91 - Sydney Mufamadi, interview by Tony Trew, Johannesburg, 30 April 2015.

Yes, because of the active and keen interest that he personally took. Madiba would phone you at four a.m. because at that time he was up, and he had read something in the newspapers which you have not had the opportunity to discuss with him and he says, I am reading this, can you explain what it means. So you say, okay Mr President, can I pop in at seven in the morning, and he says, fine or let’s meet at the Union Buildings.

But also from my portfolio I would brief Thabo as deputy president about the sensitive issues that we are coming across and brief Madiba, either the two of them together or separately. But it was critically important for him to be as up-to-date as possible. The situation was changing quite rapidly and there were also decisions he needed to take or Cabinet needed to take and he had to have a firm handle on those issues before Cabinet discusses them.