July 17, 2010 – Ninety-two children from two of Nelson Mandela’s childhood villages in the Transkei travelled to Johannesburg to wish him happy birthday today.
The children, 67 from Mr Mandela’s birthplace of Mvezo, and 25 from the village of Qunu, where he moved to later in his childhood, met him at his Houghton home, where they got to meet him and to sing happy birthday to him.
Mr Mandela, who also met a delegation from the African National Congress earlier in the day, turns 92 on Sunday.
“I like being with young children,” said Mr Mandela when he saw the children, aged from six to 12.
His grandson, Mandla Mandela, or Nkosi [chief] Zwelivelile of the Mvezo Traditional Council, travelled from the Transkei with the children, who spent the night in East London before arriving in Johannesburg at lunchtime on Sunday.
“For us as a community in Mvezo, it’s been really a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “The kids have been granted a once in a lifetime opportunity… they might never fly again.” He said that his grandfather managed to transcend the poverty of the Transkei and the barriers of oppression and “became a global statesman”. “We say to these kids, ‘the sky is the limit – you can follow in Madiba’s footsteps.’”
The children are from Qunu Junior Secondary School, Nkwenkwezi Senior Primary School and Mvezo Junior Secondary School.
For Cheryl Carolus, chairperson of South African Airways, which provided charter flights as well as airline staff who acted as chaperones, the journey was “a privilege”.
“SAA feels so privileged to be able to play a tiny role in celebrating the birthday of our father and we were roundly rewarded with his beaming smile when he saw the kids from Qunu and Mvezo singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him,” she said.
The children sang: “Happy birthday, dear grandpa, and many more years to come. We want to say we love you and happy birthday.”
Cheers and applause followed their singing.
The children are due to leave Johannesburg on a special SAA charter flight on Saturday evening and will return to their villages on Sunday.
