Listeners share stories about meeting Nelson Mandela
It seems everyone has at least one story about meeting the late South African statesman.
The late former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela's love for children is well-documented. It is no secret that he was deprived of the joy of interacting with children while he was incarcerated.
That is what makes Connie Foster's story about meeting Madiba all the more special.
Connie told Rian van Heerden how one day her daughter Simone Niewoudt came back from school and said, "I met Nelson". Connie did not think much of it, merely assuming that Simone had made a new friend at school.
Connie revealed that her daughter, who was around nine years old at the time, was in a special needs school and was not a very vocal child. For this reason, Connie accepted Simone's news about meeting Madiba as unremarkable.
The shock came one week later when the person who had taken a photograph of young Simone shaking the late Statesman's hand was delivered to their house. Simone had indeed "met Nelson"!