Timeframe: On Nelson Mandela Day, remembering his kindness and close ties with the UAE

Former South African president and anti-apartheid icon had a warm friendship with UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan awarding the Zayed Medal of Honour to Nelson Mandela during his first visit to the UAE in 1995. Wam

As the world remembered anti-apartheid activist and statesman Nelson Mandela on his birthday on July 18 this week, it's a good time to reflect on his unwavering kindness and humanity.

In his book, Ye Shall Bowl on Grass, Rafique Gangat, who had just been posted to Abu Dhabi as the new South African ambassador, fondly remembers Mandela's state visit to the UAE in 1995.

“I had the privilege of witnessing the stature and charm of the man from a vantage point and couldn’t help but marvel at his humility with all the attention fostered on him,” he writes.

In one heartwarming anecdote, Gangat recalls the South African president's interaction with a palace staffer in Abu Dhabi.

While preparing for a meeting with UAE Founding Father President, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Mandela noticed the fine job done by whoever had pressed his suit.

“Who ironed my suit?” Mandela asked Gangat, who did not know the answer.

“He showed me the lines and cuffs, and how well it was ironed and insisted that he needed to thank the person. I told him, ‘I shall do that later, but now we have the President waiting and we need to go,'" Gangat writes in his book.

“But Mandela insisted and I gave in to his resolute demand. I quickly instituted an inquiry to determine the whereabouts of the person who ironed the president’s suit, and we both walked to the laundry room, which was quite a distance away.

“We were met by a young Indian man busy ironing linen, and when he looked up, he simply exclaimed, ‘Mandela’, at which the president took his hand and thanked him sincerely for the excellent job.

“To our surprise, the young man started to cry and when Mandela asked, ‘Why are you crying?’, he replied, ‘No one has ever thanked me, and I don’t believe that Mandela is thanking me.'

“They were tears of joy, and I must add that I was also touched by this sincere gesture and was a bit choked up, too.”

Mandela's close relationship with the UAE is also well-documented, particularly his friendship with Sheikh Zayed.

Nelson Mandela with the late Sheikh Zayed on a state visit in 1995. Photo: Al Ittihad

The two statesmen met on a number of occasions, the first time in 1995 during the state visit, when Mandela was decorated with the Order of Zayed Medal First Class.

Sheikh Zayed and Mandela, who were both born in 1918, shared many of the same traits as leaders, including strong vision and a commitment to their people, and were said to have immense respect for each other.

When they met again three years after their first meeting, in 1998 during the GCC Summit in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed told Mandela: "You are a blessing." The South African leader responded: "There is no greater blessing than you."

Writing for The National, Taryam Al Subaihi recalls the time he heard Mandela speak at the American University of Sharjah in 2001.

"It was not a speech about politics, imprisonment or his struggle against apartheid. Instead, he spoke of the future and the duty we as a people had towards ensuring something better for many generations to come," Al Subaihi writes. "It reminded me immediately of how our late present Sheikh Zayed shared the same passion and love for his country that inspired his nation towards greatness."

In 2018, the centenaries of the birth of Sheikh Zayed and Mandela, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, now Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, was on a visit to Pretoria in South Africa.

He presented Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela, the grandson of the late South African president, with a thank you note addressed to the Mandela family.

The note was in appreciation of the late leader’s legacy and his friendship with the UAE’s first President.