Micklefield Express

Mr Eddie Daniels, a prisoner on Robben Island for 16 years, has decided to share his experience with us.

Mr Eddie Daniels, was born in District Six, Cape Town, and is the father of two boys. He is a very kind and caring person who used to be a teacher. He was on Robben Island because he wanted a non-racial country and thought that everybody should have the right to vote. The government disagreed with this, so Mr Daniels was put on Robben Island without a fair trial.

The conditions on Robben Island used to be very poor and until 1971 when some important V.I.Ps came to inspect. The prisoners' blankets and clothing were then improved. However, the food was still not too appetising and the daily meals consisted of :-
Breakfast :- Mielie pap, teaspoon of sugar and a tin cup of coffee.
Lunch:- Mielie rice which was always cold and rubbery.
Supper:- A quarter of a loaf of bread with a layer of fat on the top, a tin mug of coffee and a tin mug of 'stinking' soup!

Some of the wardens were kind but these were in the minority. The rest were harsh and violent towards the prisoners. But as Mr Daniels said, they were only following instructions.

Early each morning, a huge iron triangle would be hit, waking everyone up. Mr Daniels would then have to fold his coir mat and blankets in a certain way or else he would be denied food for two or three days. The huge drums of food would then be rolled out and the prisoners would serve themselves breakfast. After breakfast they would then clean out their bed pans in the main toilet, with running water. The following hours would then be spent working in the quarry where the sunlight, sea, trees and the site of Cape Town in the distance gave the prisoners something to hope and pray for. On returning, they would once again be confined to their tiny, cold cells without being allowed to speak or even look at anybody else.

Mr Daniels was on Robben Island at the same time as Mr Mandela, our President, who soon became a very, very special friend to Mr Daniels, as did Mr Sisulu who was also imprisoned on the island. Mr Daniels admires both of these men greatly, they both have different skills and are wonderful in their own way. He has fond memories of these very special friends. One of these memories was when Mr Daniels was very ill, but because he was a prisoner he was not allowed to go to the sanatorium. Mr Mandela came into his cell to see how he was, and was not too proud to help him out and empty his bedpan for him. This act was especially touching as Mr Mandela was considered a world wide hero and Mr Daniels, a lesser known hero.

The thing that Mr Daniels probably missed most was his family. He only received one letter and one visit every six months and even then the wardens sometimes 'lost' his letters! His wife, Eleanor, is a heroine in many ways. Caring for two boys for sixteen years on her own can't exactly have been easy. Imagine not seeing your child for sixteen years and not even knowing who he was! The couple were married twice because originally the State would not register the marriage because they were of different race groups and it was illegal. When the law was abolished, they remarried so that the State would register the union.

Mr Eddie Daniels thinks that there are a great many problems that Mr Mandela has inherited such as paying back big loans, looking after all the homeless and unskilled people and coping with housing and education crises. Mr Daniels is in favour of the 2004 Olympic bid, as that will boost our country's image and economy.

What struck us most talking to Mr Daniels was his lack of bitterness and anger at having been removed from society to Robben Island for 16 years. What a crime it was to deny a South African of such wisdom and intelligence, the freedom to share in his own country.

We felt very humble and grateful to now live in a democratic and fair country.

Mr Daniels is truly a hero.

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