A famous quote attributed to #AhmedKathrada is:
“Hatred‚ revenge‚ bitterness – these are negative emotions. The person harbouring those emotions suffers more.”
In a similar vein‚ he advised South Africans in a newspaper comment piece just last year that while he endorsed a heightened assertiveness in tackling racism‚ “I am not for once saying that racists cannot be humanised. Through education and learning‚ even the worst racists can unlearn their prejudices.”
He urged individuals‚ organisations and communities to “stamp their dignity” when trying to counter racism‚ as the veterans had when fighting apartheid‚ merrily recounting an incident when he and some friends used a “Europeans only” lift.
“A white woman‚ who also wanted to use the lift‚ told us to read the sign. We responded by saying‚ ‘We do not mind sharing a lift with Europeans’ and that she was welcome to join us … She chose not to take the lift. But we asserted our dignity and made our point.”