So tonight, at this hour, I find myself sitting at my laptop in the low, sombre light of my bedside lamp. I can only imagine that I am one of a million people doing the exact same thing. I have visions right now of chaotic newsrooms, sleep-deprived editors and exasperated writers scrambling to get comments from government officials. I have visions of people, maybe even strangers, embracing each other in random locations in an attempt to realise the immense impact of what has transpired in the last 4 hours. I also have visions of the people like me, following any and all social media platforms and listening to live news streaming of what is happening in Johannesburg right now. I have visions of people being caught up in all the commotion, and not even realising they are crying. I have visions of news anchors being too full of emotion to speak.
If this was a TV series the cameras would be panning to those people right now while playing a song that suits the occasion. Maybe something like "Fix You" by Coldplay. I wish this was an episode of a TV series.
It will be a while before the effects of this loss will be properly felt. I say that, yet I find myself at a loss for words. I thought about postponing this until I had them, but I realised I might never. This not going to be a night filled with sleep for a large portion of the country, myself included (probably). This is not going to be a night forgotten any time soon. Tonight will go into the history books as the night we lost one of the greatest human beings ever to grace the surface of the Earth, let alone South Africa. Tonight will be the night we mourn as a collective nation, and in doing so, realise our unity. As Gareth Cliff said, this is one of the rare times when the country is on the same side, and we can build our nation.
I'll be listening to a variety of news agencies tonight including BBC, CNN, SKY News, ENews and maybe even a bit of 5fm. Tune in along with me. See you on the other side.
RIP Mandela. Your long walk is finally over.
"And tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace."
