Advertisement

A South African Family Recalls Their Meeting With Nelson Mandela

03:50
Download Audio
Resume

After Mandela retired from the Presidency of South Africa, he agreed to meet with regular South Africans at his home. This family fondly remembers their Christmastime meeting with him in Cape Town.

Tyler and Ella along with their parents Janet Heard and Steve Pike meet with Nelson Mandela after he stepped down as South Africa's first black president in 1999. (Courtesy of Janet Heard)
Tyler and Ella along with their parents Janet Heard and Steve Pike met with Nelson Mandela after he stepped down as South Africa's first black president in 1999. (Courtesy of Tom Landon)

Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Mandela's funeral. Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, at his home in Houghton at the age of 95.

Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after spending 27 years in jail for his activism against apartheid in a racially-divided South Africa.

Here & Now's Lisa Mullins asked Janet Heard, Steve Pike and their two children Tyler and Ella to tell their story about meeting Mandela in 2005, just before Christmas in Capetown.

Guest

  • Janet Heard, Steve Pike and their children Tyler and Ella, a South African family from Cape Town.

This segment aired on December 15, 2014.

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close