Today is a big day in South African history! We celebrate the release of a wonderful, forgiving, humble, kind and revolutionary man. A father to our nation, Mr Nelson Mandela, known to us as Madiba.

This morning Nastassja (my pa) and I were on our way to a shoot. We stopped by the petrol station and to fill up and then we heard the the guy helping us whistling away.. The tune of our national anthem! “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika”. It made me think of that part in the movie Invictus when all the springboks were standing at the start of the 1995 rugby world cup. Singing “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (God bless Africa) for the first time. There is sooo much in that song. For me it’s a song of reconciliation and it was the start of unity in our nation.

In 2003, my first year of university (oh my word, feels like the other day!) I met a girl Katinka, we were on the first years camp with iaan and a few other friends. After the first day of ‘ice brakers’ and games I realized that I was definitely not made for things like that! Camps in general freak me out! Not so much the bathrooms (ok they actually do) but far worse is the forced activities! I don’t like it if someone forces me tie a rope around my foot, attach my foot to someone else and then make me run across the lawn to ‘earn’ points for ‘my’ team. South Africans will know exactly what I’m talking about! Seriously that is NOT cool. So after the first day we (Iaan, myself, Katinka & Claudius our new friends and Hennie) ‘escaped’ the camp and we all chilled out at our house. That was much more fun ;) and that is where our friendship began!

A few weeks after we were driving in the car and Katinka received a phone call. She spoke very polite and formal and I wondered who it was. She looked at me after the phone call and asked if i wanted to have lunch with Mandela! Ok seriously, who asks that? The obvious answer would be YES!!! But it didnt make sense… i thought she was making a joke. But she was dead serious!

She explained. She use to be a tv presenter for KTV, a kiddies chanel in SA. One of the jobs she did was to present Mandela’s birthdays.. And as only a 11 year old can, she confidently slipped in, that her birthday was on the same day. Since then Madiba has always contacted her to hear how she was and often invited her for a ‘birthday lunch’. That year he contacted her early, as he wanted to congratulate her with her matric (final year in school) results. That was the last time he invited her for lunch. And I was the lucky peron to share it with her!

Mandela is a true ledgend and i’m proud to say he was my presedent! Lets celebrate a world changing man! A true HERO!

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” Nelson Mandela

I bought this little book of Mandela quotes before we visited and he signed it for me..what a legend!