A packed Nelson Mandela auditorium at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront listened intently as several former Robben Island prisoners regaled the audience with island stories at the official launch of Pan Africanist Congress leader Stanley Mogoba’s book.
The 87-page A5 book is called ”Stone, Steel and Sjambok”.
Deputy President Jacob Zuma spoke of incidents where prisoners were beaten, ”where warders were turned into human beings” and where teachings in various subjects took place.
”The island was turned by us into a school, a university … we developed clarity on the struggle and did everything — sang, had choirs, had soloists, had people tell stories.
”We spoke about our lives outside, remembering each and every detail … if your mother came to visit, you were lucky, if your sister or girlfriend came, there was a lot of questions,” Zuma said to laughter.
Mogoba spoke about the need to put down in writing memories of the island.
”I encourage all of us to put it down … in the end, when all is put down, a complete picture will emerge and South Africa will be the richer.”
Robben Island Museum council chairman Ahmed Kathrada echoed the need for memories of the island to be recorded in the interest of history.
Imam Achmat Cassiem spoke of how he first arrived at the island as a 17-year-old student.
”If it was not for the strengths of Mogoba and the others, it would surely have been unbearable,” he said.
He said Mogoba was a quiet, dignified man, sincere in his efforts to transform society.
In the foreword to the book, Constitutional Court judge Dikgang Moseneke told of how ”Uncle Stan” taught him lessons while they were doing mindless prison chores such as pushing wheelbarrows.
”I owe to ‘Uncle Stan’ much of my escape from the insanity predicted by the prison warder,” Moseneke said.
A preface to the book was written by Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane. – Sapa