A scribe recounts the time he spent with Nelson Mandela
11 Dec 2013 6:20 AM IST
During his presidency and in the early years of his retirement from office, Mandela made a point of meeting as many of the people who beat a path to his door as possible.
He loved the gatherings which, while often stage-managed and to a certain extent set up for the media, were also perfect opportunities to observe Madiba at close range.
Two meetings are crystallised in the memory, not so much for their political importance but for what they showed of his personality and almost child-like enjoyment of the moment, not to mention the intense impact he had on people.
The first was an encounter with the Spice Girls in 1997, when the British band was taking the world by storm.
They were performing at a concert in Johannesburg to help raise money for the Prince’s Trust, a charity overseen by Prince Charles.
He was hugged and kissed by each of the women in turn, including Ginger Spice wearing bright-red, six-inch (15-cm) platform shoes and a super-short Japanese-style dress, Mandela beamed and declared it to be the ‘greatest day of my life’.
It was a phrase he often used when meeting high-profile visitors, an easy way of flattering them since it was nearly always the greatest day of their lives rather than of his.
He loved the gatherings which, while often stage-managed and to a certain extent set up for the media, were also perfect opportunities to observe Madiba at close range.
Two meetings are crystallised in the memory, not so much for their political importance but for what they showed of his personality and almost child-like enjoyment of the moment, not to mention the intense impact he had on people.
The first was an encounter with the Spice Girls in 1997, when the British band was taking the world by storm.
They were performing at a concert in Johannesburg to help raise money for the Prince’s Trust, a charity overseen by Prince Charles.
He was hugged and kissed by each of the women in turn, including Ginger Spice wearing bright-red, six-inch (15-cm) platform shoes and a super-short Japanese-style dress, Mandela beamed and declared it to be the ‘greatest day of my life’.
It was a phrase he often used when meeting high-profile visitors, an easy way of flattering them since it was nearly always the greatest day of their lives rather than of his.
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