SOUTH AFRICAN TAMIL LEADER CALLS FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENOCIDE OF TAMILS IN SRI LANKA TO BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

By Subry Govender The new president of the South African Tamil Federation has called for those resposnible of the genocide of more than 70 000 Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka in 2009 to be brought to justice by the Interntional Court of Justice. Mr Karthigesan Moothsamy, 48, of Benoni, near Johannesburg, who was elected along with his new set of officials recently, spoke to this correspondent during a "meet the people" tour of Durban and its surrounding areas in the second week of January. Mr Moothsamy, who is a successful businessman, said the Tamil people of Sri Lanka must be allowed to determine their own future. He condemned the continued suppression of the rights of the Tamils in the North and East of Sri Lanka. "We highly condemn to what happened to our Tamil people in Sri Lanka," he said. "We will not accept how they are being treated and we will raise our concerns. The law must take its course against those people who were responsible for the genocide against the Tamil people. In any society where there has been wrong doing, the law processes must be put into place." He said he was meeting with organisations that were concerned about the plight of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. "We will then formulate a co-ordinated approach under the banner of the SATF. We will then take this as an agenda issue to the Government and then we will say we want to be involved in a workable solution in Sri Lanka. "We will formulate something at our conference on March 1 and 2 in Johannesburg. "My personal view is that we need to look into the situation. We need to give our Tamil people the support. "In so far as the TRC that has been suggested - this must be decided by the people of Sri Lanka as to whether this will work for them. "I agree that the TRC is not acceptable by Tamil people but we must extract from it what will work." PROMOTION OF TAMIL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA During his visit to Durban and surrounding areas, Mr Moothsamy met more than 100 people, including officials and members of cultural and religious organisations, individuals and politicians in an attempt "to find out from grass-roots people" about their needs and aspirations as Tamil people. What he found was that there was a deep desire and determination among all people to promote the Tamil language, culture and tradition. Mr Moothsamy said he wanted to ensure that the Tamil language, culture and traditions were promoted and propogated among all people who had Tamil roots - irrespective of their backgrounds. RELIGION SHOULD NOT BE A BARRIER "The SATF caters for all people - irrespective of their religion," Mr Moothsamy told me. "Our (SATF) constitution speaks of language, culture, and religion and then it speaks of politics and social cohesion. We are not asking what religion you belong to. If you speak the language and you are interested in propogating the language then you must be allowed to do that. We need to bring a thinking that we need to co-exist with those around us." Mr Moothsamy, who has now taken leave from his business to administer the SATF on a full-time basis, said they found that the Merebank Tamil School Society (MTSS) was the leader in promoting the Tamil language. MEREBANK TAMIL SCHOOL SOCIETY - A MODEL THAT MUST BE DUPLICATED ALL OVER SOUTH AFRICA "Our programme to meet the people started from the Merebank Tamil School Society (MTSS) in Durban the day after we got elected early in December. "The MTSS comes to us as a model organisation. The strengths of the MTSS can be duplicated by Tamil organisations all over the country and even the world. We we want to take their model and duplicate and replicate it. "We will continue with our programme to meet the people throughout the country - to the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng. We are establishing new provinces - Mpumulanga, Nelspruit, Witbank, and Middelburg will become a new province. We are also meeting people in the Northern Cape - Kimberley and we are going to Rustenburg which is in the North-West. There is Tamil people all over the country. "We also want to say that we are producing 100 000 calendars which will create uniformity in this country so that everybody will celebrate all important functions on the same day. This calendar will be all-embracing and will cater for all events in the lives of the Tamil people." SATF TO BE PROMOTED ASA BRAND Mr Moothsamy said he and his executive officials were undertaking the "meet the people" tour because they wanted to build the SATF into a brand "that will encompass all issues that affect the Tamil people of South Africa". "We have established a full-time office because we believe there are so many issues affecting the Tamil people that they need to be attended to immediately. "Our office will be manned from 8am to 5m from Monday to Friday. We have given an assurance that within 24 hours they will get a response on any issue brought to our attention. "We want to ensure that there is uniformity between temple organisations in this country and tackle issues such as the need for bursaries, career guidance for children coming our of matriculation and the need for employment. "We also want to tackle issues such as drugs and other social evils. We will meet with organisations and work with them but we will not dictate." SATF WILL NOT BE SUBSERVIENT TO HINDU MAHA SABHA Mr Moothsamy also referred to the South African Hindu Maha Sabha(SAHMS), which is headed by lawyer, Ashwin Trikamjee. He said the SATF was an independent organisation representing all the Tamil people of South Africa and, therefore, would not be subservient to any organisation. "We have met with the SAHMS in Durban on January 15 and we spelt how we would like to have a working relationship," he said. "There was some kind of a relationship in the past and we have spelt it out to them that this will certainly change. What do we mean by this? We are the official spokes-people for the Tamil people in this country. We made it clear that anything of a Tamil nature that arrives on their desk, then they must refer it to us for us to attend to the matter." WE ARE SOUTH AFRICANS FIRST The dynamic new leader of the SATF said Tamils were first and foremost full South Africans and, therefore, must become fully involved in all aspects of South African life while mainting and promoting their language, culture and traditions. He said: "We must remember that we are South Africans first, and then we are people of Indian origin and then we are Tamilians. "What that means is that we need to embrace our society around us. We need to live in peace and harmony. We need to put in place things to effect that change that we would like to see happen. By that we are saying we should get involved, our Tamil people should get involved in structures - crime prevention programmes, community issues, and other socio-economic matters so that we can effect the change in this, our country. "High on our agenda is to hold a meeting with the President and the ruling party to discuss the issues of need for the Tamil people in our country." FROM A POSTAL CLERK TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN AND CULTURAL LEADER Mr Moothsamy, who became a very successful businessman in a period of 25 years, has come a long way from the small town of Nigel, near Johannesburg, where he was born on February 1 1966. He was born into a family of four brothers and one sister at a time when life was tough. Both his father, Mr Viragul Moothsamy, and his mother, Throbayamal, worked in odd jobs in order to ensure that the children went to school and there was "food on the table". He went to primary school in Nigel and completed his matriculation in Springs in 1984. In 1985 he started work as a postal clerk and at the young age of 22, he was appointed the Postmaster of the Benoni Post Office. But, after five years in the Post Office, he entered the business world at the age of 23 when he entered the business world by opening a truck and bus spares shop. Over the next 25 years, his business expanded expotentially and he had interests in - among others - private schools, filling stations, and care dealerships. He first became interested in the Tamil culture while still a young boy when he used to attend the Nigel Vishnu Temple, which was built by his father. While working as a postal clerk, he also became an official of the Nigel Child Welfare Society at the age of 19 and became involved in the school governing body. And in the early 1990s, Mr Moothsamy became a member of the unbanned ANC and worked tirelessly to canvas for the ANC during the first democratic elections in 1994. BENONI TAMIL SCHOOL BOARD When the family moved to Benoni 20 years ago, Mr Moothsamy became involved in the Benoni Tamil School Board under the leadership of Mr Sunny Nayagar. He first served the BTSB as a councillor and then as vice-president, deputy president and then president. He also served as President of the Gauteng Tamil Federation for one term and has been involved with SATF and the GTF for the past 10 years. Mr Moothsamy, who is still involved with the Benoni Tamil School Board, was responsible for the total renovation of the Benoni Sivan Alayam and the construction of the magnanimous 20 metre Shiva/Shakti Murthi on the grounds of the temple. He was inspired to undertake the construction of the 20 metre Shiva/Shakti Murthi after he noticed a similar structure during a visit to Mauritius four years ago.

