Paul Coleman
My Walk through South Africa began from Nelson Mandela's Prison Cell

Thanks to Ronnie Kasrils, the South African Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, I was given the privilege of starting my walk through South Africa from inside Nelson Mandela's prison cell.

Outside I signed the official guest book, usually reserved for visiting dignitaries, like President Bill Clinton, whose autographed page was pointed out, then planted a tree with Minister Kasrils and two members of Parliament who had spent many torturous years in the prison with Nelson Mandela.

These two MP's, visiting the island for the first time since their release, came with me on the boat and, when we arrived took me by the hand as we all stepped on shore. The fact that my visit had inspired them to return to such a place was very humbling and enabled me to better understand the qualities of the people who led the movement to end the horrendous system of Apartheid that had brought so much pain and suffering to the land.
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