Zille makes her mark in Houghton

HOUGHTON – Western Cape premier Helen Zille joined a list of celebrities to leave her handprints and plant a rose in Foxwood House hotel garden of fame.

The induction ceremony resounded with music, song and speeches at the boutique hotel. Foxwood House co-owner Jan Groenewald welcomed guests, and close-harmony acapella quartet Aca-Thatu dedicated some songs to Zille.

The guest of honour was introduced by actress Sandra Prinsloo, who surprised the crowd with a letter from Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille, written for the occasion. De Lille sang Zille’s praises and described her as a “deeply compassionate, sympathetic person, a side of Helen not everyone gets to see because of her public profile.”

Zille said, “This is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, in a wonderful house in the town of my birth. I don’t often say that in Cape Town.”

She paid tribute to her long friendships with De Lille and Dr Mamphela Ramphele, who was instrumental in bringing her and De Lille together.

“Ramphele and I have been friends for a very long time. We raised children together. Our kids had sleep-overs together, and we’ve scolded each other’s kids. We have a deep bond and a long history,” said Zille of the new political party pioneer.

She also thanked artists for their role in the national life of South Africa.

Groenewald invited Zille to leave her handprints, name and date of her visit in a block of concrete to be added to the garden of fame. Zille, musicians and guests then went to the garden where she planted a rose.

“I chose to plant a Papa Meilland, a deep, blood-red rose, as a tribute to the men who supports the fight against brutal violence and rape,” she said.

Composer Du Preez Strauss played his music as Zille got her hands dirty. “She would make a fantastic gardener,” quipped Prinsloo.

“It has been lovely to take time off and do something reinvigorating and inspiring. It’s wonderful to have refreshing moments like these,” said Zille.