Nelson Mandela invited his ex-wife and one of his former jailers to dinner this week to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of his release from prison.
South Africa's first black president spent 27 years in prison under apartheid, when a white minority ruled the country and jailed many political opponents. Most of his time behind bars was spent on the notorious Robben Island near Cape Town, an infamous penal island where prisoners were segregated by race and forced to do hard labor.
His release on Feb. 11, 1990, helped set South Africa on the path to democracy. Mandela and then-President F.W. De Klerk, who ordered his release, shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Mandela was elected president in the country's first all-race elections a year later.
Those first years of freedom are depicted in a popular new film called "Invictus," in which Morgan Freeman plays a Mandela who campaigned to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a move to unite his countrymen.
On Thursday, Mandela held a private dinner party at his Johannesburg home, surrounded by anti-apartheid activists who were the first to greet him on his release nearly 20 years ago.
Cyril Ramaphosa, a long-time ally and trade unionist who played a key role in the negotiations that ended apartheid, addressed Mandela as "Tata," or father, in a toast.
"You are still an inspiration," Ramaphosa said, according to the South African Press Association (SAPA). "We are forever indebted to you, for the leadership and inspiration you provided. We are happy you are a free man, because as you became free, you made us free. Thank you Tata."
Among those who raised their glasses at the toast was Christo Brand, a white prison warden who worked at Robben Island and with whom Mandela developed a friendship during his time there. In his memoirs, Mandela wrote that his friendship with Brand "reinforced my belief in the essential humanity of even those who had kept me behind bars."
Dinner guests also included Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a key figure in the early anti-apartheid movement who later became controversial after allegations of human rights abuses and fraud. She and Mandela divorced in 1996 after revelations that she'd been unfaithful after his prison release.
Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, a Catholic priest who was detained and tortured during the apartheid years, joked about his responsibility as part of the reception committee that greeted Mandela 20 years ago.
"I am only a priest and I was responsible for Nelson's security that day," he said, laughing.
"We are meeting to reminisce. When you look back, the way this country has become normal is unbelievable. There were prophets of doom, but life has gone on and we have done exceptionally well, even though there is still lots to do," Mkhatshwa said.
De Klerk, who shared the Nobel prize with Mandela, said in a speech Tuesday that his decision to free Mandela had "prevented a catastrophe".
"We would, no doubt, have been able to maintain control for many years but under increasingly grim and unacceptable circumstances," said De Klerk. "The prospects for a satisfactory negotiated settlement would have diminished with each successive cycle of revolution and repression."
Mandela's insistence on reconciliation is widely credited with helping pull South Africa back from the brink of civil war.
Thursday's dinner was filmed by Mandela's daughter, Zindzi Mandela, who is making a documentary about her father's prison release. The film, entitled "Conversations About That Day," is scheduled to air on South African television on the exact anniversary, Feb. 11.
South Africa's parliament will open its session on the same day in a symbolic gesture to Mandela.
At the party, Brand asked Mandela – who was a boxer in his youth – if he still exercised. "It's not easy, but I do it every now and then," 91-year-old Mandela replied. "I do feel like I am getting old. Time is flying. I'm not really worried."