NEW TAMIL LEADER PROMISES VIGOROUS PROPOGATION OF LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

By Subry Govender The new president of the South African Tamil Federation(SATF) wants to ensure that the Tamil language, culture and traditions are promoted and propogated among all people who have Tamil roots - irrespective of their backgrounds. Mr Karthigasan Moothsamy, 48, was speaking to this correspondent in an interview in Durban while he and his executive officials were on a "meet the people" tour to KwaZulu-Natal in mid-January. Mr Moothsamy, a prominent businessman in Johannesburg, was elected as the new president of the SATF at the Federation's elective conference in Durban late last year. He defeated Ms Poomanie Naidoo, who is also from Johannesburg. During his visit to Durban and surrounding areas, Mr Moothsamy met more than 100 people, including officials and members of cultural and religious organisations, individuals and politicians in an attempt "to find out from grass-roots people" about their needs and aspirations as Tamil people. What he found was that there was a deep desire and determination among all people to promote the Tamil language, culture and tradition. RELIGION SHOULD NOT BE A BARRIER "The SATF caters for all people - irrespective of their religion," Mr Moothsamy told me. "Our (SATF) constitution speaks of language, culture, and religion and then it speaks of politics and social cohesion. We are not asking what religion you belong to. If you speak the language and you are interested in propogating the language then you must be allowed to do that. We need to bring a thinking that we need to co-exist with those around us." Mr Moothsamy, who has now taken leave from his business to administer the SATF on a full-time basis, said they found that the Merebank Tamil School Society (MTSS) was the leader in promoting the Tamil language. MEREBANK TAMIL SCHOOL SOCIETY - A MODEL THAT MUST BE DUPLICATED ALL OVER SOUTH AFRICA "Our programme to meet the people started from the MTTS the day after we got elected early in December. "The MTSS comes to us as a model organisation. The strengths of the MTSS can be duplicated by Tamil organisations all over the country and even the world. We we want to take their model and duplicate and replicate it. "We will continue with our programme to meet the people throughout the country - to the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng. We are establishing new provinces - Mpumulanga, Nelspruit, Witbank, and Middelburg will become a new province. We are also meeting people in the Northern Cape - Kimberley and we are going to Rustenburg which is in the North-West. There is Tamil people all over the country. "We also want to say that we are producing 100 000 calendars which will create uniformity in this country so that everybody will celebrate all important functions on the same day. This calendar will be all-embracing and will cater for all events in the lives of the Tamil people." SATF TO BE PROMOTED ASA BRAND Mr Moothsamy said he and his executive officials were undertaking the "meet the people" tour because they wanted to build the SATF into a brand "that will encompass all issues that affect the Tamil people of South Africa". "We have established a full-time office because we believe there are so many issues affecting the Tamil people that they need to be attended to immediately. "Our office will be manned from 8am to 5m from Monday to Friday. We have given an assurance that within 24 hours they will get a response on any issue brought to our attention. "We want to ensure that there is uniformity between temple organisations in this country and tackle issues such as the need for bursaries, career guidance for children coming our of matriculation and the need for employment. "We also want to tackle issues such as drugs and other social evils. We will meet with organisations and work with them but we will not dictate." SATF WILL NOT BE SUBSERVIENT TO HINDU MAHA SABHA Mr Moothsamy also referred to the South African Hindu Maha Sabha(SAHMS), which is headed by lawyer, Ashwin Trikamjee. He said the SATF was an independent organisation representing all the Tamil people of South Africa and, therefore, would not be subservient to any organisation. "We have met with the SAHMS in Durban on January 15 and we spelt how we would like to have a working relationship," he said. "There was some kind of a relationship in the past and we have spelt it out to them that this will certainly change. What do we mean by this? We are the official spokes-people for the Tamil people in this country. We made it clear that anything of a Tamil nature that arrives on their desk, then they must refer it to us for us to attend to the matter." WE ARE SOUTH AFRICANS FIRST The dynamic new leader of the SATF said Tamils were first and foremost full South Africans and, therefore, must become fully involved in all aspects of South African life while mainting and promoting their language, culture and traditions. He said: "We must remember that we are South Africans first, and then we are people of Indian origin and then we are Tamilians. "What that means is that we need to embrace our society around us. We need to live in peace and harmony. We need to put in place things to effect that change that we would like to see happen. By that we are saying we should get involved, our Tamil people should get involved in structures - crime prevention programmes, community issues, and other socio-economic matters so that we can effect the change in this, our country. "High on our agenda is to hold a meeting with the President and the ruling party to discuss the issues of need for the Tamil people in our country." THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GENOCIDE OF TAMILS IN SRI LANKA MUST BE BROUGHT TO BOOK Mr Moothsamy was asked about the genocide committed against the Tamil people in 2009 when more than 70 000 were massacred by Sri Lankan Government forces towards the latter part of civil war in the island country. He condemned the denial of human rights to the Tamil people in Sri Lankan and called for all those responsible for the genocide to be brought to justice. "We highly condemn as to what happened to our Tamil people in Sri Lanka. We will not accept how they are being treated and we will raise our concerns. "The law must take its course against those people who were responsible for the genocide against the Tamil people. In any society where there has been wrong doing, the law processes must be put into place." He said he was meeting with organisations that were concerned about the plight of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. "We will then formulate a co-ordinated approach under the banner of the SATF. We will then take this as an agenda issue to the Government and then we will say we want to be involved in a workable solution in Sri Lanka. "We will formulate something at our conference on March 1 and 2 in Johannesburg. "My personal view is that we need to look into the situation. We need to give our Tamil people the support. "In so far as the TRC that has been suggested - this must be decided by the people of Sri Lanka as to whether this will work for them. "I agreed that the TRC is not acceptable by Tamil people but we must extract from it what will work." FROM A POSTAL CLERK TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN AND CULTURAL LEADER Mr Moothsamy, who became a very successful businessman in a period of 25 years, has come a long way from the small town of Nigel, near Johannesburg, where he was born on February 1 1966. He was born into a family of four brothers and one sister at a time when life was tough. Both his father, Mr Viragul Moothsamy, and his mother, Throbayamal, worked in odd jobs in order to ensure that the children went to school and there was "food on the table". He went to primary school in Nigel and completed his matriculation in Springs in 1984. In 1985 he started work as a postal clerk and at the young age of 22, he was appointed the Postmaster of the Benoni Post Office. But, after five years in the Post Office, he entered the business world at the age of 23 when he entered the business world by opening a truck and bus spares shop. Over the next 25 years, his business expanded expotentially and he had interests in - among others - private schools, filling stations, and care dealerships. He first became interested in the Tamil culture while still a young boy when he used to attend the Nigel Vishnu Temple, which was built by his father. While working as a postal clerk, he also became an official of the Nigel Child Welfare Society at the age of 19 and became involved in the school governing body. And in the early 1990s, Mr Moothsamy became a member of the unbanned ANC and worked tirelessly to canvas for the ANC during the first democratic elections in 1994. BENONI TAMIL SCHOOL BOARD When the family moved to Benoni 20 years ago, Mr Moothsamy became involved in the Benoni Tamil School Board under the leadership of Mr Sunny Nayagar. He first served the BTSB as a councillor and then as vice-president, deputy president and then president. He also served as President of the Gauteng Tamil Federation for one term and has been involved with SATF and the GTF for the past 10 years. Mr Moothsamy, who is still involved with the Benoni Tamil School Board, was responsible for the total renovation of the Benoni Sivan Alayam and the construction of the magnanimous 20 metre Shiva/Shakti Murthi on the grounds of the temple. He was inspired to undertake the construction of the 20 metre Shiva/Shakti Murthi after he noticed a similar structure during a visit to Mauritius four years ago.

