Thursday, September 16, 2010 I had longed for this day for a very long time. I will always remember that day, no matter what may happen. I held the former President Thabo Mbeki’s hand after his public lecture.
It was communicated to us as PR students to attend the lecture. I had a chance to ask the great icon anything that I felt the public needs to know. But if I wanted to be noticed and get my message across I had to look the part, I then got out my greatest outfit and grabbed my exam pad to draft the perfect and most appropriate question.
The day had come and I arrived an hour before, which earned me the best seat in front. I had my tape recorder and felt as if I were a journalist already. I scribbled on my notepad as he charismatically spoke and when the time of questions came the entire list of question that I have drafted were asked by the battling cloud of journalist.
You must assume that I was disappointed, yes I was. But the unexpected happened about an hour after the address. I saw him walk out of the hall way with his guards. “Honourable former president” I yelled. I will never tell you as to where this adrenalin came from but I moved towards his direction and asked him my question. He laughed and answered me politely. The security guard started to clap her hands; it was a bizarre moment as I stood there embarrassed of what I just did, as the rest of the cloud joined , I started to smile and slowly moving away to a hiding place.
My goal was achieved. I mark that day in my diary. The day a sound of one hand clapping saved me from total embarrassment. The next day I bought almost every newspaper to see if I had made the cover story and there it was on the Tshwane sun. But there was nothing that outlined my scene… hew!, what a relief.
1 comment:
Does Mbeki have a woman bodyguard?
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