Mandela's unlikely friendship with his prison guard

Guarding Mandela: The incredible and heart warming story of an unlikely relationship formed between Mandela and his prison guard.

As concern mounts in South Africa over Nelson Mandela's condition, this touching report looks at the unlikely bond between the leader and his Robben Island prison guard, which became a lifelong friendship.

"He was afraid to approach the street, we had to lead him by the arm," recalls Christo Brandt, Mandela's prison guard for 12 years. The government was so sure he wouldn't be recognised that from 1981, when his health first began to deteriorate, South Africa's public enemy number one walked regularly through the city of Cape Town with his prison guard on the way to hospital. The two men's backgrounds couldn't be any more different: Mandela, a black lawyer with royal blood, and Brandt, a white, working class farmer's son. Yet their close relationship broke all the rules of the apartheid regime. Mandela wrote in his autobiography, "the most important person in any prisoner's life is not the minister of justice, but the warden in one's section". When the government bugged Brandt and instructed him to set Mandela up with some leading questions, Brandt showed extraordinary loyalty and instead tipped off his friend. In 1995, the former prisoner called his old guard to offer him a job in the presidential office, where the two worked happily together for many years. "He had become like a father to me", Brandt smiles.

KRO: Ref- 5865

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[Pookleberry]

I met this man in 2000 with a colleague, Per Graversen on a trip with the Aarhus Youth School. 
He had a souvenir shop, just by the quayside to the ferry to Robbin island. We had a long chat about his relationship with Nelson Mandela. Mandela also taught many of his guards, (who were specially chosen for their hatred of black South Africans, and many of them were illiterate) all they way up to university level. Many graduated. He did all this, whilst tutoring his fellow prisoners.
Tutoring his guards had to take place in deepest secrecy, as the authorities would have put a stop to it, if found out.
What a story!!

[teamfrazz]

Whether you see the man as a 'terrorist' or freedom fighter, whatever your view is. No one can deny that he stood up for what he believed in, suffered and made a very big impact not just on South Africa, but the entire world! Very few people would have the will to do what he did, what a brave man!

[renatodasilveira]

I arrived in South Africa in 1992. I have lived there ever since. I must say, it is a beautiful country, with many resources. I do not have the political language to express all that has happened, but I can say this country is currently stretched to its limit. Resources are being used in ways that do not benefit those whom it was intended to benefit. Yet there is a true potential in it, that will only come out when ignorance, and greed are dealt with. These are world problems, not SA alone's. Yet, I feel with the passing of Mr. Mandela, if indeed the foundations he laid out are really strong, the foundations of freedom, peace, and understanding, we will be strong enough to face the coming winter.

[RamonThomas]

Wow! This story made me feel hope, sadness and gratitude for the peaceful transition after Nelson Mandela's release in 1990. Even though many died leading up to 1994, we avoided a civil war. This could be a movie in it's own right.

[englishcoach]

Mandela is and was the only royal leader I will always respect as a real leader, the rest did things for their own benifits and fears.

[bongs]

Wow, this man is so humble and down to earth, soft spoken, he indeed has a heart and ubuntu in him because he is human with feelings, God bless him, I just hope one of these film producers can do a film about this relationship

[stevenswiel]

Never say all prisoners are bad. Some prisoners come out amazing people. Some people only go to prison for oppression.

[zeom]

A mistake. Mandela became president in 1994, not 1992. Excellent video!

[shaunschoeman]

And just last night i met this wonderful person. Just last night. What a remarkable story

[andremimoun]

Amazing emotional story, gives hope in humanity

[malikbogosi]

When I was a junior engineer I told my boss : treat me good so that when I become your boss I can treat you good and 8 months later I was his boss . Treat people well despite their situations and circumstances because you never know what can happen. I was more hungry than him but his arrogance tainted his views to see that I had nothing to loose .

[oleggy]

So what if I am from Europe and lived in US for many years...my college roommate was black, I am white....I really don't see any problem with that. What matters now is that yes SA is a democracy, a country of majority-rule and yes Mandela helped to bring it about. What matters to me is DEMOCRACY and if there are mistakes made by the present SA government - they deserve to be talked about and must be dealt with, but not in a hateful, rather in a democratic way.

[behroozshahdaftar]

Thank you for this posting. Is there a link to the whole film.

[gemarcherChe]

Keep to fight Nelson!
Greetings from Italy.

[dansonkibera]

That's why we should never ever care about skin colour . The white guard was a guardian angel....

[journeyman]

#journeymanweekly 24/06: Mandela's unlikely friend, lethal Malaysian smog, Snowdon runs to Ecuador & transgender kids Guarding Mandela

[sampielouw]

If I've learned one thing on my journey it's that sometimes there is more to a name than meets the eye Mr Brandt, like Amanda and the meaning of it

[idealist.]

If Mandela didn't forgive what would happen between white south African black south African ? Anyway in Africa we need more competent like him

[sampielouw]

That's bizarre, they seem to have had no issues with treating him at One Mill as he got older which I believe is a military hospital of sorts for soldiers, weird

[MarcAbela]

Can anyone help me understand what Brandt called Nelson Mandela in the very last minute of the video when he introduces him at around 10:17 (on stage).
Thanks!