Christo Brand was only 19 when he started working at South Africa’s highest security prison. Now, 44 years later, he recalls how a job he had little choice in taking brought him face to face with a man then the country’s most notorious prisoner and led to a lifelong friendship with Nelson Mandela.
As a child of a farm foreman growing up two hours from the city, he knew little about the racial division in his country in the 1960s.
"Growing up on the farm, I didn't see anything about apartheid. I was the only white child on the farm, playing with African and coloured children," Mr Brand tells The National. He says his father always told him to respect people as human beings regardless of skin colour.
After finishing school, he faced the choice of military conscription or working for the prison service. He knew friends who died in military camps on the South African borders, so he chose to train as a prison warden.
Meeting Mandela
When he arrived on Robben Island in 1978, Mr Brand says he had not heard of Mandela, but remembers being told on his first day he was about to meet some of South Africa’s most dangerous criminals.
If Mandela was alive today, he would encourage education and negotiation between both sides as means to solve racial conflicts
“I suspected I was going to meet tattoo-faced gangsters and murderers, but when I opened up the first cell door that morning in the isolation section, I found old people sleeping on the floor in blankets. And when I saw how they were treated, I felt very sorry for them,” he says.
Twelve years and two prison transfers later, Mandela, the leader of the African National Congress (ANC) party, would finally walk free after spending 27 years behind bars.
His release on February 11, 1990, would lead to the collapse of the apartheid regime, a system of oppression that racially segregated white and non-white South African citizens.
Even after becoming the ANC leader and then South Africa’s first black head of state, Mandela would remain close to Mr Brand.
He recalls his first conversation with Mandela, who asked him about his upbringing and asked for gardening tips for the small plot where he grew chillies, tomatoes and onions when he found out Mr Brand had grown up on a farm.
Tears of joy
In the winter of 1980, Mr Brand knew he would be friends with Mandela for life.
Winnie Mandela came to visit her husband in prison and smuggled in their baby granddaughter under a blanket.
She begged Mr Brand to let her take the child into Mandela's cell, but prison rules prohibited it. Mr Brand says he felt bad for Mandela, who was allowed only one visitor for 30 minutes every three months that year.
“I then told Winnie I would hold the baby while she went to see Mandela for a few seconds. I snuck to one side and when Mr Mandela came out of that visit, I was waiting for him in the passage with the baby,” Mr Barnd says.
“He took the baby out of my arms and held it. When he kissed the child there were tears in his eyes, and he'd become quite emotional.”
Mandela later thanked Mr Brand.
“I should have been charged for smuggling a baby to a prisoner they called a terrorist. The minimum sentence they promised us was five to 10 years for smuggling to these prisoners. That secret was kept between me and Mandela for nearly 20 years until he became president of our country,” Mr Brand says with a smile.
Even as South Africa became more divided and violent under apartheid, the two men continued to help each other.
Mr Brand taught Mandela to read and write in Afrikaans, while Mandela, who had a background in law, gave his guard legal advice when he had a motorcycle accident.
Mr Brand says he saw Mandela as a fatherly figure who was always happy to help.
Road to freedom
In 1985, three years after the two men transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland, Mr Brand was put in a difficult position.
He was asked by South Africa’s National Intelligence Agency to wear a microphone and to convince the ANC leader to accept President P W Botha’s offer for his release.
Mr Brand knew deep down Mandela would not accept the offer, but feared reprisals if he did not appear to try to convince his friend.
He led Mandela out to the prison garden and silently gestured to him that the conversation was being recorded.
Mandela declined the offer, but Mr Brand continued to drive him from Pollsmoor during the evenings to meet South African politicians to negotiate his release.
It took another six years of negotiations, boycotts, political uprisings and another jail transfer before he left prison for good.
After his release, Mandela and president F W de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid.
When Mandela was voted in as South Africa’s president in May 1994, he invited his friend to parliament. Six months later, Mr Brand was hired in Mandela’s office as an administrative and logistics manager in the Constitutional Assembly.
Mr Brand returned to Robben Island once the new constitution was adopted in 1996 giving equal rights for whites and non-whites. This time, he worked as a tour guide.
Although he retired in July 2018, he continues to tell his story. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, he has held Zoom calls with schools and the occasional socially-distanced prison tour.
“If Mandela was alive today, he would encourage education and negotiation between both sides as a means to solve racial conflicts”, Mr Brand says.
Given his limited work options, Mr Brand never saw his job as a political one, despite playing a significant role in Mandela’s path to freedom.
He was delighted to see his friend become president and do away with the racist laws in South Africa.
He recalls visiting a school in Cape Town with Mandela in 1995. Watching black and white children playing together, Mr Brand recalls Mandela saying: “That is the rainbow nation I will see develop in my country.”
Christo Brand is the author of Doing life with Mandela: my prisoner, my friend
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
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%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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2.
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
