
death for over twenty years, although her husband was not a believer. She was 
one of 5 or 6 sisters forming their Isolated Group and her home is in one of 
the most remote villages in rural Transkei. It took more than one and a half 
hours to negotiate up the hills and ravines on a dirt road to reach the home 
of Sister Piliso. 

A large number of witnesses travelled from Umtata - about 150 km 
away, while an even larger contingent of brothers came from Butterworth about 280 
km away to give their moral support to this remote group of publishers. 

The funeral was scheduled to start at 11.00 am. 

The village appeared to be under a state of siege! 

There were police and military armored vehicles guarding the entrance 
to the village. 

There were police and army personnel, traffic officers. security 
officers and secret service personnel. 
There were hundreds of school children. 
There were thousands of local villagers. 
There were seven Kings and Chiefs. 
There were government ministers both in national and provincial 
parliaments. 

As could be expected there also were clergymen. 

About 5 minutes before 11:00 am a fly past of army helicopters 
signalled the arrival of president Mandela. 

After the presidential helicopter landed, he and his entourage 
disembarked and were driven in the two 4 x 4 vehicles to his late sister's home 
to hear the discourse to be given by an elder of Jehovah's Witnesses. 

There were approximately 3,000 in attendance. Seated on the podium 
were: 

The President, Evelyn [his first divorced wife], Winnie [his second 
divorced wife], Graca Machel [his present wife], his children from the first 
two marriages, the Parliamentary Ministers, the Kings, Chiefs and their 
aides, the clergymen, the Piliso family members, could be seen to nod to 
scriptural points and several references from the Society's publications. Even 
the priests were listening attentively. 

After 30 minutes the service was closed and the audience proceeded to 
the grave site. 

While the casket was slowly lowered into the grave, the Witnesses 
sang song 58. 

The following are some comments made to Bro. Douglas Maduma, the 
speaker, after the funeral: 

President Mandela: 

"Thank you for such eloquent words of wisdom. I did not miss a word 
of what you said! I am pleased when young men speak such words of wisdom with 
eloquence and clarity " 

Stella Sigcawu - Minister of Public Affairs: 

"Thank you very much for the way you presented the sermon. Your 
message was clear, not hurting anybody. You have a different way of saying the 
great things about God. Thankyou." 

Mrs. Graca Machel - (now Mrs Mandela): 

" Thank-you for this service. It was such a dignified funeral. It is 
the first time for me to attend such a dignified funeral. In some funeral 
I have attended there is usually a lot of tension. 

Before leaving, President Mandela spoke to Brother Yonga and other 
Witnesses.

 
He said: 

"Thank you very much for all you as witnesses have done. You have 
conducted beautifully the funeral of my sister." 

A supreme court advocate, a personal aide to the president said: 

"You have rekindled my interest in God I have come to appreciate that 
this life cannot be all there is. Please help me to learn more." 


Kind regards, 
Henry van Staden. 
Johannesburg, South Africa.

[Arauna]

Thank you my brother for relating this - it is truly a remarkable event.... and wonderful that so many high ranking people received a good witness...

Agape Love,

Arauna