Zeldina and her Madiba: a good story

POLOKWANE –  Zelda la Grange’s story left few hearts untouched during a fundraiser for Pathways at Protea Hotel The Ranch on Saturday, where she talked about her life with Nelson Mandela.

Pathways Enrichment Centre, situated at Mitchell House College, was established in October 1998 and officially moved and was opened at Mitchell House on July 21, 2006.

Nare Mathobela, an eight-year-old learner at the enrichment centre also told his story, which brought tears to the audience’s eyes.

He joined the centre aged five, and could neither walk nor talk, but now he walks with the assistance of crutches and he can talk.

Zelda said Nare’s story was about courage and conviction, something we all aspired to.

Born in Boksburg and raised in the north of Pretoria, Zelda said she was a typical Boere-Afrikaner girl who believed Nelson Mandela was a terrorist and enemy of her people.

She told the audience how it came about that she began working in Madiba’s office and how he told her she would have to develop a thick skin if she was to survive in his office.

She was later told by another friend that she did not need to defend herself, she was Madiba’s choice for the job, even if she was a white Afrikaner woman.

She was Madiba’s “rottweiler”, his guardian who kept the pressure and all who clamoured for his time and attention, from him. She gave her best, her all for Madiba, she said.

Zelda told the audience about the lessons she learned from Madiba: to have courage, how to approach people, to reach out to the enemy and to always respect another person.

“Madiba once took Robert Mugabe to task after the latter arrived one hour late to a SADC meeting in Mauritius. Without mentioning him by name, he gave a 20-minute speech about disrespect and discipline, and about people not respecting others’ time.

“Mugabe left a short time thereafter,” said Zelda, “Madiba related well to others because he respected them.”

Zelda said it took courage and conviction to change one’s community.

She spoke about women and violence, saying moral regeneration started at home, “in the way women educate their sons”.

“All it takes is changing one person’s life at a time.

“For 16 years Madiba woke up wanting to change one person’s life a day, even by making a phone call and congratulating a person on some success. It had a ripple effect.”

She joked about the mistakes she made, like her most embarrassing moment when she did not recognise New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg at a cocktail function he had hosted.

Her most treasured moment spent with Madiba?

“July 11 last year was to be the last time I would see Madiba alive. It was just before we left for the Bikers for Mandela tour. I spoke to him but he did not respond.

“I stayed a few minutes behind as the family left and then he opened his eyes and gave me a broad smile. It was the most special moment.”

Zelda said she did not know that it would be the last time she would see him alive.

“If you asked me at 23 years old before I started working for khulu if I was a racist, I would have said no. If you ask me now if I was a racist then, yes I was.”

This was changed by her interaction with a man called Madiba, a man she first described as a terrorist, but later called khulu (grandfather).