The Nelson Mandela Foundation takes pride in archiving the history of utata Madiba, everyone who was related to him and the country South Africa. Recently the Foundation made contact with Beth von Schreeb, who had sent photographs taken in 1990 to Madiba. These pictures captured the moment when, for the first time in 28 years that Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo met.
These images, now in the Foundation's photographic archive, capture the joyous, heartfelt moment when these two political comrades and law partners reunited in a foreign land at a very critical time in their own country of origin – South Africa.
These images are now in the Foundation's photographic archive.
Beth von Schreeb is a Swedish neurologist who worked at the Ersta Deaconess Hospital (Ersta Diakoni), at which Oliver Tambo was treated when he suffered a stroke. Beth in an interview with the Foundation on the 8th of September 2021 explains that she had met Oliver Tambo for the first time when she had to treat him. Thereafter she met both Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo on a few occasions.
Beth shared with us about her first visit to South Africa in 2006 to see Nelson Mandela after having met him in Sweden. She describes her visit as very impactful and beautiful and says she was very intrigued about the culture and way of living in South Africa. She also spoke of how she was saddened and rendered emotional when she saw that in some areas people still were living under poor conditions. She hopes that on her next visit to South Africa conditions will be much better and improved.
Beth furthermore told us about the great experience she had in South Africa, as well as the time she spent with Madiba’s family, and that of African National Congres (ANC)s veteran and former South African High C ommissioner to Canada, Billy Modise, and his wife Yoliswa. She had met the Modises when Billy was the ANC chief representative in Sweden from 1988 to 1991, after which he returned to South Africa from exile. Over the years Beth has developed a strong and deep relationship with the Modise family.
Beth looks forward to donating more pictures to the Foundation of Madiba and/or the Tambo Foundation, taken while the struggle icons were in Sweden. She also looks forward to visiting the Nelson Mandela Foundation someday, and contributing in any way possible so that the legacy of Nelson Mandela and Tambo live on. See http://archive.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/nmfpc-nmfpc-1-9-2 to view a description of the photographs.