Veteran TV host Felicia Mabuza-Suttle has reflected on the difficult decision to leave her family and return to SA to help uplift the country after apartheid.
Felicia, who is again based in the US, took to social media on Friday to reflect on the difficulties of being a “transatlantic mother” when she decided to heed Nelson Mandela's call for talented South Africans to return to the country and help build it during its first years of democracy.
“It was the best of times and the most difficult of times trying to be a transatlantic mother and wife. It was hard leaving my family behind in the US and responding to what I believed was a 'calling' to contribute towards the most historic period in our history in South Africa, our transition from apartheid to democracy.”
She said she took Mandela's invitation personally and believed she had something to offer the nation.
“When Mandela called on South Africans living abroad to bring back their skills to contribute towards building a new democracy, for me, having studied and worked in media, using television to bring black and white; young and mature together after 40 years of apartheid, was the one way to contribute.”
Her talk show, The Felicia Show, was one of the most popular programmes on TV at the time and ma said she was proud of the affect it had on that generation.
“I am proud of The Felicia Show for also providing a forum for conversation and healing. In the words of Ebrahim Rasool, 'The Felicia Show was a weekly mass counselling session for South Africans on how to reach out and forgive during our time of transition from apartheid to democracy'.”
She also reflected on her affect as an executive at SAA, where she played a role in diversity and languages.
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