Dr Peter Friedland, an ear, nose and throat specialist, was a member of Nelson Mandela’s medical team charged with looking after his hearing. Over time, a rapport emerged between the two men. Their conversations often veered towards politics, with Mandela carefully shifting Friedland’s perspective. In this edited extract from his book ‘Quiet Time with the President’, Friedland writes about how Madiba was capable of seeing beyond the scope of the global viewpoint and look at the actual problem from many sides..