IT IS normally frowned upon for a man to cry, especially when that man is king of a proud nation.
But when Thembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo learnt about the death of his beloved uncle, Nelson Mandela, he couldn't contain his grief.
"I cried because it felt like a part of me was gone," he said, adding that he learnt of the sad news through the television broadcast by President Jacob Zuma.
"I knew he was sick and was going to die one day. But I didn't want it to be so soon. I hoped he would live longer," said Dalindyebo, a nephew of the late statesman.
His late father King Sabata Dalindyebo was a cousin of Mandela, who was a member of the Thembu royal family.
The family has been rocked by reports of divisions since Mandela's death. The king did not attend his uncle's funeral, raising eyebrows among the Thembu and the public.
"I did not go to the funeral but I did my part when I received his body from the airport in Mthatha," he said.
Mandela's body was flown to Mthatha on December 14, a day before his burial.
Dalindyebo was part of the family and royal delegation that received the his body on the day.
"It took a while for me to accept that he was gone. I knew him as a strong man and we had plans to meet. It was the saddest day," he said.
Dalindyebo only got to spend time with Mandela after he was released from prison in 1990. The king grew up in exile in Zambia while Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years. But he feels that the time they spent together was enough under the circumstances.
"I spent enough time with him but still it wasn't easy to let go."
He recalled the last time they were together at Mandela's Qunu home a few years before he became ill.
"He sat on his favourite armchair on the verandah facing the farm so he could see his livestock," he said, with a smile.
"His cattle were important to him. We sat there, talking about family and the future. He said he was going to give me a fat sheep for me to take home. He said he was proud of me."
But those days are a distant memory now, so much so that the king does not even set foot in Qunu as the family continues to be divided by a widening rift. Ownership of Madiba's home is now contested by his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, despite what the will says.
On Sunday, the presidency announced that Zuma had filed papers to oppose the claim.
Dalindyebo, who earlier this year fought off a challenge by Zuma to dethrone him, told Sowetan he would only visit Qunu when Madikizela-Mandela received ownership of the disputed property.
"Madiba united the family. He held the family together. Now that he's gone, there's a huge gap and there's nothing for me in Qunu," he said.
ntsambab@sowetan.co.za
'It was not easy to let go of Nelson Mandela'
IT IS normally frowned upon for a man to cry, especially when that man is king of a proud nation.
But when Thembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo learnt about the death of his beloved uncle, Nelson Mandela, he couldn't contain his grief.
"I cried because it felt like a part of me was gone," he said, adding that he learnt of the sad news through the television broadcast by President Jacob Zuma.
"I knew he was sick and was going to die one day. But I didn't want it to be so soon. I hoped he would live longer," said Dalindyebo, a nephew of the late statesman.
His late father King Sabata Dalindyebo was a cousin of Mandela, who was a member of the Thembu royal family.
The family has been rocked by reports of divisions since Mandela's death. The king did not attend his uncle's funeral, raising eyebrows among the Thembu and the public.
"I did not go to the funeral but I did my part when I received his body from the airport in Mthatha," he said.
Mandela's body was flown to Mthatha on December 14, a day before his burial.
Dalindyebo was part of the family and royal delegation that received the his body on the day.
"It took a while for me to accept that he was gone. I knew him as a strong man and we had plans to meet. It was the saddest day," he said.
Dalindyebo only got to spend time with Mandela after he was released from prison in 1990. The king grew up in exile in Zambia while Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years. But he feels that the time they spent together was enough under the circumstances.
"I spent enough time with him but still it wasn't easy to let go."
He recalled the last time they were together at Mandela's Qunu home a few years before he became ill.
"He sat on his favourite armchair on the verandah facing the farm so he could see his livestock," he said, with a smile.
"His cattle were important to him. We sat there, talking about family and the future. He said he was going to give me a fat sheep for me to take home. He said he was proud of me."
But those days are a distant memory now, so much so that the king does not even set foot in Qunu as the family continues to be divided by a widening rift. Ownership of Madiba's home is now contested by his former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, despite what the will says.
On Sunday, the presidency announced that Zuma had filed papers to oppose the claim.
Dalindyebo, who earlier this year fought off a challenge by Zuma to dethrone him, told Sowetan he would only visit Qunu when Madikizela-Mandela received ownership of the disputed property.
"Madiba united the family. He held the family together. Now that he's gone, there's a huge gap and there's nothing for me in Qunu," he said.
ntsambab@sowetan.co.za
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