/ 25 February 2001

Mandela receives Soweto award

Former president Nelson Mandela received the Life Time Award from the first Soweto Awards in Johannesburg on Saturday night. “I am honoured and this is a special pleasure as I have a feeling of finally coming home,” he told those attending the awards ceremony in Sandton. He said it was a great honour for him to share the awards with men and women “of such calibre.” He told the guests that Soweto, south of Johannesburg, had a special place in South African history. “It had the warmth and humanity of people who believed in people. it was the key symbol in the fight for liberation”, Madiba said. The Soweto Awards, which will become an annual event, honours those who have their roots in Soweto. – AFP