• News
  • Sport
  • TV
  • Radio
  • Education
  • TV Licences
  • Contact Us
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION
No Result
View All Result
1
Home madiba Statements Messages of condolences

Zelda La Grange bids farewell to Mandela

6 December 2013, 9:03 AM  |
Murunwa Murunwa |  @SABCNews

My sincere condolences to Mrs Graça Machel (Mum), Maki, Zeni, Zindzi, Josina, Malenga and the entire Mandela family, as well as everyone who feels a sense of loss this morning.

Nelson Mandela inspired people to forgive, to reconcile, to care, to be selfless, to be tolerant, to maintain dignity no matter what the circumstances. I can attest to each of these because these are the ways in which he changed my life over the past 19 years. I am blessed and honoured by the privilege to have had the opportunity to serve him.

I often battled with the relentless pressure. But then I looked to him who carried himself with such grace and energy. I never left, I never could. Nelson Mandela did not demand loyalty, but he inspired profound and unwavering loyalty from everybody whose life he touched.

And now, as we grieve the departure of Madiba, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I will never see him again. But heroes never die. As sad as it makes me that I will never walk into a room again and see his generous infectious smile or hear him say “Oh Zeldina, you are here”, I have come to terms with the fact that Madiba’s legacy is not dependent on his presence.

Friday 6 December 2013 09:03

Thank you for all the wonderful opportunities you afforded me, but most of all thank you for believing in me Khulu, making me a better person, a better South African

His legacy will not only live on in everything that has been named after him, the books, the images, the movies. It will live on in how we feel when we hear his name, the respect and love, the unity he inspired in us as a country but particularly how we relate to one-another.

Madiba will forever be present in my life because he made me into the human being I am today. I will cherish every smile, the pleasant but also the difficult times and especially my barefoot moments. Thank you for all the wonderful opportunities you afforded me, but most of all thank you for believing in me Khulu, making me a better person, a better South African.

Tot weersiens Khulu!! Will love you every day for the rest of my life.

Share article
Previous Post

Qunu remembers Mandela in silence

Next Post

SA is indebted to Mandela family: Zuma

Related Posts

Obituary: Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

20 June 2020, 6:25 AM

Madiba Kids: Tributes from youngsters

11 December 2013, 7:23 PM

Pope Francis hopes Nelson Mandela “will inspire generations”

6 December 2013, 9:53 PM

UN High Commissioner Antonio Guterres Mandela’s death

6 December 2013, 1:29 PM

Wits community invited to pay tribute

6 December 2013, 1:19 PM

Gift of the Givers’ tribute to Madiba

6 December 2013, 1:09 PM
Next Post

SA is indebted to Mandela family: Zuma

Most Viewed

  • 24hrs
  • Week
  • Month
  • Concern over exclusion of foreign nationals from Road Accident Fund
  • Visitors planning to visit the Overberg region urged to postpone their trips
  • ANC building up in flames in Port St Johns
  • Six beaches in Durban flagged with high levels of E.coli
  • Western Cape on high alert following severe storm warning
  • High waves and rough water conditions force beach closures in the Western Cape
  • Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to rest in the town he built and nurtured
  • NSPCA files criminal case against Julius Malema for alleged animal cruelty
  • Snow, heavy rainfall expected in parts of KZN: SAWS
  • Cold-front sweeps across SA bringing snow and chilly temperatures
  • Anti-apartheid activist Aziz Pahad passes on
  • KZN coastal areas on high alert as level 4 inclement weather warning issued
  • Technology making a significant impact in rhino poaching reduction
  • ‘Medupi power station has turned the corner’
  • Many Western Cape roads remain inaccessible

LATEST

Former President Jacob Zuma in court.
  • South Africa

SCA to hear Zuma’s private prosecution appeal


The late Aziz Pahad gesturing during an event.
  • Politics

ANC mourns the passing of Aziz Pahad


Nersa has approved Eskom to recover the R13 billion through tariff adjustments.
  • Eskom rolling blackouts
  • Business

Eskom confident in electricity system ahead of summer


Mamelodi Sundowns celebrate after navigating tricky conditions against Stellenbosch in Atteridgeville to set league record.
  • Sport
  • Soccer

Mamelodi Sundowns sets new record with win over Stellenbosch


  • Politics

ANC stalwart Aziz Pahad remembered for contributions to Middle East policy


People gather at the site following a fatal fire at a wedding celebration, in the district of Hamdaniya in Iraq's Nineveh province, Iraq, September 27, 2023.
  • World

Iraq wedding fire kills more than 100


Weather

  • About the SABC
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Site Map

SABC © 2023

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION

© 2023

Previous Qunu remembers Mandela in silence
Next SA is indebted to Mandela family: Zuma