My almost 50-year journey has been, in principle, a battle against racial polarisation and a personal effort to overcome that which divides us.

It has been an exercise in self-discovery, through education and ongoing interaction with people who were different to me. I learned to listen with the intention of learning and understanding rather than the intention of denying and defending. I learned that trust is the ultimate target towards which we must continue to strive. I learned that race and racism is the underlying root cause of most of our country’s problems. I learned that we cannot move forward together until we have addressed the historical causes of our current problems. And most importantly, I recognised that change starts with me. South Africans cannot escape from prison until we realise that we are locked up.