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TRIBUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA DURING THE STATE BURIAL OF THE FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN BLACK PRESIDENT THE LATE NELSON MANDELA AT QUNNU SOUTH AFRICA ON 15TH DECEMBER, 2 1! Your Excellency President Jacob Zuma, of the Republic of South Africa; Mama raca Machelle, Mama !innie Mandela; Members of the "erea#ed $amily; Your Royal %i&hness, Prince 'harles; Excellencies, %eads of State and o#ernment; %onourable Ministers; Members of the (iplomatic 'orps and Representati#es of )nternational *r&ani+ations; $ello, Mourners; -adies and entlemen; I bring with me fraternal greetings as well as greetings of solidarity from your brothers and sisters of the United Republic of Tanzania. They have asked me to convey to you our deepest condolences to you Mr. resident! Mama "raca Machelle! Mama #innie Mandela! the entire Madiba family and all the people of $outh %frica on the passing of &is '(cellency )elson Rolihlahla Mandela! the first black resident of the new $outh %frica and former resident of the %frican )ational *ongress. The people of Tanzania would like you to know that you are not alone. They are with you during this difficult period and mourning and thereafter somber moment. They are saying your grief is our grief! your loss is our loss. )elson Mandela was our leader! our hero! our icon and our father as much as he was yours. The people of Tanzania have lost a great friend and great comrade in arms. resident Mandela had long standing association with Tanzania. It dates back to the times of the struggle for independence and liberation here in $outh %frica and in Tanzania. +ur two sister parties!

the %frican )ational *ongress -%)*. and the Tanganyika %frican )ational Union -T%)U. later *hama cha Mapinduzi en/oyed special relations. #e supported each other at the time of need. It was no accident! therefore! that after the %)* decided to establish the armed wing! the Umkotho we $izwe! after peaceful means seemed to be futile! 0ar es $alaam was Madibas1 first port of call in 123,. &e left $outh %frica secretly and came to newly independent Tanganyika to seek support for the armed struggle and a place to train the M4 combatants. 'omrades and friends; Indeed! his visit was later to become a landmark event which had a profound effect in changing the course of the history of this great nation culminating in the fall of apartheid in 1225 and the birth of the new $outh %frica. Though at first our first resident and 6ather of the Tanzania nation &is '(cellency 7ulius )yerere had some reservations about when and how to initiate the armed struggle! he later accepted Madibas1 re8uest and provided members of the M4 both permission to live and places to train in Tanzania. I am sure to the %)* and M4 veterans gathered here! names like 4ongwa! Mgagao! Morogoro! Mazimbu and 0akawa sound familiar. They may even rekindle nostalgic memories of the life they lived in Tanzania9 sharpening the tools and skills to take on and defeat the apartheid regime. resident )yerere went further beyond availing places to live and train! he also offered Tanzania1s own moral and material support. Mwalimu was instrumental in mobilizing regional and international support to train and arm the combatants. Indeed! this applied to all the other liberation movements namely the %*! M :%! $#% +! ;%)U! ;% U and 6R':IM+. <esides that! *adres of the liberation movements travelled on Tanzanian passports and where necessary they assumed Tanzanian names. resident Madiba travelled on Tanganyikan travel document from 0ar es $alaam on his onward /ourney to %ccra! :agos! %ddis %baba and %lgiers. 'omrades and $riends; %lso Madiba1s trip to 0ar es $alaam was to change the fortunes of the %)* after having been banned by the apartheid regime here in $outh %frica. The %)* found a new home in Tanzania from where it operated! organized and spearhead the struggle. 6rom Tanzania the %)* was able to reach its cadres and members who remained and