LETTER SENT TO MINISTER YUNUS CARRIM AFTER HOLDING TALKS WITH HIM ON SATURDAY, JAN 18 2014

SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO Mr Yunus Carrim Minister of Communications Pretoria Dear Minister Carrim We, the officials of Southside FM Radio, want to thank you very sincerely for agreeing to meet us today (Jan 18 2014) at the Coastlands Hotel in Umhlanga to discuss the resolution of our urgent need for a frequency that has been dragging on for five years. We understand that you are a very busy Minister and we want to say how grateful we are that you had set aside some of your precious time to meet us. We appreciate your inputs and eagerly await your letter you said you would send on January 27 2014. We had decided to take up the issue directly with you because we believe that there needs to be urgent intervention to assist us in our long and arduous struggle to launch our radio station. As requested by you, we wish to state that we were FIRST offered the FM frequency, 93.6, in January 2011 by ICASA but this was subsequently obstructed by Sentech, who claimed that this frequency would cause interference to other radio stations. Then after meeting with Mr Monde Mbanga, Manager: Broadcasting Spectrum Engineering and Technology, of ICASA and another official in Johannesburg on June 21 2012, we were asked to supply ICASA with the co-ordinates of the four premises where we would broadcast from in Durban. We supplied the co-ordinates of the premises in Mount Edgecombe, Merebank, Chatsworth and Briardene on July 6 2012 but to date we have heard nothing about the frequency being granted to broadcast from any one of these premises. Then after the meetings initiated by Mr Eric Kholwane, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Communications, we received the following letter from Mr Mbanga on May 27 2013: "On 5/27/13, Monde Mbanga wrote: Dear Subry, As highlighted in my previous email, there is good progress on this matter. The following has been achieved thus far: 1. Sentech has submitted a proposed solution 2. ICASA confirmed the solution's feasibility and viability 3. Now ,Sentech is engaging SABC on the Logistics of the testing and implementation of the proposed solution 4. I'll advise you of the development after my second meeting with Sentech where the implementation and the timelines of this solution for Southside FM will be finalised. 5. Your patience will be highly appreciated 6. Please refrain from including chairperson's in our operational discussions, there is enough progress and no constraints that require their intervention at this stage. Regards Monde Mbanga" But despite all the assurances from all sides, we were forced to take up the matter directly with you in late 2013. In our letter on September 17 2013 to you, we gave you a detailed account of our struggles and expressed the view that we cannot understand why, we as a progressive cultural radio station, are being frustrated in our efforts. We are fully committed to the ideals and values of our new nonracial and democratic South Africa and want to play a full role in this regard via our radio station. Since submitting the letter to you, we have received a very positive response from you and you directed us to negotiate with senior officials in your department. In this regard, we have been in constant touch with your Chief of Staff, Ms Siphokazi Shoba. Ms Shoba has been very helpful and on October 23 2013, she relayed to us the steps that were being taken to help us with our frequency. She passed on to us a letter that was sent to her. This is what the letter stated: "Dear Mr Govender Below please see below report from ICASA. I will check with my colleague Jabu Radebe w.r.t the turnaround time of the process mentioned in the below e-mail. Sincerely, Siphokazi ................................................................................. On 2013/10/23 5:13 PM, "Philemon Molefe" wrote: Colleagues, There was a meeting held at SABC on Monday to resolve the issue. The meeting was with the Acting COO of SABC, Sentech, DoC and ICASA. The meeting was held at the request of the PPCC Chairperson. The purpose of the meeting was for SABC to give Sentech a go ahead with the testing of the feasibility of releasing a frequency in Durban for use by Southside FM. Summary of outcome of the meeting is as follows: 1. SABC has agreed to allow Sentech to conduct the Tests as initially agreed at the meeting in Durban. 2. SABC to apply to ICASA by end of this week for a temporary trial spectrum Licence so as to allow Sentech to commence with the tests. 3. ICASA to process the SABC application upon receipt thereof and ultimately issue a Licence. 4. Sentech to commence the tests once temporary Licence has been issued to SABC. 5. SABC recommended Lynn Mansfield to be part of the tests. 6. The steps that follow thereafter will be as per the meeting held in Durban between SABC, Sentech, ICASA, DoC , Southside FM and PPCC chairperson. Siphokazi, DoC was represented by Jabu in the meeting held on Monday. For any further information, I believe he can fill any gaps or provide info that I might have left out. The process is currently at step 2 above. [SABC still to apply for temp trial licence]. However, there is progress in the sense that they have agreed to take the process forward]. Hope you find the above helpful. Kind regards Sent from my iPad ............................................................................ On 23 Oct 2013, at 12:52 PM, "Unathi Bangani" UBangani@icasa.org.za wrote: Dear Sipho, As far as I understand, negotiations are still underway to assist them. The matter is very complex but from the email below it does not seem like ICASA is the stumbling block here. I have copied my colleague, Phil Molefe who has been dealing with the issue at hand so that he can advise from our side what is the status update. Regards, Unathi" After we received this letter, we continued to maintain constant contact with Ms Shoba about the latest developments and progress, if any. We were to have met you on December 10 last year but due to the demise of our beloved Madiba, we were unable to do so. You had postponed all your arrangements until mid-January this year. In the meanwhile, we contacted the regional manager of Sentech in Durban and wanted to know whether he had conducted the field tests for the frequency. On January 17, he sent me the following letter: "Good morning Subry; Compliments of the new season to you and your family; You can recall that on the 26th of April 2013 we had a meeting at Elangeni hotel in Durban where this issue was discussed. During that meeting Sentech agreed to conduct desktop analysis on the feasibility of increasing the transmitter power of R2000 at Alverstone from 3000W to 5000W; the idea was to increase the power so that those areas that are receiving R2000 from Bluff transmitter could get an alternative signal from Alverstone if the Bluff frequency is switched off or allocated to Southside FM. Secondly it was resolved that if the desktop analysis become successful then ICASA and SABC will allow Sentech to do the field test by switching off Bluff transmitter for a period of a week or two. Sentech completed the desktop successfully as this was communicated to you and the team. I have not been personally involved in subsequent meetings so it will be unfair for me to state what happened there after. I can say that SABC, ICASA and Sentech must agree on the way forward before we at Operations do anything; we get instruction from Head office. I would like to suggest that you take this matter to those who have powers to make a final decision on the matter. Good luck and kind regards; Patrick " Mr Minister we have put in a lot of work over the past five years in order to get our progressive radio station off the ground. We have been made to believe since the beginning by ICASA and Sentech that there were no problems in granting us a frequency. We cannot understand why - in this day and age of modern technology - that we are being frustrated. The new non-racial and democratic South Africa has made provision for almost all cultural groups to be catered for in so far as radio stations are concerned - but we - who make up an important part of South Africa's population - are being frustrated in our attempts. We want to play not only a progressive role in the new South Africa but we also want play a developmental role in promoting the ideals, values, and principles for which leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusuf Dadoo had sacrificed and died for. When we launch we would have on our programme the teaching of isiZulu to our target market so that social cohesion - which is an important part of our new South Africa - is taken seriously. We have reached a stage where we have put on hold the construction of our studio and recruitment of our staff members until we are granted our frequency. What we are experiencing is very painful and causing frustration among members of our target market. We cannot allow this state of affairs in our new non-racial and democratic South Africa. Thanking you Subry Govender Secretary -------------------- Board of Governors: Mr Balan Gounder (chairperson), Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mr Logan Naidoo, Ms Sally Padaychie, Ms Keresha Govender, Ms T P S Govender, Mr Richard Naidoo (deputy chairperson) and Mr Denis Naidoo Committee Members: Mr Sumeshen Moodley, Mr Richard Govender, Mr Ugen Nadasen, Mr S. Trinishen and Mr Deven Moodley

OUR RICH CULTURES, TRADITIONS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES HIGHLIGHTED BY THE KAVAdy CEREMONIES

THAIPOOSAM 2014 KAVADY DEMONSTRATES THE RICH CULTURES, LANGUAGES, TRADITIONS AND MUSIC OF DESCENDANTS OF INDENTURED LABOURERS Our rich cultures, languages, traditions and music once again came to the fore when the annual Kavady religious ceremony was held throughout South Africa on Sunday, January 19. The Thaipoosam Kavady ceremony was held at temples all along the North Coast, in and around Durban, South Coast, Pietermaritzburg, other towns in the Midlands, Dundee, and in the Johannesburg-Pretoria region, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town. I attended the Kavady ceremony at the Shree Sivia Subramaniam Alayam in Umdloti Drift, Verulam - about 40km north of Durban. Here I found more than 400 colourfully-dressed devotees, many of them with religious pins pierced in their bodies, totally immersed in the ceremony. A number of musical groups sang and danced to provide spiritual support for those devotees who carried heavy and huge Kavadies and had long pins pierced in their bodies. Despite the scorching sun all the devotees were fully overcome by the spiritual nature of the Kavady. "I have taken Kavady because it provides me time to reflect and to become more spiritual," said Mrs Natchandramah Narainsamy. "The Kavady ceremony relaxes me and takes me away from all my pains," she said. An official of the temple, Mr Barry Naicker said: "This Kavady ceremony provides spiritual upliftment for the devotees. Today we have nearly 400 devotees carrying the kavady. This past Wednesday we had more than 600 devotees carrying the Kavady. "Our temple is more than 100 years old and we are committed to ensuring that the needs of the devotees are attended to." One of the people who attended the Kavady to provide support for members of his family, Mr Richard Govender, said the commitment and spirituality shown by the people demonstrated that "we appreciate the rich cultures, languages, religions and traditions brought to South Africa by our indentured forefathers". "We must be really grateful to our indentured forefathers for blessing and leaving us with ceremonies such as the Kavady," said Mr Govender. "It was through their sacrifice, hard work and toil that we are able to continue to enjoy the Kavady ceremony. Our indentured forefathers were brought here to work as slaves on the sugar plantations 153 years ago but despite the conditions, they have managed to leave behind a rich legacy for us to follow."

COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER YUNUS CARRIM HOLD TALKS WITH SOUTHSIDE FM RADIO

SOUTHSIDE INFORMS MINISTER ABOUT THE URGENT NEED FOR FREQUENCY The Minister of Communications, Mr Yunus Carrim, has held talks with officials of Southside FM Radio about their long and drawn-out struggles for a frequency that is delaying the launch of the radio station. Mr Carrim met Southside officials at the Coastlands Hotel in Umhlanga on Saturday, January 18, afternoon. The Southside officials at the talks were Mr Balan Gounder(chairperson); Mr Swaminathan Gounden, Mrs Sally Padaychie, widow of the late Cabinet Minister, Mr Roy Padaychie; Ms Keresha Govender(treasurer); Mr Denis Naidoo; Mr Sumeshen Moodley; and Mr Subry Govender, veteran struggle journalist who is the secretary of the initiative that began five years ago. The meeting was first to have been held in early November last year but had to be postponed after one of Southside's senior officials had travelled to Mauritius to attend a world Tamil Solidarity Conference. The meeting was subsequently scheduled for Decemember 10 last year but had to postponed once again because of the sad demise of South Africa's first democratic president and freedom icon, Nelson Mandela. Minister to have more information for Southside on January 27. The Minister informed the Southside officials that "urgent investigations are being undertaken to see whether Southside can be given a frequency to broadcast via the Bluff transmitter". "We will inform you formally in a letter later this month on January 27," said the Minister. Grateful to Minister for talks For their part, Southside officials thanked Minister Carrim for making his "precious" time available to meet with them. They pointed out that the supporters, donors and sponsors of Southside are "disturbed" at the lack of a frequency for them to start broadcasting. Mr Balan Gounder, chairperson of Southside The chairperson, Mr Gounder, told the Minister that "a lot of work has been put into this project over the past five years in order to get our progressive radio station off the ground". Southside supporters and donors disturbed He said: "We have been made to believe since the beginning by ICASA and Sentech that there were no problems in granting us a frequency. "We cannot understand why - in this day and age of modern technology - that we are being frustrated. "The new non-racial and democratic South Africa has made provision for almost all cultural groups to be catered for in so far as radio stations are concerned - but we - who make up an important part of South Africa's population - are being frustrated in our attempts. In fact we make up more than 60 percent of people of Indian-origin in South Africa. "We want to play not only a progressive role in the new South Africa but we also want to play a developmental role in promoting the ideals, values, and principles for which leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Dr Monty Naicker and Dr Yusuf Dadoo had sacrificed and died for. Southside to promote values of Nelson Mandela, Dr Monty Naicker and others "When we launch we would have on our programme the teaching of isiZulu to our target market so that social cohesion - which is an important part of our new South Africa - is taken seriously." Mr Gounder also told the Minister that they had reached a stage where they had to put on hold "the construction of our studio and recruitment of our staff members until we are granted our frequency". "What we are experiencing is very painful and causing frustration among members of our target market. "We cannot allow this state of affairs in our new non-racial and democratic South Africa." The officials of Southside have been negotiating for a frequency ever since the project was first started in 2009. The officials are hoping that Minister Carrim's intervention will result in positive developments soon and they would officially launch the radio station within a short period of time. Once the frequency is finalised, the Board of Governors of Southside will formally decide on their premises, build the studio and appoint the necessary staff. Southside has been offered premises to broadcast from the Mariammen Cultural Centre in Mount Edgecombe. The officials have also received scores of applications from interested people who want to become presenters, advertising representatives, reporters and office staff. (Those who have already applied for positions and others have been asked to contact Mr Subry Govender at: subrygovender@gmail.com)

REPORTING THE PASSING AWAY OF NELSON MANDELA - THE WORLD'S FREEDOM ICON

(This picture of Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu)

By Subry Govender In the early hours of Friday, December 6 2013, in fact it was about 2:30am, I received a call on my cell phone. I woke up sharply and answered: "Hello". "It's Daniel, Subry, where are you?". It was the editor of the African service of Radio Deutsche Welle, the Voice of Germany, calling from Bonn in Germany. I was away in the Drakensberg, on the last day of our week at Fairways at the Drakensberg Gardens Resort. "Subry, please be ready within 30 minutes. We will do a Q and A about the passing of Nelson Mandela and what are the plans for his funeral," said Daniel. I was taken aback because I had not listened to the news on Thursday night and did not know about the latest developments. "Okay Daniel. No problem." I did not tell him that I was away from station. I ran to the TV and quickly switched on SABC 3 and thereafter E News and also Sky News. The TV stations were broadcasting live reports from Johannesburg about the passing away of Mandela at ten to nine on Thursday night, that he was surrounded by his close family members at the time he left us for the world beyond, and about President Jacob Zuma announcing his death on the country's national SABC TV stations. Some of the TV stations had already started broadcasting Mandela's life - his early days in Qunu, his student days at Fort Hare University, his flight from the Transkei to Johannesburg to escape an arranged marriage, his early work as a security guard at a mine in Johannesburg, his marriage to his first wife, Evelyn, his second marriage to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, his involvement in the struggles as a lawyer, and the list goes on. At about 3:30am Daniel calls me again and we do a three-minute interview about the passing away of Mandela and the plans for his funeral. Two hours later, my wife, Thyna, and I, are on the road, driving back to our home(base) in Durban. It took us nearly three hours because of the heavy mist and the winding road from the Drakensberg Gardens to the N3 in Howick. At the start of our holiday, my wife and I agreed to visit my 92-year-old uncle, Ruthinsamy Isaac Govender, at his home in Pietermaritzburg on our way back. But today, in the early hours of Friday, December 6 2013, I was racing back home to prepare for the coverage of the memorial services for Mandela and, therefore, raced past Pietermaritzburg without making a call on my uncle. When I reached home at about 9am, the DW Africa Desk in Bonn telephoned me and requested that I should go out and speak to the people to get their immediate reactions.

(INGRID STEWART) I telephoned some of the contacts, made arrangements to speak to my former journalist colleague, Ingrid Stewart, who was now a lawyer. She was distraught and became emotional that Mandela was no longer with us. "Ingrid, I want to talk about Mandela's passing to you for Radio Deutsche Welle." "No problem Subry, come straight away," she said. She occupied a flat in Bellamont Road in Umdloti Beach and I was there within minutes. When she came out to receive me, she was emotional and shed a tear or two. "You know Subry, Madiba visited our home in Johannesburg in the early 1990s and, therefore, I feel emotional," she said. She then went onto relate what happened when Mandela knocked on the door. He had come to see veteran struggle activist, Helen Joseph, who was staying with Ingrid at that time. "My son, Ricky, was a little boy and when he saw Madiba, he asked: 'What are you doing here?'. "Then Madiba asked: 'And little boy where do you think I should be'. "My son then took hold of Madiba's hand and took him into the lounge and pointed to the TV screen: 'There, you should be there'. Madiba was pleasantly surprised and he lifted Ricky and gave him a hug. "You know Ricky had seen Madiba on TV and in his innocent mind, Madiba should be on TV. "That was our encounter with Madiba." I quickly interviewed Ingrid and then spoke to three of the workers in the complex. Thereafter, I raced towards Durban and stopped at a filling station. Here I knew some of the workers and spoke to them about Mandela's passing. They had already heard about it on radio and television and they were more than willing to give me their views. I also spoke to some customers.

(One of the customers at the filling station)

(One of the petrol attendants who expressed his sadness at the passing away of Madiba) I rushed back to base, edited the sound clips and sent them to the Africa desk in Bonn. "Subry, we will use the sound clips separately and use one of your Mandela packages that you did when Mandela's was released," said Abu-Bakarr, one of the producers. Later that afternoon, I got another call from Daniel who advised me to cover the memorial services in Durban and then make arrangements for me travel to Johannesburg. "Okay, Daniel. No problem."

(Some people attending one of the first memorial services at the Durban City Hall)

(Some people attending a memorial service in Durban) That same afternoon, I attended a memorial service that was held by the ANC in the Durban region at the City Hall. Here, I met some former activist friends and also the former Mayor of Durban, Obed Mlaba. The people, dressed in ANC colours and wearing Mandela T-shirts, were clearly overcome by the passing of Mandela. I spoke to some of them and collected as many interviews and atmosphere sound as possible and took pictures. While I was leaving, I signed a book set aside for people to express their gratitude to Mandela. Over the weekend, I tried to attend and observe as many memorial services as possible. One of the services that really appealed to me was one held by the Divine Life Society of South Africa at their headquarters in La Mercy, north of Durban. I did not have the chance to be there but some of the people who told me: "Sadha (that's my traditional name) uncle you missed one of the most blessed services," said Ms Selvie Govender, a niece of my wife. In between all the rushing around, I made arrangements to travel to Johannesburg to cover the memorial services. I stayed at my son's place in Weldervreeden Park, north of Randburg.

