Hazel Hutchinson - The Other Side of the Road

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October 2nd 2008

Esther, I said to my daughter, you will never guess whats happened!

Well no, she said, quite reasonably, What is it?

Ive just had a call from the Presidents Office in South Africa to say that they are giving Alfred a posthumus award for his contribution to South African literature and the struggle against apartheid. AND, Ive been invited to go and receive the award on behalf of the family!

What!

Yes. AND I can take along one personal guest! What do you think?

Me? Oh, yes. Id love to. When is it?

The 28th of this month. Not a lot of time. Theyll pay the fare and accommodation and we could stay for a few days. What do you think? Can you manage it?

Yes, I must. Its half term week so Ive booked some time off work and Barry can look after the children. But how did they find you?

Through Josephine.

Josephine was my South African sister-in-law the wife of Alfreds brother George. We had never met as they were married after Alfred and I had left South Africa, but we had kept in touch by letter, phone and recently by e-mail, and now we would meet as she was also going to the ceremony. George had died some time before so she would come to Pretoria with her Cuban son-in-law, Julio.

A few days later I received the official letter and invitation:

Dear Ms Hutchinson

AWARD OF THE ORDER OF IKHAMANGA: SILVER TO MR ALFRED HUTCHINSON

I have pleasure in informing you that His Excellency, President K P Motlanthe has accepted the nomination of the late Mr Alfred Hutchinson for the Order of Ikhamanga.

The President has therefore decided to honour Mr Alfred Hutchinson with the Order of Ikhamanga: Silver for his excellent contribution to the struggle against racism in South Africa and contributing to the development of South African literature.

The Awards Ceremony will be held on 28th October 2008 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

The President will be pleased if you could accept the Award on behalf of the family as well as grace the occasion with your presence. You may bring along one personal guest. Travel expenses to Pretoria shall be borne by this office. Please contact Mr Mandla Feni at (012) 300-5420, regarding travel arrangements and hotel accommodation.

Yours sincerely

FRANK CHIKANE

CHANCELLOR OF ORDERS

Esther and I made our arrangements a friend would look after my dogs and Barry was happy to take care of their children and on the 25th October we flew off to South Africa. We travelled Business Class which was a rare treat and arrived fresh and happy in Pretoria. The expected car was not waiting for us at the airport so we took a taxi to the Sheriton Hotel where we were to stay. There was a little hiccup at the hotel as we had been expected the day before when the car had been sent to meet us. So we sat drinking tea on the terrace in the sunshine while they sorted it out. The sun was shining and the jacarandas were blooming in the Union Gardens opposite and I was immersed in old memories. It was a pity that Ivan, my son, could not be with us but he had recently started a new job and couldnt get the time off work.

Then Josephine and Julio arrived. It was great to meet them. There was so much to talk about and Julio, the Cuban doctor, was a delight lively and entertaining with a lovely sense of humour. Julio would not be going to the Award Ceremony but would spend the time meeting up with some Cuban friends in Pretoria.

In the afternoon Josephine, Esther and I went to the Union Buildings to be briefed for this, the 12th Award Ceremony. There were to be twenty-eight recipients of the Awards people of all races and colours. Two would posthumously receive the Order of Mendi for Bravery during the apartheid years in South Africa, but the majority, twenty recipients including Alfred, would receive the Order of Ikhamanga for their contribution to South African culture and sport. The Order of Mapungubwe would be awarded to recipients for their exceptional achievements in the fields of education, science and the environment. Doris Lessing was included in this category but due to ill health she would be represented by her neice. The Ceremonial Oration would be given by the President, Kgalema Motlante.

I thought Thabo Mbeki was the President, said Esther.

He was until September, I said, when he was forced to resign. Motlante was Deputy President so he has taken over until an election takes place next April or May.

Years ago Alfred and I had known Thabos father, Govan Mbeki. an exceptional man in every way, and we had met up with Thabo when he was a student in England, so the family had taken an interest in his election as President after Nelson Mandela.

We spent the evening with Josephine and Julio and the next day attended the Award Ceremony. It was a splendid occasion. We all congregated on the terraces where there were drinks and snacks and lots of photographs a colourful and happy crowd. An Indian man approached me.

You may not remember me, he said, but I used to pay your salary.

Oh, yes, indeed, I said, laughing, and not always on time!

Other people came and talked to us. One old friend, Walter Sisulu, had died, but his daughter introduced herself and we chatted, and Doris Lessings neice also had a few words. Then a coloured man who looked familiar came up to us and said to Esther: I knew your mother in London, you know. She was very strict in those days.

And I remembered, it was Lionel Morrison, a journalist on the first black newspaper in the old South Africa, The Golden City Post. Back then he had been imprisoned a number of times because of his activism, and he had been the youngest accused in the infamous 1956 Treason Trial. He had left the country in the 1960s and we had met up in London. In 1988 he had been elected the first black President of the National Union of Jouralists in Britain and Ireland, and had been awarded an OBE by the Queen for his services to social housing in the UK. Now he was to receive the Order of Ikhamanga for his many achievements. It was good to see him again. We chatted and promised to keep in touch.

Then there was an enthusiastic reunion with my ex-student, Essop Pahad, still tall but no longer the gangling school boy. He had been a Minister in the Presidency from 1999 until 2008 when he had resigned with Thabo Mbeki.

The Award Ceremony itself was magnificent. We, the recipients and guests, took our seats around a beautiful floral display and watched a colourful performance of national dancing while awaiting the arrival of the President and Chancellor. Thabo Mbeki was there but we didnt get to speak to him. The President gave his oration, the choirs sang South African songs, there were short videos of historical events and the recipients were called up one by one to receive the awards from the President. It was a nerve wracking but wonderful experience. Following the ceremony, we all had luncheon in the grand marquee on the western lawns, where we met more people, signed more programmes and exchanged e-mail addresses.

In the evening Julio joined us for dinner at the hotel and afterwards as we were sitting chatting over drinks in the lounge we heard a call of Hazel! from across the room and there was a Canadian cousin we had not seen for many years. She was attending a conference in Pretoria as the representative of the Canadian Embassy in the Congo. A pleasant and most unexpected surprise and more catching up on family news.

Josephine and Julio left the following day to return to the farm in Mzinti. We had so enjoyed meeting them and had talked of future visits they to England and us to South Africa.