Unpublished Condolence Letter from Nelson Mandela in jail to a Jewish Communist in S.Africa auctioned
[The Harmel's were White Jewish communists in South Africa. Nelson and Winnie Mandela had their wedding in the house of these Jewish scum. Nelson Mandela was very close to all these White Communist treasonous filth in South Africa. The Jews created him. This article is from 2018. At the source link below you'll see various photos of Nelson Mandela and the White Jewish filth here in South Africa. All these Jewish communists should have been hanged for treason. You will hear endless Jewish crybaby claptrap about how evil Apartheid was, but in reality, the Apartheid Government did the bare minimum that it needed to. It was constantly under Western scrutiny, when in fact the Boers had every right to have grabbed and hanged many many Blacks and White/Jewish communist scum. The West was always on South Africa's case. Jan]
‘May he rest in peace for his work on earth is done’: Unpublished condolence letter written by Nelson Mandela from prison in 1974 to the daughter of an anti-apartheid activist is to go under the hammer in London and could fetch up to £100,000
When written Mandela was ten years into a life sentence facing brutal conditions
Letter is addressed to Barbara Lamb sending condolences on death of her father
Mandela writes movingly about his initial failure as a young college graduate
By JAMES WOOD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:37 GMT, 28 August 2018 | UPDATED: 20:50 GMT, 28 August 2018
An unpublished condolence letter written by Nelson Mandela from his prison cell is to go under the hammer and could fetch as much as £100,000.
The reflective and tender letter was written to Mandela’s friend and fellow anti-apartheid activist Michael Harmel.
It describes in moving detail Mandela’s appreciation of the older man’s advice and wisdom.
He refers to Harmel as ‘one of those men who fully understood the meaning of their life’.
An unpublished condolence letter (pictured) written by Nelson Mandela from his prison cell could fetch as much as £100,000 at auction next month
At the point of writing Mandela was ten years into a life sentence on Robben Island and still sleeping every night on a stone floor.
He touches on faith and hope in the letter, which is due to go under the hammer at Bonhams auction house later this month.
The letter, which has never been published, is addressed to Barbara Lamb and sends condolences on the death of her father Mr Harmel.
News of his death had only recently reached Mandela at the time of writing.
Mandela first met Harmel at a Communist Party meeting in the 1940s, and he writes movingly about his initial failure as a young college graduate to appreciate the older man’s gifts.
He said: ‘I was convinced that he did not deserve the honour of being placed amongst the elite.
‘It was some years later that I came to accept his simplicity as a virtue on which one could model his own life’.
Over time their friendship grew.
Harmel’s wife Ray – a seamstress and ardent supporter of the anti-apartheid movement – made Winnie Mandela’s wedding dress at Nelson’s request and the famous post-wedding photograph of the newly married couple was taken at the Harmel’s house.
Elsewhere in the letter Mandela says: ‘He was one of those men who fully understood the meaning of their life as part of mankind generally and as individuals.
‘His peep into the future very often coincided with one’s most intimate hopes and dreams. May he rest in peace for ‘his work on earth is done’.’
The conditions under which Mandela lived when the letter was written were brutal.
The future South African president was still sleeping every night on a stone floor, breaking stones in the yard every day during the week, and was confined to his cell 23 hours a day at the weekends.
Although by 1974 he had progressed from a Grade D to a Grade A prisoner, and was able to maintain more contact with the outside world.
Despite the hardships and sad circumstances he had been ordered to endure following his conviction for sabotage at the Rivonia Trial in 1964, he still maintains a sense of perspective and humour.
Looking forward to his freedom he promises to take his European ‘sisters’ – close friends who had supported him in the days of struggle – to a feast and then to invite them to join in Umngqungpo, the Xhosa dance performed by elder women to celebrate girls who are coming of age.
The letter closes with a characteristically thoughtful interweaving of the personal and the philosophical.
Mandela says: ‘It has been said that faith is like an oak tree, it grows steadily but, once established, it endures for centuries.
‘Ever ridden a horse in your life, or seen a horse race? Hope is the horse on which you ride and travel to your destination, to reach the winning post.
‘My only fortune in life is to have friends who taught me these things, amongst whom was your beloved Pa. Fondest regards & sincere good wishes to all. Sincerely, Nelson’.
Bonhams is predicting the letter to fetch between £50,000 and £100,000 at auction.
Giles Peppiatt, director of the South African sale, said: ‘When Nelson Mandela wrote this letter he had endured ten years of appalling treatment with no prospect of release, yet he retained his humanity, his sense of humour and his faith in the future.
‘He writes with almost conversational grace and ease. It is a wonderful letter.’
The letter is due to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ South African sale in London on September 14.