PICTURE: RAJESH JANTILAL Do not ask me why some of the stalwarts who went to Robben Island as part of the struggle against Afrikaner domination ended up being addressed as "Oom", like Oom Ray and Oom Gov. These two late stalwarts have been on my mind lately as I ponder the significance of the "battle of PE" in the coming local elections.Both men spent their last days in Port Elizabeth. I was lucky enough to have fairly extensive interactions with Oom Ray (Raymond Mhlaba) before he died. The Rivonia triallist spent 26 years in prison, one year shy of Nelson Mandela’s 27. Ndobe, as Madiba and others called Oom Ray, could not swear, even in anger.Ahmed Kathrada, another esteemed ANC stalwart, once told me Oom Ray got so upset at a Robben Island prison warder once that he just about used a swearword. Uncle Kathy was one of the prisoners egging him on, shouting "swear him". "You fascist," Oom Ray eventually shouted at the warder.Mac Maharaj has a slightly different account. He says Oom R...
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