(Boniso Sibiya) I arrived in Johannesburg on Monday night and early on Tuesday, I raced to the OR Tambo International Airport to received Daniel Pelz, who left Bonn the previous night to come to South Africa to also cover the Mandela memorials and funeral. I waited for nearly three hours and when he finally arrived, cleared customs and collected his baggage, we rushed to cover the official memorial service at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg. But with the heavy rains, traffic closures and without accreditation, it became a nightmare for us. To ease our way, I put on my ANC accreditation card that I had collected when I travelled to Manguang in December last year to cover the ANC national conference. I must say no one questioned our credibility when we said we were journalists working for Radio Deutsche Welle. We monitored the proceedings, warts and all, and spoke to people about their feelings about what Mandela meant to them.

(Janet Faulkel and her friend at the official memorial service in Johannesburg) "I am mourning with the rest of the world," said Janet Faulkel, one of the people who braved the rainy weather to attend the memorial service. She was there with a friend. "Freedom. He's given people freedom. For me it's about the children. The legacy he's left our children and what they are going to do with this country for the future. That's what it means to me," said Ms Faulkel, who had some German family connections. A 22-year-old young man, Boniso Sibiya, was sitting there all alone. I asked him why he was attending the service and was he not put off by the pouring rain. "He give us freedom," said the young man. "All people are free today because of him. With the white people and black people, we must work together. Nelson Mandela was good enough for everyone."

(Alicia Koekemoer and Kimisha Benjamin) A young woman who was still in primary school when Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11 1990, Alicia Koekemoer, was also among the thousands. Coming from a white Afrikaans background, Koekemoer, said what Mandela had done for South Africa and the world, no other leader could come anywhere near him. "I want say thank you to him for what he had done for South Africa. I think me and my friend represent that a lot because if it was not for Madiba me and her would not have been friends today. "He has made South Africa one so that black, white, Indian, coloured - all could be as one. You don't have to be apart from each other. "I just want to say thank you for that." Her friend was 24-year-old Kimisha Benjamin, formerly from Durban. Benjamin told me that Mandela would never be forgotten because he contributed so much to bring about unity and peace in the country. "He gave us the life that we have," said Benjamin. "If it was not for Tata we wouldn't have had the education we have, we wouldn't have the friends we have and we wouldn't have the life we have." She added: "South Africa today is more united than we have been in a long time and I think it will last because Tata really brought us together. I will definitely miss him, there's definitely a positive future for South Africa. He definitely left an amazing legacy for South Africa and a lot of values and principles for us to live by."

(Margaret Sishi) Another young lady, Margaret Sishi, said she could very well stayed at home and watched the proceedings on television. But she wanted to be with the people to share the life of Mandela. She was there to honour Mandela: "our father, our grand-father, and our saviour". "I'm here to pay my last tribute to our father," said Ms Sishi, "for me I thought I must be here with the people to honour our father for what he had done for us". "He fought for us, we are free today, we have free education because of him. So for me I felt it was right for me to come to the stadium to gather with people and honour our father." What did she admire about Mandela? "The humbleness, the way he was living for people and I wish our leaders will continue to carry his legacy and us as people we owe it to him to do that. "He was able to lead people and bring them together, so we are feeling his spirit and I think it's a good thing." After interviewing the people, we raced to go to a hotel or restuarant nearby but the rains were pelting and literally hampering our search. We pulled off a side road in of the suburbs near the Wanderers Cricket Stadium and to our relief we saw a church. "Why don't we speak to the people here and ask them whether they could help us and allow us o use their premises to prepare our scripts and sound?", I asked Daniel. I saw a car parked at the entrance and noticed a woman at the wheel. She looked at me in amazement or shock, I don't know. In Johannesburg one has to be on the guard all the time because of the car-hijackings, muggings and other incidents of violent crime. She looked at me and saw that I had no bad intentions. I introduced myself and told her about Daniel and our predicament. We were running out of time and looking for a place to do some urgent work. "The priest will be here within a short while and I am certain he will allow you to do your work here," she said. It was a Greek church. When the priest arrived, she told him about our situation. He looked fierce and asked: "What do you guys want?" I repeated our plight and he said: "Well I will allow you to work from inside the church but you must leave when we are finished with our meeting." We agreed and he directed us to a front desk. I got down to editing the clips and writing the script. Daniel wrote a script for the DW website. Daniel checked my script and as I was about to voice the script, the priest came along and said our time was up because they were leaving. We pleaded for another forty minutes. The priest was puzzled but then relented. "Okay. Forty five minutes and no more", he said. I quickly voiced my script, edited and completed the package. I then sent the package by email to the DW office in Bonn.

(People remembering and celebrating Madiba) We paid our gratitude to the church people and said we really appreciated their generosity in allowing us to use their premises to do our work. Tired and exhausted, we had to find our way to Daniel's accommodation at Sandton City Lodge. It was raining and literally belting. If it was not for the GPS that my son, Kennedy Pregarsen, lent me, I would have been lost. After driving for more than one hour we at last found the Sandton City Lodge. It was 8:30pm. "Subry, I will see you in the morning at about 8:15am. We will be going to Pretoria to do reports about Mandela's body lying in state at the Union Buildings," said Daniel. "Okay, Daniel. I am really tired today." It took me another hour to drive, with the help of the GPS, to my son's place in Weldervreeden Park. The next morning was another task to find my way to Daniel's lodging. At first I had been directed to another Sandton City Lodge. "Subry, we need to make plans to get our accreditation today," said Daniel. "I think we can do so at the Union Buildings", he added. I had not been to Pretoria for many years. The last time I visited was in the early 1990s when I was based in Johannesburg as a Foreign Correspondent for DW and for the Press Trust of India. With the busy N1 highway and speeding cars I was a bit out of my depth on the Johannesburg-Pretoria roads. Once again I had rely on the GPS. I just punched in Pretorius Street in the hope of finding our way to the Union Buildings.

(A mother, son and daughter celebrating Madiba) When we were approaching Pretoria, we noticed a sign "park and ride" in order to view Mandela's body lying in state at the Union Buildings. It was the Fountain Valley resort, not far from the University of South Africa(UNISA) complex, situated on top of a hill. I turned the car to enter the resort but found myself driving in the wrong direction. I drove for about six kilometres before making a U-turn and driving back to the Fountain Valley Resort. Here we found long queues of people stretching for hundreds of metres and cars parked for more than a kilometre. We got down to interviewing people.

(These women giving their full blessings to Madiba) An elderly woman, Shirely Harrison, arrived here in the early hours of Wednesday morning with her friends in order not to miss the chance of paying tribute to Mandela. She says she took a keen interest in the freedom of all people and now she wanted South Africans to follow Mandela's legacy. "We all love him, we respect him, we will miss him and we got to carry on the legacy that is going to be hard. "We got to have the caring spirit that Madiba had, yes definitely." Although the people had to wait for long hours before being ferried to the area near the Union Buildings, the arduous wait did not bother the people at all.

(A picture that says it all) A young woman, Renuelle Luata, had come along with her family and friends to be given the opportunity to view Mandela's face. She said: "No you cannot afford to miss this opportunity, especially if you have not met him. You have the chance to mourn and see him and pay your last respects to a great man. I want to pay my tribute to Mandela." Another young woman was Jean Hewitt. "The queuing and the celebrations, I mean everything is so worth it. How can you not celebrate a man like this?" Ms Margaret Makgoto had arrived at the park and ride from Johannesburg. "Oh he means the world to me. He's the father of the nation. Well miss him very much and we will follow everything that he wanted."

