Sequel to Long Walk to Freedom - Revision 1 - Chapter 2 Page 12

negotiations quite early in their political careers. They were also in the forefront in stopping violence between the ANC and the IFP that had cost so many civilian lives. Whilst Thabo Mbeki and other comrades mentioned above were operating in exile, some septuagenarians were fighting with prison warders and using the naked fist most of the time. In that environment there was little room for diplomatic skills. A cardinal point that we must keep constantly in mind, the lodestar which keeps us in course, as we negotiate the uncharted twists and turns of the struggle for liberation is that the breakthrough is never the result of individual effort. It is always a collective effort and triumph. 25