letters to Madiba

Dear Madiba

July 18,i was at Diepsloot celebrating your birthday.Happy birthday.I met up with a lot of young people,they said to me 'we want to see u tata'' and i said 'i am sorry you can see utata cos he is a busy man''.So they thought its best that they send you letters.
please find attached leters from Diepsloot

dear ntate Madiba

 I know you ,you dont know me.My name is linda Khumalo.I heard today its your birthday,so we were called to meet at the community hall.It was so fun.We saw people dance,sing and do drama.We laughed until tears dropped off our faces.After that we were given food, lots of it.I kept some for my brother Thabang.Do you know why my brother did not come for the celebrations?.We live in diepsloot with my mother and brother,i cant recall were my father is. Two years ago my brother lost his sight because of an explosion of gas at home. Our home doesn't have electricity or running water and its really hard for us.I hope that even as you read this letter you will remind the goverment of their duty.

love you  tata

dear tata.

thank you so much for Mandela day.Is it possible if here in Diepsloot we can have Mandela day every day cos thats only when we get to eat cakes.

dear madiba

How are you tata.I heard my mother and father say that you were once the president of South Africa,lovely, what happened. ayi ahh..i heard that when you were president they were proper houses in Diepsloot. They never existed these slums,they was no crime and xenophobia. My father doesnt work now my mother is a street vendor and i am a child.If you can help tata, please come and be our president once again.

Sicelo Ndlovu

dear tata

thank you so much for the cakes and happy birthday. We love you.

victor

Dear tata

 its been a long road.A melodious hymm.and a story that every talebearer would love to tell.Before we were born our mothers sang the song,before we could walk, our fathers whistled your name.And when our breast were sharp,the boys called themselves madiba,now we are adults we celebrate together singing not the old song 'free madiba free madiba' but the new one'halala Madiba halala Madiba'

thank you so much Dr Nelson Mandela

Thank you celebrating with us Mandela day

letters to Madiba is under opnion and analysis segment ,defining life at its best.Thank you so much for reading why not send Madiba a letter by commenting.

pictures taken at the Diepsloot community hall on the 18th of july 2011.
characters in the script are not real but the letters are a summary of the life in the slums of Diesploot.
mandela celebrations were held at the diepsloot community hall, and the script  was inspired by the situation and the people of Diepsloot.

written by hawulethu dube
a saxjaz7 production
all rights reserved