New Nelson Mandela biopic to tell story of South African freedom fighter's years in power
"La Grange told the Observer’s John Carlin in 2008 that she burst into tears upon first meeting Mandela in 1994 out of a sense of guilt at how the Afrikaans people had treated the great man.
John Carlin meets Nelson Mandela's secretary Zelda la Grange
“I was scared of him, not knowing what to expect of him, whether he was going to dismiss me, humiliate me,” she said. “And instantly it was that feeling of guilt that all Afrikaners carry with them …
“Because you could see he wasn’t 60, he was 75 at the time, and you could see he was old, and the thing that immediately crosses your mind is, ‘I sent this man to jail.’ My people sent this man to jail! I was part of this even though I couldn’t vote … Then I started crying. And then he shook my hand and he held my hand.”
La Grange was later hand-picked by Mandela to attend overseas meetings, first as a symbol that the new South Africa was keen to work with people of all colours and creeds and later as a trusted aide who paid attention to detail and got things done. “We both had the same urgency,” she told Carlin when asked to explain her rapid rise in the role. “I also had that very Afrikaner thing of respect for the orders of the boss, respect for elderly people, a submissive role before the person in charge, and I was very happy with that because that was my upbringing.”
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