Many people have asked me why I returned home in 1982 when apartheid was at its prime and the security situation was perhaps, at is worst. Yes, maybe, it was shortsighted of me to plunge my family into the reign of terror that prevailed during the period leading to the historic democratic elections of 1994. After all, my family were made permanent residents under the US Naturalisation and Immigration laws and we enjoyed almost full citizenship status, except the right to vote. All those who visited our residence on Roosevelt Island opposite the UN building in Manhattan, remarked on the privileged lifestyle with which we were blessed. With celebrated neighbours such as Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, and many other famed personalities, why did I bother coming back to face the adversity of South Africa's repression?

I have answered that question elsewhere in this book but it needs to be said that our return was a gamble, one that I believe paid off, although it was not without its losses and its tough times. I have mentioned some of these but there were others. As the country marched toward the true advent of democracy, many platforms were created for a debate about a future regime. I was fortunate to participate in several of these debates both here, at home, and abroad.

In April 1988, I was a participant in a diverse group of twenty-seven South Africans who met in Williamsburg, Virginia (USA) to discuss the future of South Africa. A book titled Dialogue in Williamsburg edited by Dr. Michael Briand captures the transcripts of what became a fiery discourse over a number of days. At that time, there was a sense of tense optimism that South Africans would begin negotiations to resolve our differences in a peaceful manner.

Shortly thereafter, I was invited to join another group of eminent South Africans to provide our thoughts on the future trajectory the country may take. The panel consisted of personalities from a cross section of the labour, business, academic and political spectrum. We were to meet over a number of weeks in a place known as Mt Fleur in the Helderburg Mountains, near Stellenbosch.