operated from inside $outh %frica through discreet means of communication. 6rom Tanzania the %)* was able to have messages reach the broad masses of the people of $outh %frica through publications and dedicated radio broadcasts. %s a matter of fact! the "overnment of Tanzania had built a special radio station > Radio 6reedom for the liberation movements. The %)* was able to get back the voice that was denied to them by the apartheid system. 'omrades and $riends; There is another interesting thing about Madibas1 first visit to Tanzania in 123, which I would like to mention. In order to keep the visit discreet! he did not stay in hotels? he stayed at the home of T%)U1s Treasurer who was then the Minister for *ommerce and Industries Mr. )silo $wai. +n his departure to his onward trip to %ccra! :agos! %ddis %baba and %lgiers! he left his boots at Mr. $wai1s home in the hope that on his way back he will pick them up. Unfortunately! he did not pass through 0ar es $alaam and shortly after arriving back in $outh %frica! Mandela was arrested! tried! imprisoned and spent the ,@ years in Roben Island. 6ortunately! the $wai family kept the boots awaiting his return. In 122A when Madiba was resident of the new $outh %frica! the pair of brown boots was handed back to him by Mrs. Bicky )silo $wai the widow of the late )silo $wai who died in 1225. I took the liberty to bring Mama Bicky )silo $wai with me to bid farewell to their special guest and friend. $he and her late husband are e(ceptional human beings. It is not easy to keep boots of a stranger who stayed with them for only three days and disappeared for over =, years. #hen I asked her what made them keep the boots for so long! she told me her husband believed that Mandela would one day get out of prison and he may claim them. $o he said! if he asked for his boots! they should have them at hand. )evertheless! they did not wait! instead she decided to look for Madiba and gave him what belonged to him. #hat a trusting friends of Mandela they were. 'omrades; %fter his release from prison and after visiting :usaka for meetings with the )'* of the %)* Madiba came to 0ar es $alaam. &e was met by largest crowd Tanzania has ever seen. It is a record that has not been broken. Mind you! it rained heavily that day! but people never left their positions. They thronged the airport and lined the streets of 0ar es $alaam braving the rain to see their hero! icon and

leader. Indeed! Mandela1s charisma is unmatched in modern times. +f course he visited the %)* facilities at Morogoro! Iringa and spent the night at Mgagao the training base of M4 combatants. 'omrades and $riends; I have narrated all these stories and anecdotes to let people know how far back! the present e(cellent relations between our two friendly countries and both the %)* and *hama cha Mapinduzi have come from. It is not by accident that $outh %frica and Tanzania en/oy e(cellent bilateral relations. #e are close friends and allies because our common history unites us. #e see eye to eye on many bilateral! regional and international issues. #e support each other at regional and international fora. 'omrades; It is none other than our founding fathers the first resident of Tanzania Mwalimu 7ulius )yerere -who died in 1222. and the first resident of the new $outh %frica! )elson Mandela -whom we are mourning today. who are responsible for this. They built very strong foundations for our bilateral relations. That is why I said at the beginning that Madiba is very much our leader! our hero! our icon and our father as he is to you. That is why your grief and sorrow are ours as well. That is why also when you celebrate his life we also do. 'omrades and $riends; %s we mourn the death of this great man )elson Rolihlahla Mandela let us recommit ourselves to continue to strengthen the relations which so happily e(ist between $outh %frica and Tanzania. :et us also continue to work closely together at regional and international fora to advance his ideals for a strong $%0*! a vitalized %frican Union and an effective United )ations bold enough to fight for /ustice and e8uality of all nations and peoples. %nd! let us fulfill his wish to see developing countries working together in unity and solidarity in pursuit of their rights in their 8uest to lift themselves from poverty to prosperity. %nd you! my brothers and sisters of $outh %frica! Madiba has lived his life well! you should live his legacy. &e has left behind a vibrant democracy. &e left behind a new nation where black and white $outh %fricans live together harmoniously. % nation nobody is denied his or her basic rights because of the colour of his skin. % nation where blacks can also prosper unlike in the past when they were condemned to live in s8ualor! deprivation and as second or third

class citizens in their own country. #e know that not all that he stood for has been achieved. It is foolhardy! also to assume that all the ills of the former apartheid system will be corrected in these 12 years post of liberation. )onetheless! a lot has been achieved although much more has to be done. The %)* government is doing it. lease stay the course and always strive for greater e(cellence. Remain united as a people and as a nation. This way! you will honour this great statesman in a manner that would have pleased him if he were alive. This is the best way to live his legacy. L"#$ %&'( N(%)"# M*#+(%*, L"#$ %&'( -.( /("/%( "0 S"1-. A02&3*, I -.*#4 5"1 0"2 5"12 4&#+ *--(#-&"#.