Around Mother Africa Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #440)

proceeded. "For holiday", I said. "When you go back Pietersberg ?" she persisted. "Tomorrow", I answered. "You come Durban for holiday and spend the whole day in room talking to people and reading book?" The old lady had seen through our plans and I was happy when that evening Masabalala drove me to Groutville to see Chief. He readily endorsed the whole proposal that I should go to the PAFMECSA conference, make arrangements for the training of our recruits and visit Ghana, but insisted that I should return as soon as I had accomplished my mission. We had chartered a plane that would fly me to Dar Es Salaam and that would bring back Moses Kotane who was on another mission abroad. On the morning of my departure Zami brought me a new travel suitcase packed with personal belongings. Later Ahmed Kathrada arrived and we spent some time together while waiting for Walter Sisulu and Duma Nokwe to bring my credentials for Addis Ababa. But when they did not turn up Amin Cajee drove me to Bechuanaland. We later learnt that Walter had been arrested on his way to me and that also held up Duma. I had never left South Africa before and although I was a bit tense all along the way and constantly on the lookout for the police I looked forward keenly to my yourney which would give me the opportunity of visiting new places I had only seen in atlases and meeting leading figures like Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, who led a party with a policy almost identical with ours, Haile Selassie, one of the first black statemen I ever heard of, the Cairo museum and pyramids,