Special Report Transcript Episode 77, Section 2, Time 34:35

I just want to say that we have had a very close relationship with the Mandela’s. We live in the same street in what is sometimes called Beverly Hills. Our children went to the same school in Swaziland, they call me uncle and so on and Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela is godmother to one of our grandchildren who was baptized on the Sunday of Madiba’s release. When I was Bishop of Lesotho I used to visit Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela, well maybe once or twice, in Brandfort. I have immense admiration for her and there is no question at all that she was a tremendous stalwart of our struggle, an icon of liberation who was banned, harassed, under surveillance, banished. With a husband away serving a life sentence she had to bring up two young girls, and yet one has to say that something went wrong, horribly badly wrong. What I don’t know. This is what I want to say to you, I speak to you as someone who loves you very deeply, who loves your family very, very deeply. I would have said to you, let us have a public meeting and at that public meeting for you to stand up and say there are things that went wrong. There are things that went wrong and I don’t know why they went wrong. There are people out there who want to embrace you. I still embrace you because I love you and I love you very deeply. There are many out there who would have wanted to do so if you were able to bring yourself to say something went wrong, because all these leaders couldn’t have been so agitated, and say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for my part in what went wrong. And I believe we are an incredible people, many would have rushed out in their eagerness to forgive and to embrace you. I beg you, I beg you. I beg you, please. I have not made any particular finding from what has happened here, I speak as someone who has lived in this community. You are a great person and you don’t know how your greatness would be enhanced if you were to say sorry, things went wrong, forgive me. I beg you.

Notes: Archbishop Tutu

References: there are no references for this transcript