Tears and Singing Outside Victor Verster

On February 11, 1990, thousands gathered outside Victor Verster Prison in Paarl, South Africa, straining for a glimpse of something many had stopped believing possible. That afternoon, Nelson Mandela — prisoner number 46664, locked away since 1962 — walked through the gates hand-in-hand with his wife Winnie, his right fist raised to the sky. The crowd erupted. People wept openly.…