Xoliswa Ndoyiya stood on the porch in front of a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela, reading a newspaper engraved on the glass door.
Ndoyiya, who was Mandela’s chef for 22 years, remembered how this habit had been part of Mandela’s his morning routine.
“He used to read his newspaper on the porch early in the morning.”
The former statesman’s grandsons Mandla, Mbuso, Ndaba and Andile lived in this Houghton house too on 13th Avenue, one of his former Joburg homes.
Ndoyiya recalled that while Mandela made everyone feel at home, he was also a stickler for discipline and would punish his grandsons when they misbehaved.
“I remember Tata used to punish Ndaba by making him stand on the lawn in winter as early as 6am because he used to lose his jerseys at school,” she said.
Ndoyiya remembered how the family faced some difficult times while living on this property.
“It was in this house that we had sleepless nights when the Codesa talks started. We would wake up sometimes at 3am to make sure that he was well-fed.
“I thought I was just a worker here, but I got to see Tata as a human; we became a child of the house.”
This week, Madiba’s closest friends, dignitaries and invited guests sheltered under a large tree which stretched over the lawn, surrounded by a grove of smaller plants.
The 13th Avenue house will soon be available for people from all walks of life to enjoy as it will be turned into a boutique hotel for diplomats, scholars and world leaders. It will be called the Mandela Presidential Centre.
The completion date for the project as well as prices to stay are still unknown.
During the sod-turning ceremony on Wednesday, when Mandela would have celebrated his 100th birthday, it was announced that refurbishments to the dilapidated house would commence soon.
Former president Thabo Mbeki and Struggle veteran George Bizos, who frequently visited Mandela at the house between 1992 to 1998, witnessed the first spade hit the ground.
The hotel project is a joint venture between Thebe Tourism Group and the award- winning hotel operator, Miarestate Hotel and Spa, which is owned by a consortium of black women.
Thebe Tourism Group chief executive Jerry Mabena said during the ceremony that although extensive renovations would be carried out, special care would be taken to ensure that the original appearance of the site would be retained.
“Landscaping and artwork will fill the space, evoking memories of Nelson Mandela with the aim of being to design a building sanctioned for individuals specifically for how they are intended to be used.”
Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, encouraged people to visit the home and use it as a site of reflection.
It would be open to the public on the days that when it was not occupied.
“Madiba took on the name of Motsamai, which means traveller, and for this reason we thought this house was needed for travellers who want to make a difference in the world,” said Hatang.
“When it’s not occupied by travellers, people who are trying to find refuge from the cold world can use it.”