Last white President, F W De Klerk, also paid tribute to Madiba From the Fountain Valley resort, we rushed to the Union Building environs but could not find parking. We drove around and finally found the building in Leyd street, where my son once lived with his wife and twin sons. The security guard was afraid to allow me to park inside the building property, saying his job would be at stake. We left and drove around again. But with security around the Union Buildings at its maximum, we were just at sixes and sevens. I drove back to the Leyd Street building and tried once again tried to convince he security guard. "Please help us," I asked the security guard. "We cannot find parking anywhere." He looked at me and took pity. "Okay, Sir. I have a parking but you must come here and fetch your car before I leave at 5pm." "No problem," I said. We parked in a hurry and walked swiftly towards the Union Buildings ground with our tape recorders and cameras. In the vicinity of the Union Buildings there was an atmosphere of calmness and spirituality. The mourners, many of them dressed in Nelson Mandela T-shirts, walked slowly up the small hill to the viewing area of the Union Buildings. I spoke to some of the people who walked down the numerous steps after paying their respects to Nelson mandela. Forty-five-year-old Isaac Mathe was from Pietersburg, north of Pretoria: "It's very, very emotional when you look at the body. He has done a lot of things for the country. He fought for the freedom of the country. If it was not for him I don't know what would have happened." Another mourner was Joanna Malika, a 36-year-old woman from an area near Johannesburg: "I was so emotional. I was so emotional that they even gave me a tissue to wipe my tears. I cried tears of joy you know". Ms Dolice Yugetsa was another person who had become emotional when viewing the body: "Oh I was so emotional because when I think back of what this old man has done for us I am worried about what is happoening now, therefore I felt so emotional." A 14-year-old girl, Curo Gay, arrived at the Union Buildings with her father to catch a glipse of Mandela's face. Described as a "born free" because she was born after the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, the young girl said she was privileged to learn about Mandela. " I have always wanted to meet Nelson Mandela when he was alive and I would not get another opportunity dead or alive. He's a great man . It's better to have seen him now than to see him on TV and known about what he has done."

(Maya Jagjivan and Genevieve Govender) At the media centre I took Daniel to meet some of my former colleagues working for the national broadcaster, SABC. Here I met Maya Jagjivan, Genevieve Govender and Pregs Moodley, who I worked with at the SABC offices in Durban. I also met other SABC colleagues but could not recollected their names. After doing the interviews, Daniel and I found a desk at the Media Centre on the grounds of the Union Buildings to write our scripts and edit our sound. My editing computers was still in my car and I informed Daniel that I will walk down to where it was parked to bring my computers. The crowds were still building up and the line to the Union Buildings had stretched for several kilometres. The traffic and the security police officers were keeping a tight check on everyone. I approached one of the police officers and informed him that I was a journalist and working at the Media Centre. I asked the officer whether I could bring my car and park it near the media centre. He nodded and indicated that there would be no problem. Further down the road I came across another police road block. Here too I approached a police officer and asked him for permission to take my car near the Media Centre. He too was very helpful and said I could do so. A few hundred metres further down there was yet another police road block. This time I approached a woman police officer and told her about my dilemma. She relented and said: "I know you people are working under pressure. Please take your car in." I rushed to the building where my car was parked and told the guard that I have been given permission to take my car to the Media Centre. I thanked him and drove the car past the three police road blocks. At each road block the policemen just looked at me and allowed to drive through. After I found a parking in between other vehicles, I grabbed my bags containing my computers and walked quickly to the Media Centre. I told Daniel that I was allowed to bring my car and that I had parked it on the road nearby. He gave a sigh of relief. Once again, it was another round of editing the sound clips, writing the scripts, voicing the script and emailing the radio package to the Africa Desk in Bonn. When we had just finished our work and was about to walk to the car, the rains came down in buckets. Despite this we ran towards the car and began our journey back. It took us another two to three hours to get back to Daniel's hotel because of the pouring rain and the heavy traffic. "I'll see you at 9 in the morning," said Daniel as we took leave for the day and night. On Thursday morning, after picking up Daniel, we drove to the NASREC centre near the FNB stadium to collect our accreditation cards. We had expected no problems as we had already applied for our accreditation on line. It did not take us long to be given our accreditation cards but there was an interesting incident here. The lady who attended to me said: "Mr Subramoney it seems we already have a picture of you. What do you think? Have a look and see if you want me to take another picture of you." I looked and to my pleasant surprise I found a picture of my self that showed me to be about 20 years younger. "I think that picture will be fine. You don't have to take a new picture." While I was waiting for my card, one of the officials called out my name and asked me to see him. He said: "Mr Subramoney I don't think the picture we have of you will be okay. We need a new picture." I was brought to size and felt a little flattened. I was taken back to the lady officer and another picture of just my face was taken. Within minutes my accreditation was issued and Daniel and I drove towards Pretoria. On our way, we decided that we would do a piece about whether South Africans were united and positive about the future now that Mandela was no longer around. We stopped at a filling station to speak to people about a life without Nelson Mandela. During the course of the interviews, one of the people advised us that we should visit a small town, Erasmia, outside Pretoria, which consisted of many working class families. Prior to 1994, this little village comprised mainly white South Africans. But now the village, with a small supermarket, schools, churches, and a mosque, is home to people of all racial groups. Speaking to the people we found that they had no concerns that Mandela will no longer be around. A young man, Rian Rafiq, 31, who is a planning manager, had just returned home after spending a few years in England. He said the people were sad at the loss of Mandela but at the same time they were confident about the future. "I think the last thing on people's mind is about an uncertain future," he said.   "I don't think anyone feels that way now. I think we have a positive future. We have lost a great man but I think hopefully there's good things to come. "I think a lot of South Africans have to learn from the Mandela example and ask ourselves what would he do and how would he do things." Similar sentiments were expressed by other residents but one lady of colour hoped that people would "earn a living rather than breaking into people's homes and stealing and robbing". From Erasmus, we raced towards Pretoria amid all the heavy traffic. We found our way to the Brooklyn Mall, a few kilometres from the Union Buildings, where we were told that we would be able to interview more working-class people. Here we also found people who hoped that the grief they shared over the passing away of Mandela will bring the people of South Africa closer together. Ms Mandipa Gumane, a 25-year-old furniture sales executive, and Matside Sesekwale, a 25-year-old beauty therapist, were seated in a corner and we approached and sought their permission to speak to them about "life without Nelson Mandela". The young women were very co-operative. Said Ms Gumane: "Actually I am a bit confused. I don't know whether these people are going to start fighting again because he's no longer with us. I'm a bit scared that things might change. The EFF and the ANC - we don't really trust them. I think they can start fight again." Ms Matside Sesewkae was more positive: "I have a lot of white friends and we get along so nicely because of him. I'm grateful for all the revolutionaries for what they have done for us." A young white Afrikaans lady, Ms Esty Botha, who works as a kitchen manager in a restaurant in the Brooklyn Mall, told me it was up to all South Africans to emulate the life of Mandela. "What he left it's up to us to keep on. Nobody else can do it. We have to decide whether to build on what he had started or destroy everything." A supervisor who works with Ms Botha is Mr Max Mathebula. He does not believe that the situation would change now that Mandela is no longer around: "I think the future is still going to be the same because when we grew up, Mandela before he passed away, taught us that we must have peace and that we must hold each other as brothers and sisters." A 34-year-old white school teacher, Dion Vermaak, is one of the people who stood in the queue for hours to view Mandela’s body. He says his conservative father would not have approved his action. He believes that young South Africans will change the country for the better. "I think there are many many challenges but I do think the future is bright because we got the next generation. I think the people have a sense of responsibility to make it last." While conducting our interviews at the Mall, we came across the Deutsche Welle television correspondent who in the early 1990s had spent about four years in South Africa. He had come down to South Africa this time round, like Daniel, to cover the passing of Nelson Mandela. Being in a hurry, we did not spend much time in the company of the DW TV correspondent. After a cup of tea and some drinks, we took our leave and once again travelled the long journey back to Daniel's Sandton City Lodge. The traffic was heavy but being a driver, who took very few chances, I dropped off Daniel safely at the lodge. Back at my son's place, I was down to work once again - editing the interviews and preparing the script for the package about what South Africans envisioned a life without Mandela. After the script was checked by Daniel, I completed the package and sent it to the Africa Desk at DW in Bonn. On Friday, December 13 2013, I took a flight back to Durban to prepare for my trip to Qunu in the Transkei region of the Eastern Cape Province to cover the burial of Mandela on Sunday, December 15. Early on Saturday, December 14 2013, I rushed to a car hire company at Umhlanga Rocks. After making the arrangements, I got the car delivered to my residence at Umdloti, about 25km north of Durban. My wife, Thyna, in the meantime, prepared some food that I could take along with me. At around 11am I left for Umtata, not knowing where I would stay as I had not made any booking. "I will sleep in the car at a garage if I don't find a place to stay," I told Thyna. It was a long, long journey. From Durban to Port Shepstone on the south coast it was not that bad as I drove on the N2 highway. But from Port Shepstone, it was a two-way road, up winding hills, down some tortuous kilometres to the turn off at Kokstad. I did not go into Harding, a small town before Kokstad or into Kokstad as I had enough fuel to take me to Umtata. One had to drive carefully as the road steeped up and down hills with donkeys, cows and goats frequenting the roads at various spots. Despite the hazards, some motorists, however, showed no respect or courtesy and they sped past with their 4 X 4s, BMWs and Mercedez Benz vehicles. Enroute, I stopped at an area called Tsolo to fill the car with fuel at a local filling station. The attendants were very helpful and also expressed their sadness at the passing of Mandela when I asked them about their views.

