for National Geographic News
The familiar figure of Nelson Mandela, with his trade-mark floral shirt and ready smile, will be fading from the international limelight. The father of South Africa's democracy and icon of many across the globe has announced his intention to retreat from public life.
Speaking at a gathering of media and friends on June 1 in Johannesburg, Mandela said: "I'm turning 86 in a few weeks' time [July 18], and that is a longer life than most people are granted. "I have the added blessing of being in very good health, at least according to my doctors. I'm confident that nobody present here today will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I'm still in good heath, with my family, my friends, and also with myself."
He said he did not intend to hide away totally, but he missed the opportunity for reading, thinking, and quiet reflection and would now do these things and work on his memoirs.
The book he is writing is a sequel to his first autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom, which covers his life from his youth to his release from prison after 27 years in 1990. The new book will include his period as South Africa's first fully democratically elected president, from 1994 till his retirement in 1999.
Mandela's spokesman and assistant, Zelda le Grange, has confirmed his assurance that he is still "100 percent healthy." She said he just felt he was much too busy and needed time to spend with his family.
From the difficulty he has walking, it has for some time been clear that the years are taking their toll on Madiba—the Xhosa clan name by which Mandela is affectionately known in South Africa. But the easy way he has of clutching the hands of his hosts or guests to help steady him—to their invariable joy and pride—has become just part of the disarming charm of a man who is regarded as one of history's greatest freedom fighters.
It is not the first time Mandela has stated his intention to withdraw from public life. He did so after his retirement in 1999, because, he said at the time, he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren.
Little came of that. He was called on to help broker peace agreements in world trouble spots, most notably in conflict-torn Burundi in central Africa.
At home Mandela has relentlessly pursued money-raising drives for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. He would do this by, among other things, inviting business leaders to join him on visits to settlements of poor people, where he would have them pledge donations, particularly for schools and classrooms. Such facilities have become known as the products of "Madiba magic."
Mandela has also remained at the top of the must-see list for politicians and other celebrities visiting South Africa. He is considered to be among the most prestigious guests at functions the world over.
But this time his friends say his retirement is real.
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