It was soon after dawn on Sunday, 15 December 2013 when Christo Brand walked through the ancient fields of Qunu village and past the river where Mandela played as a child, on his way to a sad but fitting ceremony, the last goodbye to the great Nelson Mandela. Security guards noted his damp and muddy shoes and insisted on brushing them clean for him. He continued alone right up to the burial place and looked into Mandela’s empty grave.

‘I thought to myself how he would now be able to look over the whole of that green valley he loved so much. Madiba had come home, just as he always longed to,’ he said.

Christo was greeted warmly by a group of military generals, every one of them an ex-prisoner from Robben Island. Film producer Anant Singh, whose Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, had recently received huge critical acclaim, persuaded Christo to sit nearby, along with actor Idris Elba, who took the lead part.

Mourners started up their beloved freedom songs dedicated to Mandela, and Christo felt proud. Close to tears, he listened to Mandela’s grandson Ndaba giving his moving speech. ‘I closed my eyes and I could hear the man himself, and see him in his youth’, he said. Granddaughter Nandi was also impressive and talked of Mandela’s warmth towards his family.

Daughter Zindzi saw Christo, gave him a special smile, and thanked him for being there. The singing stopped and everyone stood. It was the moment for Mandela’s coffin to be carried solemnly past the mourners.

‘The coffin was close enough for me to touch but I didn’t think that would be right,’ said Christo. ‘And it was enough to know that our lives had touched for so many years. I said a silent goodbye to the best, strongest and most honest human being I have ever known.’