South African History Online

Notes for a speech by President Nelson Mandela at the Blue Train gala dinner and charity auction

Cape Town, 27 September 1997

Minister Sigcau;
Madame Mayor of Cape Town;
Distinguished guests.

One way or another, the 1,600 kilometre journey from Pretoria to Cape Town
seems to have played a significant part in my life.

In 1963, I was brought to Cape Town from Pretoria for my first acquaintance
with Robben Island. On that occasion, the mode of transport was the back of a
police van which drove all day and all night.

One year later, my second introduction to Robben Island, after the Rivonia
trial, was hardly more dignified. My fellow travellers and I were flown from a
Pretoria air base in an ancient military Dakota, a bumpy and unpleasant ride
that left us shaken up.

And then I took a long, long rest on Robben Island, when I didn't do much
travelling.

These days I shuttle between our two capital cities by jet plane, a trip
which takes no more than two hours.

In the last two days, I have made the trip again. And I have to say, although
it took much longer than the police van or the Dakota, or in particular today's
fast jets, I enjoyed it very much more and the company was much more
charming.

This time, as you must know, I was a pampered guest, along with some very
distinguished people whom you see here tonight, on the occasion of the launch of
the new Blue Train. It was a wonderful experience and I congratulate Transnet
and Spoornet and its dedicated staff on their achievement.

I am confident that our friends from the international media will be equally
impressed by their first experience of the new Blue Train on its return trip to
Pretoria. Some of them are here tonight, and I welcome them most warmly.

I was particularly pleased that our journey allowed our honoured foreign
friends to get a first-hand awareness, which a jet plane can never provide, not
only of the beauty of our land, but of the many remarkable peoples who have
joined hands to form this new nation.

All our journey, we were overjoyed at the warm welcome we received,
especially from the children.

I am enormously encouraged by this unique experience. The Blue Train is going
to be one of the flagships of our tourist industry as it become one of the
mainstays of our economic growth.

By the year 2000 we expect one Rand in every 12 of our gross domestic product
to be earned by tourism. The new Blue Train signals South Africa's commitment to
quality and excellence in our approach to foreign visitors, our determination to
succeed in the competitive market-place of the world.

It is an affirmation of this beautiful city of Cape Town as one of the
premier tourist destinations in the world. And it expresses more eloquently than
words the partnership among all our cities, including Cape Town and Pretoria, in
the effort to build a better life for all.

To travel through any developing country is also to be reminded of what needs
to be done to overcome the legacy of the past. Every contribution to sustained
growth will help in the years ahead to produce the resources and the jobs for
reconstruction and development.

But we also have immediate needs. The burden of our past weighs most heavily
on the most vulnerable sections of our society, in particular our children.

I am therefore gratified that Spoornet decided that the launch should benefit
our Children's Fund, which I established to help repair some of the ravages that
our recent history has visited on our youth. Its task is to work with other
organisations and institutions as part of a national effort, and in particular
on the most urgent needs.

Issued by: Office of the President