Madiba’s beloved

personalassistant

ZeldalaGrange

chats about her new

home by the sea

and her special

relationship with the

South African icon

BYPIETERVANZYL

PICTURES: MISHAJORDAAN

Zelda la Grange,

with her dogs,

Che Guevara

and Eva Perón,

in her newly

built home in

the Overberg,

in the Western

Cape.

C ATC H I N G M Y

BREATH AT LAST

E

VERY year when his
birthday rolls around
she’s hit by a flood of
memories – she can
remember his distinctive
voice and the stories he
told her. Even though it’s
been more than five years
since Nelson Mandela died, his personal
assistant Zelda la Grange still misses
him.

“I could read Madiba’s mood when he
didn’t want to be bothered and he could
read mine too. ‘What’s upset you? Who

are you angry at?’ he’d ask me. He was
concerned for my wellbeing, even more
so than a biological father,” she recalls.
The walls of her new home bear testi-

mony to the 19 whirlwind years with
Madiba. Photographs show her with
everyone from former US presidents
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to rock

stars such as U2’s Bono.
As the country was gearing up to cel-
ebrate Mandela Day last month she was

settling into her new nest on the Over-
berg coast in the Western Cape. It’s here
at the foot of a mountain overlooking
the ocean that she’s creating a safe

haven for herself andhertwodogs.

For nearly two decades her dedication

to looking after Madiba consumed just

about every waking minute of her life.

“What a job you have, running Madi-

ba’s life,” media mogul Oprah Winfrey

wrote in a letter that’s now framed and

on display in her home.

But although Zelda (48) loved every

moment of being personal assistant to

one of the world’s most famous men,

she’s enjoying being able to take things

a bit slower these days.

“I’m actually an introvert and need

the isolation” she tells us in the living

room of her stunning home.

The stress and pressure of shielding

the iconic president from the demands

of adoring fans are only catching up to

her now.

“I was so busy and in the zone at the

time, and afterwards with my motiva-

tional speeches, that I’m only really

catching my breath now,” she says.

T

HE entrance hall of her

newly built home is a verita-

ble map of her life. There are

pictures of her with Che

Guevara and Eva Perón, her

two French bulldogs she

named after the South American icons.

They’re Zelda’s type of hero.

Then there are also the framed

Madiba pictures. Mandela giving her a

peck after a long day at the office, and

a series of pictures of her putting a hat

on his head at a 46664 concert in

George in the Western Cape.

In another picture, from 2007,

Madiba and Zelda can be seen receiv-

ing then Springbok rugby captain John

Smit and coach Jake White in the pres-

idential office. It followed the Boks’

return from France where they’d just

won the Rugby World Cup.

“I baked for you guys yesterday,”

Zelda tells us in her modern, open-

plan kitchen. She presents us with a

tray filled with hazelnut choco-

late-filled shortbread.

It’s a recipe she’s perfected over the

years.

“I started baking it in 2013 when

Madiba was seriously ill in hospital –

to occupy my mind,” she says.

“When I gave it to Mrs Machel [Man-

dela’s wife, Graça], I told her it’s prob-

ably not very tasty. She laughed,” Zelda

recalls.

High on the wall of the double-vol-

86 | 8 AUGUST 2019 you.co.za

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