Nelson Mandela's "honorary granddaughter" and long-time private assistant, Zelda la Grange, spoke of her deep love for the man who changed her life forever, though at great personal cost, on Monday.
la Grange, who came from Afrikaner middle-class obscurity to become the right hand of South Africa's first black president, spoke to 702 Talk Radio of her love for the man she called "Khulu", a shortened form of grandfather in Mandela's native language, isiXhosa, the Agence France-Presse reported.
Following Mandela around the world, La Grange organized very business meeting and protected the popular figure from the millions of people hoping for a moment in his presence. The 43-year-old said the pressure was relentless, the AFP reported.
"I deeply loved him," la Grange told 702 Talk Radio. "I don't think you are ever prepared enough."
She said she would never have swapped the experience for a chance at a regular family life, according to the AFP.
"You are still shocked and saddened when the time comes," la Grange said of Mandela's death on Thursday at the age of 95. "We had prepared ourselves emotionally but still we are overcome by this feeling of loss and sadness."
la Grange became a fixture by Mandela's side in the latter part of his presidency, which ran from 1994 to 1999 and thereafter.
Widely hailed for her loyalty to Mandela, her devotion surprised some, given her origins in the Afrikaner community that had jailed Mandela for 27 years under the apartheid laws of racial segregation, the AFP reported.
"Zelda, wherever you may be, we want to thank you," Archbishop Emeritus and fellow Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu said Monday. "You have been really quite amazing in the care that you have given to Tata (father), and we salute you."
Though often draining, the experience was a privilege that taught her humility, la Grange said, "I'd never want to have things differently."
"Madiba was the easiest person to work with, the best teacher, a mentor," she said, using the Nobel laureate's clan name.
And she urged South Africans to study and emulate Mandela's legacy, the AFP reported.
"We feel very emotional now because we've lost him, but it is also a time to be reminded right now how important it is to really study that legacy and to implement those values and morals...and then we can achieve the South Africa that we all dream of," la Grange said.
