A man who was guarding Madiba’s life 21 years ago enlisted the help of 2 Good Samaritans who helped them get away during an evacuation.
Today, he is using Madiba Day and social media to try to find them to thank them personally.
Rory Steyn, a former bodyguard to Nelson Mandela has decided to use this Mandela Day to try find the “young lady and her boyfriend driving a beige Renault 5” who helped get the former President of South Africa to safety.
The incident happened in 1996, in the heart of Brixton, in London. The former President had to be evacuated from a community centre that he’d just opened and Steyn along with 2 other officers stopped a car that was passing by and asked the driver to follow the Presidents vehicle, to make sure that he got to safety.
“21 years ago I was privileged to accompany the great man on his state visit to London. On the only occasion I was ever called upon to do so, we evacuated Madiba from the street outside a community centre that he’d just opened in Brixton.”
“Two colleagues and I commandeered a vehicle in the street so that we could follow the Rolls Royce that the president was in. It was a beige Renault 5 driven by a young lady and her boyfriend.”
Steyn is hoping that the power of social media will carry the story across the globe so that he can personally thank the driver and her boyfriend.
“Happy Mandela Day everyone! To commemorate this special day this year I am enlisting the help of Facebook friends, especially those in the UK.”
“I’ve never had the chance to thank her and I’d like to do that.”
“Surely someone has heard her tell the story of the day three cops piled into the back of her car in Brixton. It was July 1996 – please help me find and thank this Good Samaritan!”
You can help find these Good Samaritans by sharing this story and hopefully, Steyn will find them to personally thank them for helping.
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