(Kwakho Pasiya and his father at Tsolo) I even had the chance of speaking to a 15-year-old boy, Kwakho Pasiya, who was to my surprise knowledgeable about Nelson Mandela and his passing. He was waiting at the fuel station for his father, Sonwabiso Pasiya, a 52-year-old policeman, to pick him up. The young boy told me that he was in standard nine and that once he finished matriculation, he wanted to enter the field of information technology. He said the people in his area were very grateful to Mandela for bringing them freedom and, therefore, they now felt sad at his passing. "Nelson Mandela is our first black president," he said. "He fought for our democracy in South Africa. As youngsters we are so sad because we have lost a father, grand-father that we loved. He fought for our freedom, united the people." During another stop I drove into a huge bed and breakfast establishment, thinking that I might get some accommodation. "I am looking for a place to stay for two nights. Can you help me," I asked the two receptionists at the front desk. "Sorry Sir we are fully booked and we don't know of any other place," said one of the receptionists. "Sir, in any case just try this place which is a three-star B and B in Umtata," the other receptionist told me. I thanked them for their assistance and got on the road once again. It was getting late and I wanted to reach the B and B to find out whether they had any spare room. I reached the B and B just before 6pm and to my pleasant surprise, I was told that they had just one room available. The place looked neat and tidy and I took the room at R1 200 a night. Soon after confirming the booking, I got back on the N2 road and drove towards Qunu, about 30km away to the south of Umtata. It was raining and getting dark. I drove on, hoping to reach the media centre and acquaint myself with the surroundings. But I think I drove for about 20km in the dark and decided that I was not going to take any chances. I pulled off on a side road and got back on the road to Umtata. I stopped at the Shell Ultra in Umata and took a break to eat something that Thyna had prepared. It was around 10pm and when I got back to the B and B I informed the minders that they should get me up at 5am. I did not enjoy the sleep that night. Around 2am, another group of journalists, staying at the B and B, got up and were preparing to head for Qunu. I also got up, showered, dressed and left for Qunu around 2:30am. I reached the media centre around 4am. It was the start of another long day. First I made my presence felt in the media centre and selected a spot where I would work from. I then got back to the car and found something to nibble to satisfy my breakfast urgings. I then walked down the road to the village where I spoke to some people about Nelson Mandela to prepare for my reports later that afternoon.

(Journalists at the media centre in Qunu) I returned to the media centre where I met many colleagues who I had not seen for many years. Settling down at the spot where I booked a space earlier I began to monitor the proceedings of the funeral, which started on time at 8am on Sunday, December 15 2013.

(Working at the media centre in Qunu) Mandela Burial

While the funeral cermony was drawing to a close, I wrote this piece for the DW website. "An atmosphere of calmness and solemnity descended on the village of Qunu where the final funeral service of South Africa's first democratic president and freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, was held early on Sunday. "When I arrived here from the town of Umtata, about 30 km away, I found thousands of neat little cottages alongside some elegant brick houses that enveloped the Qunu area. The locals, dressed in the green, gold and black colours of South Africa and wearing Nelson Mandela t-shirts, were busy trekking along the roads to several viewing points. "In Mandela's Eastern Cape province alone - 18 viewing centres were set up for the local people. "The VIP and motor cades transported the dignitaries from Umtata to the service and were in constant flow. Security was very tight. "Journalists were directed to the Nelson Mandela Museum complex where they were catered for at a huge media centre. All the leading television networks - including ARD, CNN, BBC, Skynews and Al Jazeera - and major radio and print organisations were working from the centre. "More than 2 000 television, radio and print journalists were registered by the South African Government to cover the burial of Mandela. "Some local people were also walking towards the huge marquee where the ceremony was held before the burial of Mandela took place a short distance away from the main Mandela homestead. 'We are very very, sad today because Madiba has done a lot for us in this village and the country as a whole,' said 51-year-old school teacher, Tahle Mabiyaka. He was one of the hundreds who were walking to a viewing site near the Mandela homestead. 'He built us schools, roads, electricity and there is a hospital, Nelson Mandela Hospital, in town. Everyting is coming right now because of our making his way to the main service. He said they loved Mandela because he was the country's first black president. 'Nelson Mandela is our first black president and he fought for our democracy in South Africa,' he said. 'As youngsters we are so sad because we have lost a father, grand-father that we loved. He fought for our freedom , united people.'

(Yonele Samsika) One of the young people who helped with the catering at the official funeral service was Yonele Samsika, a 22-year-old university student. She's studying accounting and wants to become successful as Mandela had asked them to do. 'You he was more than a parent to the children in this area. He did a lot of things for the people in this rural areas like Qunu. He built schools hospitals for us and during Christmas when we were still young we would go to his place and he would give us presents and he would shake our hands.' "The official ceremony was a dignified affair, officiated by two high-ranking officials of the ruling ANC - Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the Deputy President, and Ms Baleka Mbeta, the national chairperson. "They introduced some of the dignitaries who were among the 5 000 family members, Government ministers, and international political leaders and guests. "The dignitaries prominent US Civil Rights activist, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Malawi President, Joyce Banda, who represented the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union and Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete. "One of the veterans who paid a glowing tribute to Mandela was a former political comrades, Mr Ahmed Kathrada, 86, who spent 26 years on Robben Island as a fellow political prisoner. "He became emotional when he described the frail conditiond Mandela was when he last him a few months ago. But, he said, Mandela's legacy of bringing all people together must live on. 'What do we say to you Madala in these days - the last final moments together before you exit the public stage. Madala your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality, justice, continually served as a source of enormous strength to many millions of people in South Africa and around the world.'

(Mandela and Walter Sisulu on Robben Island) President Jacob Zuma, who who represented the Government at the ceremony, also thanked Mandela for leading the way in promoting peace, democracy and justice in South Africa. He said South Africans were now committed to continuing the Mandela legacy. 'Whilst the long walk to freedom has ended, we have to continue building the type of society you worked tirelessly to construct," he said. 'We have to take the legacy forward. In doing so we will continue drawing lessons from a very rich and extra-ordinary life. We will always remember you as a man of integrity who embodied the values and principles that your organisation the ANC promotes.' "The Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union, was one of the African Union leaders who praised Mandela's commitment to justice, freedom, and peace. He said Mandela had infused a sense of determination in the continent as a whole. 'In the face of atrocities,' he said, 'Mandela told us that if we remain commmitted to the ideals of justice, liberation, and above all the sanctity of human dignity we can ultimately prevail over the evil no matter how the roads are stepped against us.'

(Ms Nandi Mandela, one of Madiba's great-grand-daughters) "One of Mandela's great-grand-daughters, Nandi Mandela, said that, in addition to being a man who fought for freedom and unity, Mandela was also a family person who cared for everyone. She said in the in village of Qunu here she remembered that her great-grand-father was very passionate about promoting the well-being of children. "She said: 'He shared all what we had as best as possible with all those that he loved. For many years in Qunu during his presidency and after he stepped down he made that the children of Qunu had a beautiful Christmas. They came in thousands to his home and he made sure that each one of the children had a gift and a meal.'

(Ms Neo Phiri, who attended the funeral with her sister and brother-in-law) "One of the greatest tributes to Mandela was paid by a 31-year-old brand manager, Ms Neo Phiri, who had travelled more than 800 km outside Johannesburg to pay her last respects and bid her farewell because of the high respect she had for Mandela. She was accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law. "She told me in an interview that she would now try to promote Mandela's values in her community and South Africa. 'For me as a young person,' she said, 'as I look to the future of South Africa to be reminded of the sacrifices of this great icon makes me to really re-focus my life and really think what impact do I want to make to South Africa and my community'. After the official ceremony at Mandela's homestead, his body in a casket was driven in a gun carriage in great dignity and humility to the gravesite. Soldiers and the airforce gave Mandela the last salute.

