Mandela proposed to me
An ex South African Journalist now based in Sydney has spoken of her sadness at the death of Nelson Mandela following a friendship with him that spanned many years.
Jody Moses
Mandela greets Jody
Former Radio Journalist, Jody Moses, worked as a political reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa, during Mr Mandela’s presidency and travelled with Mr Mandela as part of the local media contingent.
“I had the privilege of seeing him almost daily and was fortunate to be able to get to know him on a more personal level during a fascinating period in South Africa’s history”.
“He became not only a political subject in my daily reporting, but also a friend who always took the time to ask about my own life and interests,” Moses told J-Wire.
“He had an ability to make you feel that you were the only person he was interested in speaking with at any given moment in time and I feel blessed to have spent as much time with him as I did.”
Moses is well known in South African media circles for being the journalist Mr Mandela once playfully proposed marriage to in front of about 200 of the world’s media.
“He certainly knew how to be playful and have a laugh, and he definitely had a soft spot for some of the female journalists who spent a fair bit of time with him.”
“He, of course, had a very serious side too, but the twinkle in his eye was never far off,” Moses said.
After moving to New York and later Sydney, Jody Moses managed to stay in touch with Mr Mandela until he retired from public life.
She says she feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know one of the greatest men of our time, something she feels not many people are lucky enough to be able to say.
