Designer had his work cut out for him

Published Dec 12, 2013

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It was 1996 and Sonwabile Ndamase sat at his table at the Hyatt Hotel in Johannesburg, wrought with anxiety. Before him stood two iconic men: famed violinist Lord Yehudi Menuhin and the first democratic president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

Menuhin had just given the president a violin as a gift and Mandela was to return the favour in kind. The president held the source of Ndamase’s anxiety. A package with a shirt Ndamase had designed.

It was much like the one the struggle hero wore as he stood in front of the dinner party, it was a Madiba shirt.

Ndamase sat amid the bonhomie with unease. He did not know if the shirt would fit the famous musician.

He had been given a job to do, a shirt for the violinist like the ones he made for the president, along with vague measurements. His apprehension grew even greater as the president decided he had to open the package in front of the audience. Ndamase wanted his chair to swallow him up when the president wanted Menuhin to wear the shirt right then.

The designer held his breath, the maestro put the shirt on. Relief flooded over Ndamase as the shirt slipped over the American’s clothed torso and all was well again.

The two smiled for the cameras. It had been some years since the young man from Pondoland had met the icon.

It was at the Orlando West Mandela home, over breakfast, a few months after he had been released from prison.

Ndamase had become somewhat of a family friend after designing clothes for Winnie and the girls and had received a breakfast on this auspicious morning.

Mandela’s outspoken daughter, Zindzi, put Ndamase on the spot by saying: “Tata i-designer uSonwabile.”

“A Pondo who designs clothes?” said Mandela, his own grandmother had been a Pondo: “Ah, what can you do for me?”

Two weeks later Ndamase showed Mandela just that.

He set out stipulations for the designer, some of them being he needed to take his health into consideration, an aspect that had deteriorated since being in prison.

The shirt had to be light and it had to have its own unique identity.

He also positively did not want a dashiki shirt, that was OR Tambo’s vibe.

Upon returning with the finished product, Mandela was more than pleased.

“This is beautiful! A Pondo doing such great work? Does your mother know you sew so well?” the icon had jibed.

A delighted Ndamase had just landed his biggest, most famous client.

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