(Journalists at the media centre) "It was an emotional send off and brought tears to the thousands, even some journalists at the media centre nearby. "His legacy - it seems - will live on forever. The Nelson Mandela Museum here in Qunu is one of the projects that will ensure that the life of Mandela is a constant reminder to the world." After filing that report, I also proceeded to do a radio script. By now I was very tired and took leave of my fellow journalist colleagues to return to the B and B in Umtata. It was around 5pm and I retired for a few hours sleep. I got up at about 8:30pm on the evening of Sunday, December 15 203 and went onto to package a radio report. After completing and sending this report to DW in Bonn, I took a break, had something to eat, and then went back to sleep. I was tired. The next morning, Monday, December 16 2013, I paid my bill in cash and then started my long journey back to Durban at about 7am. The N2 road towards KwaZulu-Natal was okay but there were still a lot of cars despite it being a holiday. I drove up the winding hills, down the hills and then came to a garage in Kokstad. Here I managed to get something to eat. I met a number of other journalists who were also returning home. We talked about the funeral and the dignified manner in which it was conducted. "Mandela was given a special funeral," said one visiting journalist from Australia. After energising myself, I was back on the road, taking the N2 to Durban. It was another long journey but I kept at it and arrived home at about 11am that day. I thought my work was done but as soon as I got home, I received a call from the Africa Desk in Bonn to say that they needed another report that would be much more current. They wanted me to include some of the state functions that were taking place in Pretoria where a nine metre statue of Mandela was unveiled and Jacob Zuma and his Ministers were involved in the Reconconciliation Day proceedings. So I had to write another script and send it to Bonn for checking. I then had to package the final edited script. I finished at about 5pm but by this time I was "dog tired". I retired to bed and only got up the next morning after nearly eight hours of sleep. Covering the Nelson Mandela memorial services in Johannesburg and Pretoria and later the funeral in Qunu were yet more highlights of my journalistic career. I was there in Cape Town on February 11 1990, when Mandela released; in Johannesburg when Mandela announced the victory of the ANC in the first democratic elections on April 27 1994; in Pretoria on May 10 1994 when he was installed as the country's first democratic president; joined him on an official visit to India in 1995; and now I was privileged to have been part of the team, covering his final farewell to higher heavens. I was privileged and I wouldn't have want to have had it any other way. It was a great pleasure and satisfaction, despite the tiredness one felt. Now my only plea is that all of us must emulate the life of Mandela so that we contribute to the society that he wanted for South Africa - free, democratic, non-racial, and equality for all - where South Africans will live in peace and harmony with on another. Will that be realised, especially with some elements promoting racial hatred? - ends

MADIBA GIVEN A TRULY DIGNIFIED AND BLESSED FAREWELL

REQUISCAT IN PACE - REST IN PEACE MADIBA

(Journalists busy at work covering the Madiba funeral)

(The Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu) One of the world's greatest leaders - Nelson Mandela - has been laid to rest in his home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape part of South Africa. The freedom icon died at the age of 95 at his Johannersburg home of Houghton on Thursday, Dec 5. After a mourning period of 10 days - which included an official memorial service in Johannesburg and a three-day viewing of his body at the Government Union Building in Pretoria - Mandela was finally given a traditional Xhosa burial on Sunday, the 15th of December. Subry Govender reports from Mandela's home village of Qunu....... .

An atmosphere of calmness and solemnity descended on the village of Qunu where the final funeral service of South Africa's first democratic president and freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, was held early on Sunday. When I arrived here from the town of Umtata, about 30 km away, I found thousands of neat little cottages alongside some elegant brick houses that enveloped the Qunu area. The locals, dressed in the green, gold and black colours of South Africa and wearing Nelson Mandela t-shirts, were busy trekking along the roads to several viewing points. In Mandela's Eastern Cape province alone - 18 viewing centres were set up for the local people. The VIP and motor cades transported the dignitaries from Umtata to the service and were in constant flow. Security was very tight. Journalists were directed to the Nelson Mandela Museum complex where they were catered for at a huge media centre. All the leading television networks - including ARD, CNN, BBC, Skynews and Al Jazeera - and major radio and print organisations were working from the centre. More than 2 000 television, radio and print journalists were registered by the South African Government to cover the burial of Mandela. Some local people were also walking towards the huge marquee where the ceremony was held before the burial of Mandela took place a short distance away from the main Mandela homestead.

( Ms Neo Phiri with friends near the funeral ceremony site) "We are very very, sad today because Madiba has done a lot for us in this village and the country as a whole," said 51-year-old school teacher, Tahle Mabiyaka. He was one of the hundreds who were walking to a viewing site near the Mandela homestead. "He built us schools, roads, electricity and there is a hospital, Nelson Mandela Hospital, in town. Everyting is coming right now because of our making his way to the main service."

(Koko Pasiyia(15) and his father near Qunu) A 15-year-old schoolboy, Koko Pasiyia, said he was a great admirer of Mandela. He said he and other young people loved Mandela because he was the country's first black president. "Nelson Mandela is our first black president and he fought for our democracy in South Africa," he said. "As youngsters we are so sad because we have lost a father, grand-father that we loved. He fought for our freedom , united people."

(Student Ms Yonele Samsika (22)) One of the young people who helped with the catering at the official funeral service was Yonele Samsika, a 22-year-old university student. She's studying accounting and wants to become successful as Mandela had asked them to do. "You he was more than a parent to the children in this area. He did a lot of things for the people in this rural areas like Qunu. He built schools hospitals for us and during Christmas when we were still young we would go to his place and he would give us presents and he would shake our hands."

(Cyril Ramaphosa) The official ceremony was a dignified affair, officiated by two high-ranking officials of the ruling ANC - Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the Deputy President, and Ms Baleka Mbeta, the national chairperson. They introduced some of the dignitaries who were among the 5 000 family members, Government ministers, and international political leaders and guests. The dignitaries prominent US Civil Rights activist, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Malawi President, Joyce Banda, who represented the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union and Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete. One of the veterans who paid a glowing tribute to Mandela was a former political comrades, Mr Ahmed Kathrada, 86, who spent 26 years on Robben Island as a fellow political prisoner. He became emotional when he described the frail conditiond Mandela was when he last him a few months ago. But, he said, Mandela's legacy of bringing all people together must live on. "What do we say to you Madala in these days - the last final moments together before you exit the public stage. Madala your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality, justice, continually served as a source of enormous strength to many millions of people in South Africa and around the world."

(JACOB ZUMA) President Jacob Zuma, who who represented the Government at the ceremony, also thanked Mandela for leading the way in promoting peace, democracy and justice in South Africa. He said South Africans were now committed to continuing the Mandela legacy. "Whilst the long walk to freedom has ended, we have to continue building the type of society you worked tirelessly to construct," he said. "We have to take the legacy forward. In doing so we will continue drawing lessons from a very rich and extra-ordinary life. We will always remember you as a man of integrity who embodied the values and principles that your organisation the ANC promotes." The Ethiopean Prime Minister, Haile Mariam Desalgen, who represented the African Union, was one of the African Union leaders who praised Mandela's commitment to justice, freedom, and peace. He said Mandela had infused a sense of determination in the continent as a whole. "In the face of atrocities," he said, "Mandela told us that if we remain commmitted to the ideals of justice, liberation, and above all the sanctity of human dignity we can ultimately prevail over the evil no matter how the roads are stepped against us."

(Nandi Mandela) One of Mandela's great-grand-daughters, Nandi Mandela, said that, in addition to being a man who fought for freedom and unity, Mandela was also a family person who cared for everyone. She said in the in village of Qunu here she remembered that her great-grand-father was very passionate about promoting the well-being of children. She said: "He shared all what we had as best as possible with all those that he loved. For many years in Qunu during his presidency and after he stepped down he made that the children of Qunu had a beautiful Christmas. They came in thousands to his home and he made sure that each one of the children had a gift and a meal."

Ms Neo Phiri and Family members One of the greatest tributes to Mandela was paid by a 31-year-old brand manager, Ms Neo Phiri, who had travelled more than 800 km outside Johannesburg to pay her last respects and bid her farewell because of the high respect she had for Mandela. She was accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law. She told me in an interview that she would now try to promote Mandela's values in her community and South Africa. "For me as a young person," she said, "as I look to the future of South Africa to reminded of the sacrifices of this great icon makes me to really re-focus my life and really think what impact do I want to make to South Africa and my community". After the official ceremony at Mandela's homestead, his body in a casket was driven in great dignity and humility to the gravesite. Soldiers and the airforce gave Mandela the last salute. It was an emotional send off and brought tears to the thousands, even some journalists at the media centre nearby.

(A well-wisher from Johannesburg) His legacy - it seems - will live on forever. The Nelson Mandela Museum here in Qunu is one of the projects that will ensure that the life of Mandela is a constant reminder to the world. - ends