Okumu: The day I shouted down Mandela

By MANGOA MOSOTA

In his home in Bondo, 78-year-old economist is dressed in a yellow shirt with spots of black and brown.

Departed South African President Nelson Mandela gave this souvenir to him four years ago.

Professor Washington Jalang’o Okumu was in South Africa as a guest of Mandela under the aegis of African Elders – formulated by Mandela – and which the economist chaired.

The elderly, bespectacled professor of economics shows The Standard on Sunday team pictures he took with Mandela and another one taken with top US and Britain diplomats as he brokered peace in South Africa 19 years ago.

“Mandela is godlike to South Africans for his pivotal role in breaking the chains of racial discrimination for the over 40 million South Africans. He was the most humble man I have ever encountered. I used to refer to him as a saint and this made him livid,” says Okumu, adding that Mandela was a selfless leader.

Prof Okumu recalls his encounter with Mandela with a mixture of sadness and happiness; sad for the loss and happy for the role he played to end apartheid in South Africa.

He was bedridden but was enthusiastic and strong enough to speak to us from his bedroom, which also acts as his well-stocked library.

Nineteen years ago, supporters of two top leaders in South Africa were on the verge of war, but Okumu brokered peace that led to the first democratic election in South Africa.

At his home in Nyang’oma village in Siaya County, about 10 kilometres from Bondo town, Okumu narrated to The Standard on Sunday the role he played to bring peace to South Africa, at a critical point.

The African National Congress (ANC) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were engaged in protracted conflict soon after the release of Mandela.

“Their bloody differences were not only causing deaths but were putting into jeopardy the first all-race election in South Africa,” he explains.

For instance, Kwa Zulu/Natal became a killing field.

The two parties engaged in accusations and counter-accusations over who was fomenting the violence.

 Okumu, who worked for the UN, reveals that an Englishman Michael Schluter proposed him to the UN to broker peace between the then ANC leader Mandela and Inkatha’s Chief Mangosothu Buthelezi.

The supporters of the two leaders were killing each and the conflict threatened to escalate into a full blown war,” says Okumu, a father of eight children, all of them working and residing in the UK.

Many top diplomats including by then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and his Britain counterpart Lord Carrington were making frantic efforts to deter violence.  

He recalls that the intensive peace talks between Mandela, Buthelezi and himself lasted for five days and took place in Johannesburg at a concealed location.

“The meetings were often conducted from around 3pm and sometimes ended at 4am. We would sometimes hold the talks while eating,” says Okumu, in deep thought.

He adds: “The talks were painstaking. Many people had given up hope and even the then President F.W. de Klerk had given up hope of a deal.”

He says during the meetings Mandela liked taking chicken and chapati. “This was his favourite meal.”

Around mid-April, supporters of the two parties had declared war and Okumu knew that he had to do something speedily to alter the situation.

Okumu says he did not sleep for two straight days. Then on April 9, Okumu addressed among others Mandela, Buthelezi, De Klerk and the county’s Cabinet in Johannesburg.

“I was presenting the peace deal when Mandela stopped me and argued that no peace deal had been reached. I shouted him down,” says Okumu, with a grin.

A few minutes later Mandela calmed down. The peace deal was then announced to the excitement of not only South Africans, but also millions of people across the world

After the first democratic election, Mandela created a government of national unity and appointed Buthelezi a minister.

In an amazing gesture of reconciliation, Mandela made Buthelezi acting president on 22 occasions, when he and his deputy Thambo Mbeki were out of the country.

Okumu said Mandela invited him to South African in 2009, and with then Mali President Toumani Toure, and that of Cape Verde Pedre Pires and former Tanzanian president Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

He nostalgically recalls that Mandela told former President Thabo Mbeki to change his sitting position, during the event. “He told him to move to a few seats from him to create space for me. I was completely humbled by the gesture.”

Mandela, who died aged 95, on Thursday night will be buried on Sunday at Qunu village, Eastern Cape, where he was born. The burial ceremony is billed to be the largest event in African history, with several heads of states expected to attend.