SATURDAY VISION TRIBUTE December 7, 2013 27 JUST FIVE MONTHS AFTER HIS 27-YEAR STAY IN PRISON ENDED, MANDELA VISITED A friend of Uganda

BY FELIX OSIKE

outh Africans this morning woke up to a nation without Madiba,S the former president. Madiba, as he was widely known, was popular in life as in his death. From his trademark “Mandela shirt” to his brand With of politics, he remains an icon Museveni to many Ugandans. during his Ugandans remember 2000 visit the legendary Mandela for becoming ’s oUVWEODFNSUHVLGHQWLQ The Visits after over 300 years of white minority rule. 0DQGHODoUVWYLVLWHG Mandela lays the foundation stone for the Mandela National July 1990 Uganda at the invitation of Stadium at Namboole during his 1990 visit to Uganda President Yoweri Museveni in „ Thousands give Mandela a -XO\oYHPRQWKVDIWHUKH heroic welcome to Uganda was freed from jail where he RQ2FWREHUZKHQKH and other African leaders. „ He lays foundation stone for had spent 27 years. received Uganda’s highest and They included presidents Mandela National Stadium 2Q-XO\WKRXVDQGV prestigious medal, the Order Daniel arap Moi of Kenya, of Ugandans and foreigners of the Pearl of Africa Class Pasteur Bizimungu of resident in and One (Grand Master) at Kololo Rwanda, Sam Nujoma of October 1996 thronged the Airstrip during celebrations Namibia, Joachim Chissano „ Attends Independence road to the city to give a WRPDUN8JDQGD VWK of Mozambique, Frederick celebrations heroic welcome to Mandela independence anniversary. Chiluba of Zambia, the „ Receives Order of the Pearl who was then the African Mandela, a Nobel peace President of Botswana, the of Africa (Grand Master) National Congress deputy prize winner, visited Uganda Mauritian Premier, King president. During this trip he for the third time in January Mswati of Swaziland, the laid the foundation stone of ZKHQKHZDVWKHJXHVWRI foreign ministers of Lesotho January 1998 the $32m Nelson Mandela honour at celebrations to mark and Tanzania, the DRC Justice Sports Complex at Namboole WKHWKDQQLYHUVDU\RIWKH Minister and the Zimbabwean „ Guest of honour at 12th in Kampala. National Resistance Movement High Commissioner. NRM anniversary fete 2IoFLDOGLSORPDWLFUHODWLRQV DW.RORORDLUVWULSRQ-DQXDU\ The emergency summit „ Tours Mandela Stadium between Uganda and South in South Africa to resolve the Coverage of Mandela’s PEACEMAKER Africa were established on „ WKHQFULVLVLQWKHZDUWRUQ maiden visit to Uganda -XQH Mandela was a promoter of Democratic Republic of the „ Meets Museveni over Mandela’s second visit UHJLRQDOSHDFH2Q$XJXVW Congo (DRC) called for an Burundi peace process ‹KLVoUVWDVSUHVLGHQW‹ZDV 0DQGHODPHW0XVHYHQL LPPHGLDWHFHDVHoUH „ TRADE PROMOTION During this trip Mandela Under his administration YLVLWHGPVHDWHU South African companies set Nelson Mandela Sports EHHQWUDLQLQJDVDSUH their sights on Uganda. On Complex at Namboole, which condition for Namibia’s 2FWREHU3UHVLGHQW ZDVRSHQHGLQ-DQXDU\ independence. 0XVHYHQLRIoFLDOO\ODXQFKHG and remarked: “I like the 7KHoUVWEDWFKRI Mobile Telecommunications look of this stadium. I feel like soldiers arrived in Kaweweta Network (MTN) Uganda Ltd playing football.” LQDQGE\WKH with a call to Mandela. Other number was 3,000, making it South African companies ganda was the biggest concentration of have since opened shop in one of the Umkhotho we Sizwe soldiers Kampala. African in a single camp. After relinquishing power countries The Government, with WR7KDER0EHNLLQ-XQH where the the support of South Africa, Mandela became the facilitator African has erected a monument at of the Burundi peace process. UNational Congress (ANC) Kaweweta in Nakaseke district Ugandans’ last glimpse had training camps especially in honour of the ANC heroes. of him was in October 2000, for its military combatants, The Oliver Tambo when he came to meet (Spear of Leadership Institute has Museveni who was then the the Nation). also been established on the chairman of the Regional When Museveni allowed former ANC camp. Initiative on Burundi. The two WKH$1&oJKWHUVLQWR8JDQGD ANC President Tambo leaders strongly warned the LQWKH8QLWHG1DWLRQV who spent most of his life warring factions in Burundi had passed a resolution, serving in the struggle against WRVWRSoJKWLQJDQGNLOOLQJ which threw them out of DSDUWKHLGGLHGLQDWWKH ANC soldiers march in Kampala on May 5, 1994 to celebrate the ANC’s poll victory innocent civilians. Angola, where they had DJHRI