Nelson Mandela’s pistol given by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie found?
Mandela’s Ethiopian Passport under the name David Motsamayi
given to him by His Majesty in 1962 .This African solidarity is null
today.Is there any African country that does this or help fleeing
Ethiopian youth?One interesting thing in the above passport is the
profession of Madeba;the Amharic above says Journalist.Madeba the
gazetegna!
Complied By Ankober
6/02/2011
A search to find a pistol owned by Nelson Mandela said to
be the first weapon of the African National Congress’ armed resistance
to apartheid rule and given to him while he was in military training in
Ethiopia has ended under the house of a South African pop star.
The gun was given to Mr Mandela by an Ethiopian Colonel who gave him military training while he was on the run from South Africa’s white government seeking to prosecute him for his political activities.
The gun was given to Mr Mandela by an Ethiopian Colonel who gave him military training while he was on the run from South Africa’s white government seeking to prosecute him for his political activities.
When he returned to South Africa, just weeks before he
was arrested and jailed for 27 years, he buried it in the grounds of the
farm where he was staying.
Now, trustees of Liliesleaf Farm in Johannesburg believe
they have established where the Bulgarian-made pistol lies. They are
looking at bringing in excavators to search under a house which was
built over it and is now inhabited by a local pop star.
The gun has an estimated value of 22 million Rand
(£1.8 million). With 92-year-old Mr Mandela’s health fading, the
trustees fear it is their last chance to find the weapon in his
lifetime.
The Makarov pistol was given to him in 1962, as he toured
the world seeking funding and training for Umkhonto we Sizwe, or ‘Spear
of the Nation’, the armed wing of the ANC he established to fight
apartheid.
In Ethiopia, he received military and political training from Emperor Haile Selassie’s army. When Mr Mandela left Ethiopia, the colonel in charge of his training give him a gun to symbolise his coming struggle – reportedly on the instructions of the Emperor himself.
Allister Sparks, a South African journalist who is a friend of Mr Mandela’s, said the gift had meant a great deal to the freedom fighter, who went on to become South Africa’s first black president in 1994.
“It was essentially ceremonial, but, to my knowledge, that may have been Umkhonto we Sizwe’s first weapon,” he said.
In late July 1962, perhaps mindful that his days of freedom were numbered, Mr Mandela wrapped the Makarov pistol in foil and an army uniform and buried it under a tin plate along with 200 rounds of ammunition in a 1.5-metre deep pit.
During his subsequent 27-year stay in jail, other properties were built in the grounds, including one on top of the suspected gun burial site.
After Mr Mandela had been released, he visited Liliesleaf in 2003 and pointed out to Nicholas Wolpe, the son of a former ANC activist and chief executive of the Liliesleaf Trust, where he believed the gun was hidden, telling him: “I hope you find it”.
Mr Wolpe says he is confident that the weapon is underneath a house adjoining the farm, 5 George Avenue, which is owned by 77-year-old pensioner Al Leenstra and inhabited by a pop singer called JMaxx.
Mr Leenstra has said he would be willing to sell the house for it to be demolished but Mr Wolpe is hoping it may not be necessary. The trust is looking into bringing in a team which normally works in war zones, using dogs which can scent ammunition.
Mr Wolpe said he believed the gun had “real personal significance” for Mr Mandela, and has made it his personal mission to find it.
“The final excavation and showcasing of this pistol is awaited by many. African nations of toady ought to learn from this historic pistol and its linked legacy.Africans should stand in solidarity – help one another-fight foreign dividers -remove jealousy- help fleeing African brothers and sisters.” Ankober recaps.
Nelson Mandela In Ethiopia: A Peacemaker's Beginnings As Guerrilla Fighter
By Jacey Fortin
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Flags are flying at half-staff outside the African Union headquarters on Friday in honor of Nelson Mandela, whose death Thursday has the entire continent, and the world, in mourning. The activist, politician, scholar, husband, father and Nobel Peace Prize laureate fought against apartheid, a system of formalized segregation that saw black South Africans treated as third-class citizens, and helped to heal a fractured nation in the aftermath of minority rule.
“Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a symbol for wisdom, for the ability to change and the power of reconciliation,” AU Deputy Chairman Erasmus Mwencha told reporters here in Ethiopia's capital city on Friday morning. “His life and legacy is the biggest lesson, motivation, inspiration and commitment any African can give to Africa.”
In Ethiopia, he received military and political training from Emperor Haile Selassie’s army. When Mr Mandela left Ethiopia, the colonel in charge of his training give him a gun to symbolise his coming struggle – reportedly on the instructions of the Emperor himself.
Allister Sparks, a South African journalist who is a friend of Mr Mandela’s, said the gift had meant a great deal to the freedom fighter, who went on to become South Africa’s first black president in 1994.
“It was essentially ceremonial, but, to my knowledge, that may have been Umkhonto we Sizwe’s first weapon,” he said.
In late July 1962, perhaps mindful that his days of freedom were numbered, Mr Mandela wrapped the Makarov pistol in foil and an army uniform and buried it under a tin plate along with 200 rounds of ammunition in a 1.5-metre deep pit.
During his subsequent 27-year stay in jail, other properties were built in the grounds, including one on top of the suspected gun burial site.
After Mr Mandela had been released, he visited Liliesleaf in 2003 and pointed out to Nicholas Wolpe, the son of a former ANC activist and chief executive of the Liliesleaf Trust, where he believed the gun was hidden, telling him: “I hope you find it”.
Mr Wolpe says he is confident that the weapon is underneath a house adjoining the farm, 5 George Avenue, which is owned by 77-year-old pensioner Al Leenstra and inhabited by a pop singer called JMaxx.
Mr Leenstra has said he would be willing to sell the house for it to be demolished but Mr Wolpe is hoping it may not be necessary. The trust is looking into bringing in a team which normally works in war zones, using dogs which can scent ammunition.
Mr Wolpe said he believed the gun had “real personal significance” for Mr Mandela, and has made it his personal mission to find it.
“The final excavation and showcasing of this pistol is awaited by many. African nations of toady ought to learn from this historic pistol and its linked legacy.Africans should stand in solidarity – help one another-fight foreign dividers -remove jealousy- help fleeing African brothers and sisters.” Ankober recaps.
Nelson Mandela In Ethiopia: A Peacemaker's Beginnings As Guerrilla Fighter
Nelson
Mandela with Gen. Tadesse Beru (Left). In 1962, Mandela was issued an
Ethiopian passport under the name David Motsamayi, which he used on his
tour of several African countries
By Jacey Fortin
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Flags are flying at half-staff outside the African Union headquarters on Friday in honor of Nelson Mandela, whose death Thursday has the entire continent, and the world, in mourning. The activist, politician, scholar, husband, father and Nobel Peace Prize laureate fought against apartheid, a system of formalized segregation that saw black South Africans treated as third-class citizens, and helped to heal a fractured nation in the aftermath of minority rule.
“Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a symbol for wisdom, for the ability to change and the power of reconciliation,” AU Deputy Chairman Erasmus Mwencha told reporters here in Ethiopia's capital city on Friday morning. “His life and legacy is the biggest lesson, motivation, inspiration and commitment any African can give to Africa.”
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