Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Madiba’s legacy will live on
South African celebrities reveal plans to honour the great man
I’M VERY happy to be performing with Johnny Clegg and the Soweto Gospel Choir today at an event which salutes Nelson Mandela.
We were fortunate to get the chance to meet Mandela. What very few people knew is that he was extremely funny. He had such a great sense of humour. The day we met him he asked us if he could join the band and we offered him a position as our drummer. He said that although he couldn’t play drums, he was happy to learn. He meant a lot to me and to the band, and I wish he was still around. His message and legacy will always live on. my goal. I entered the pageants. I entered a few pageants and won and eventually I was invited to meet Mandela. I flew to Joburg from Durban with my mom and my experience with him is something I will never forget. He inspired and motivated me with his positive energy and just being in his presence. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity. am driving around Johannesburg between shoots, meetings and appointments on Monday.
I was never lucky enough to meet Nelson Mandela, but his philosophy of equality, empowerment, education, forgiveness and love are the pillars that I try to build my life around.
I will be working with Jam (Joint Aid Management) and KFC, helping them pack food and goodies for those less privileged.
I met Nelson Mandela twice when I was a kid. He always made a special effort to walk over to where our family was to greet us. He had an infectious smile and he treated the most insignificant persons with great respect – something I have always endeavoured to emulate.
I will be helping out at the dog shelter in Vancouver. My personal interest lies in animals and their well-being, so 67 minutes of my time dedicated to them would be an honour.
Mandela was a great leader with a beautiful vision of unifying people.
I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I have heard wonderful stories of his charm and humour and am almost certain I would have been left with a deeper sense of gratitude and compassion for people after spending time with him.
We’re doing an activation at a school in Soweto with the CliffCentral team. We would have loved to actually meet him (Mandela).
I will be in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday, facilitating a dialogue with First Ladies of Africa. It’s the 17th Ordinary General Assembly of OAFLA.
Meeting former president Mandela was like coming face to face with God. Among the many occasions I interacted with Tata, my moment was when he was hosting traditional leaders in Mgqeshe, Eastern Cape and I was invited to speak about the role these leaders can play in minimising the rate of new HIV infections.
I am scheduled to be on set unfortunately, but later in the week I plan to go and assist with clean-up drives and donations at Lakehaven Child and Youthcare Centre that saw tragedy this week. There was a fire, and eight people died. Mandela was a giant, an omnipresence whose name and spirit will echo through the ages. He left the important and liberating responsibility and message – which is to love, protect and fight for this country, its people and its legacy.