Abaphumelele ibhaso lomnyaka ngamnye labona bantu babalaseleyo kwinkuthazo yokudala uxolo UNelson Mandela kunye noFW deKlerk babambene baphumelela ibhaso lababalasele kwinkuthazo yokudala uxolo kunyaka ka1993. Impumelelo yabo ibe yinguqulelo entle kulawulo lwesininzi. Bambalwa abarhanele ezinye izinto kodwa ibe luqhushululu nophalalo-gazi ngethuba ulawulo lwabamhlophe, ngelakamva, lufikelela esiphelweni.

Indlela eNde eyaNkululekweni yimbali echukumisayo nenkulu ebaliswa nguMandela ubuqu, incwadi ekujongwe ukuba yenze imbali ukudlula ezo zikhoyo ezikhumbuza ngamaqhawe eli lizwe. Apha uNelson Mandela, kokokuqala echaza le mbali engathethekiyo yobomi bakhe – incopho yomzabalazo, ukulibaziseka, ithemba elihlaziyekileyo, kunye noloyiso lwakamva, oluthe, kuze kuma ngoku, lwabe alwazeki kwabaninzi eliziweni.

Engunyana okhuliswe yinkosi yabaThembu, uMandela wakhuliswa ngendlela yakwaNtu, phantsi kobomi nenkcubeko yesiNtu, kwifuthe lezinyanya zakowabo, kodwa eseligatyana wafunda kwakamsinya ngobomi obuphantsi kwengcinezelo, enye yezinto awathi wachaphazeleka ubomi bakhe zizo.

Imbali yakhe uyomba nzulu ngelizwi elithambileyo eligxinisayo, uchaza ngeentsuku zakhe esengumfundi ohluphekayo nomabhalana wasemagqwetheni eRhawutini, ukuqala komvuka womzabalazo, nendima ayidlalileyo ekuqalisweni kwengagungqiyo iANC nendima yakhe kumzabalazo walo nokusekwa kweYouth League kwimnyaka ye 1950s. Uchaza umzabalazo ekuqiniseni intshukumo yakhe kwezopolitiko nokuzinikela kwakhe kwintsapho yakhe, nobukrakra bokuqhawuka komtshato wakhe wokuqala, nokohlulwa kwakhe kubantwana bakhe, nto leyo ingazange ibe mnandi.

Uzisa umbono ophinzizayo wokuvunguza komzabalazo wezopolitiko kwiminyaka yama50 phakathi kweANC norhulumente, evumbuluka njengephanyazo kwiphulo lakhe njengenkokheli engaqondakaliyo nakwityala leRivonial lika1964, nalapho wagwetywa iminyaka yobomi bakhe bonke entolongweni. Uyayibala iminyaka eyisisiganeko esikhwankqisayo seminyaka engama27 esentolongweni nothethwano olwalunzima olwakhokelela kwinkululeko nasekuqaleni nasekupheleni kocalu-calulo. Okokugqibela unika ingxelo ngeziganeko esingasokuze zilibaleke ukususela ekukhululekeni kwakhe nethi izale uMzantsi Afrika okhululekileyo, ongenacalu-calulo.

Kwizigidi ezibini zabantu kwilizwe jikelele, uMandela uyakuhlala emi, kungekho omnye futhi ophilayo okwenzayo, ukubambelela kwisidima soloyiso, ebambelele kwithemba ngaphezu kwenzondo nokutyhafa, ezeyisa, egcine uthando ngaphaya kwentshutshiso nobubi. Loo moya uhleli ugcinakele kule ncwadi ethi iNdlela eNde eya eNkululekweni.

Nanjengoko abafundi beyakuphawula, le ncwadi inembali ende. Ndaqala ukuyibhala ngonyaka ka1974 ngethuba ndibanjwe eRobben Island. Ndifumene inkxaso engagungqiyo kumaqabane am uWalter Sisulu kunye noAhmed Kathrada ngokuhlala bendikhumbuza, nto leyo ngokungathandabuzekiyo iphumelelise le ncwadi.

Ikopi yale mbalo nendathi ndayigcina yathi yafunyaniswa ngabasemagunyeni yathatyathwa. Nangona kunjalo, ukongeza kwizakhono zabo, amanye maqabane am endandibanjwe nawo, uMac Maharaj kunye noIsu Chiba baqinisekise ukuba uqobo lwale mbali luyafikelela kwindawo ekwakufanele ifike kuyo. Ndiyigqibizele ukuyibhala emva kokuba ndikhululekile ngo1990.

Kususela oko ndakhululwayo, ndisololoko ndixakekile yeminye imisebenzi noxanduva endinalo, nto ezo zishiyele ixeshana nje elincinane lokubhala. Ngethamsanqa, ndifumene uncedo kumaqabane am, izihlobo, kunye neengcaphephe ezindincedisileyo ukuyigqiba, nabo ndingathanda ukuba ndibabulele.

Ndinombulelo ongazenzisiyo kuRichard Stengel owasebenzisana nam ekuqaliseni le ncwadi, enika uncedo ekuyihleleni nasekuyiphengululeni ekuyiqaleni nasekuyiphetheni. Ndisakhumbula ukuhamba hamba kwethu ngentseni eTranskei nondliwano ndlebe olwalungapheli sichitha iiyure ezininzi eShell House eRawutini nasendlwini yam eHoughton. Omnye umbulelo kuMary Pfaff oncedisene noRichard emsebenzini wakhe. Ndincedakele kakhulu kwiingcebiso zikaFatima Meer, Peter Magubane, Nadine Godimer kunye neo-Ezekiel Mphahlele.

Ndithanda ukuba ndibulele ingakumbi iqabane lam uAhmed Kathrada ngeeyure azichithileyo ekuyiphengululeni, ukuyilungisa, nokunika inkcaza ethe ngqo kumanqaku ayo. Imibulelo engazenzisiyo kubasebenzi kwii-ofisi zeANC, ababejongene nokubunjwa kwale ncwadi , ingakumbi uBarbara Masekela ekuyicoseleleni. Ngokunjalo, u-Iqbal Meer uzinikele iiyure zakhe ezinde ejongene necandelo loshishino lwale ncwadi. Ndiyabulela kuMhleli wam, William Phillips waseLittle, Brown, obesoloko eyihlanganisile le projekthi kususela ngo1990 kuye phambili, wayihlela le mbalelwano, nakumhlobo wakhe uJordan Pavlin, Steve Schneider, Mike Mattil, kunye noDonna Peterson. Ndingathanda ukubulela noNjingalwazi uGail Gerhart ngokuyiphononga le mbalelwano eyihlaba amakhwiniba ayo.