FOR eight years Chris Lubbe was at Nelson Mandela’s side, prepared to lay down his life to protect the South African leader.

Now he shares the lessons he learnt from the anti-Apartheid hero with others and yesterday he brought his message to youngsters at Rose Hill Primary School.

Throughout the day Mr Lubbe spoke to pupils in Year Five and Six about his experiences in Apartheid-era South Africa, before challenging them to write speeches to inspire their classmates.

He said he hoped to make them to think differently about their lives.

Mr Lubbe said: “I have spoken to them about how I grew up in a shanty town without electricity or running water, with no hope really.

“I told them about the disparity about how we were treated as blacks and how white South Africans were treated.

“It is about getting them to understand how fortunate they are in terms of the educational opportunities they have.

“It is also about getting them to understand that no matter what language you speak or where you come from everybody has a right to be free and safe.”

Mr Lubbe, who now lives in Hampshire, was 28 when Mr Mandela was released from prison in 1990.

He was working in Cape Town and was summoned to meet Mr Mandela in Johannesburg and update him about agricultural infrastructure, becoming his bodyguard by chance.

He said: “Mr Mandela asked me what height I was and I said 6ft 3.

“He asked me what size my feet were and I said size 14, and he said ‘you are just what I need’.

“When I met him I was an angry young man hell-bent on revenge for what we had gone through.

“But he made me realise that an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.”

Mr Lubbe was invited to come into the school by governor Ian Massey, who had heard about his work with youngsters elsewhere.

Year Six pupil Hevdeli Abdelhamid said: “It has been a fun day but it has also been sad to hear about what happened to him in South Africa.

“It makes me feel like the things we have got are enough.

“You always want more but I realise now I have enough.”

Classmate Sudias Mohammed said: “I learned we should do what we want to do and we should treat other people as we would like to be treated ourselves.”

Deputy headteacher Yvonne Kyriacou said she hoped her pupils took a powerful message away from the day.

She said: “The children have been hooked by him and hung on every word.

“He has told them about Nelson Mandela’s speeches and what they can do to make a difference.”