Mama Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu Poem by Diana van den Berg

Mama, most of all,
to your own family and to the nation
before your lifetime history
which embraced
taking over the household
at the age of fifteen
when your father died,
later becoming nursing midwife
and sister-in-charge
and standing up
for the rights of all,
with fierce love and determination,
courage and fortitude,
quiet dignity and compassion,
discipline and wisdom,
a stalwart political leader in your own right,
a leader of standing,
a shining example
of honour
and great achievement
yet you transcended political divisions
in the interests of preserving the community.
You were what all politicians should be.

You were welcomed at the White House
and 10 Downing Street
and yet humility was your name
and the door of your humble home
with its welcome mat
was always open
to every needy neighbour
and the homeless.

Thank you for cooking
extra sausages for Snuffles,
the Maltese poodle
of one of your grandchildren
when they came to visit.

You made a difference throughout your ninety-two years.
You were a warrior for righteousness and a care-giver.
You mobilised,
nurtured,
encouraged,
comforted,
gave constructive criticism and tough love,
cared,
fed,
mentored
endured.
You were truly your brother’s keeper
with your simple acts of service.
You taught that
power comes from selfless service –
power to serve more.
You stood your ground
no matter how thick and high
the wall in front of you.
You were resilient when all seemed lost.
You assessed what needed to be done
and you went ahead and did it,
leading, planning and arranging
from the ground up
even to arranging ties
for men
to attend court cases
of those victimised
during the horrors of Apartheid.

You were pure of heart and actions
and were persecuted for righteousness’ sake
yet you never lost your spirit,
nor your faith,
nor your smile that was born within your heart
and overflowed to the glow in your eyes,
nor did you ever lose your hope
in the fiercest opposition
and this carried you through
making your massive contributions to society.

May we all water your garden
of goodness
as you watered
your garden
of flowers and people.

Your greatest wish was
freedom, equality and dignity for all
and unity amongst all people of South Africa.

May we not just tell others
how you served and led.
May we show them
in our thoughts and words
and most of all, actions,
how to show others in turn
and may we all
keep your blueprint warm and alive.

The nation stands together in mourning you,
no matter political allegiance, colour or creed.

Please, Mama,
accept the tears
of one whom you didn’t know,
nor who knew you,
and who
regretfully
has few tears
for her own mother.

We bid farewell to you,
we revere you,
our Mama, a national heroine.

We thank you, Mama,
for your life of service
and we thank you, God,
for Mama.

Your beautiful funeral
was gracious and touching and befitting
of a soul so overflowing with goodness and love.

Well done, true and faithful servant of God.
May you rest in peace
with your and our
beloved Walter Sisulu
and may you both continue
one of the world’s greatest love stories
in Heaven
with the God so beloved to you and Walter
and whom you both served and loved so dearly.
May you both be rejoicing in the rewards of Heaven.
Hamba gahle, lala gahle, dear Mama.
21 October 1918 – 2 June 2011

(11 June 2011)