Long-time cook ‘traumatised’ Madiba did not finish last meal she made for him.
THE last meal Nelson Mandela’s long-time cook made for him was butternut soup, a healthy, hearty meal which, sadly, he did not finish.
Xoliswa Ndoyiya cooked for the late world icon for over two decades, and last saw him on the day of his death.
An emotional Ndoyiya struggled to share information about the last dish she prepared for her beloved Tata, saying: “It really traumatises me to think the last meal I cooked for him he didn’t finish.”
The first meal she cooked for him was a simple plate of chicken and vegetables and the late statesman hired her on the spot after returning this “test” plate spotless.
She has nothing but fond memories of the 23 years she spent in his kitchen and on Tuesday shared with the Daily Dispatch her affection for the man and the invaluable life lessons he taught her.
“I can’t say it was news to me , it happened just after I left his room. However, when I left the room, I didn’t think I was seeing him alive for the last time,” she said of the night Mandela died.
Ndoyiya, who hails from Queenstown, came into the employ of Mandela in 1990 after a friend, who had been working with the late statesman, informed her of the vacancy.
In an earlier interview with the Daily Dispatch, Ndoyiya had laughingly described how she got her job on the spot.
“For me, just meeting him was so exciting. I was shivering. So when I had to cook for him, I wanted to make sure my first dish was never forgotten. I was very happy he enjoyed my food and knowing his life with food was now in my hands, I knew I had to do good.”
The very first meal she cooked him was roast chicken and potatoes with vegetables.
“When the plate came back empty, I knew that was good.”
Mandela’s favourite dishes included fruit for dessert, porridge for breakfast, umnqusho (samp and beans), umleqwa (farm chicken), ulusu (tripe) and amasi (sour milk) – all traditional isiXhosa dishes, which international dignitaries would share with him whenever they visited.
Ndoyiya recalls a day when, having made the same breakfast for Mandela for 16 years, the old man saw his grandchildren having cereal and asked for it. She actually thought he was joking, but he insisted, saying he wanted to know what cereal tasted like.
“I have honoured my mother for many years,” was the response she got from him, referring to the fact he had been eating the same breakfast his mother had brought him up on as a child.
Ndoyiya said Mandela had cereal that day and for the rest of his life.
“This is like home,” the 50-yearold said from the family’s home in Houghton.
Ndoyiya launched her cookbook, Ukutya Kwasekhaya: Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen, early last year.
On occasions they would sit together and talk about her family, her future, frustrations, needs and aspirations.
“He taught me love, respect and to be humble at all times,” she said. He taught her that this was the trick to life.
She said the family has been overwhelmed with the love South Africa has shown, not just for Mandela but them as well.
“It’s as if South Africa is saying: ‘We didn’t only love your father, but we loved you as well’. People are sleeping on the streets outside the home as a way of expressing that love and respect for both Tata and the family.” — vuyiswav@dispatch.
Butternut soup chef’s final dish
THE last meal Nelson Mandela’s long-time cook made for him was butternut soup, a healthy, hearty meal which, sadly, he did not finish.
Xoliswa Ndoyiya cooked for the late world icon for over two decades, and last saw him on the day of his death.
An emotional Ndoyiya struggled to share information about the last dish she prepared for her beloved Tata, saying: “It really traumatises me to think the last meal I cooked for him he didn’t finish.”
The first meal she cooked for him was a simple plate of chicken and vegetables and the late statesman hired her on the spot after returning this “test” plate spotless.
She has nothing but fond memories of the 23 years she spent in his kitchen and on Tuesday shared with the Daily Dispatch her affection for the man and the invaluable life lessons he taught her.
“I can’t say it was news to me , it happened just after I left his room. However, when I left the room, I didn’t think I was seeing him alive for the last time,” she said of the night Mandela died.
Ndoyiya, who hails from Queenstown, came into the employ of Mandela in 1990 after a friend, who had been working with the late statesman, informed her of the vacancy.
In an earlier interview with the Daily Dispatch, Ndoyiya had laughingly described how she got her job on the spot.
“For me, just meeting him was so exciting. I was shivering. So when I had to cook for him, I wanted to make sure my first dish was never forgotten. I was very happy he enjoyed my food and knowing his life with food was now in my hands, I knew I had to do good.”
The very first meal she cooked him was roast chicken and potatoes with vegetables.
“When the plate came back empty, I knew that was good.”
Mandela’s favourite dishes included fruit for dessert, porridge for breakfast, umnqusho (samp and beans), umleqwa (farm chicken), ulusu (tripe) and amasi (sour milk) – all traditional isiXhosa dishes, which international dignitaries would share with him whenever they visited.
Ndoyiya recalls a day when, having made the same breakfast for Mandela for 16 years, the old man saw his grandchildren having cereal and asked for it. She actually thought he was joking, but he insisted, saying he wanted to know what cereal tasted like.
“I have honoured my mother for many years,” was the response she got from him, referring to the fact he had been eating the same breakfast his mother had brought him up on as a child.
Ndoyiya said Mandela had cereal that day and for the rest of his life.
“This is like home,” the 50-yearold said from the family’s home in Houghton.
Ndoyiya launched her cookbook, Ukutya Kwasekhaya: Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen, early last year.
On occasions they would sit together and talk about her family, her future, frustrations, needs and aspirations.
“He taught me love, respect and to be humble at all times,” she said. He taught her that this was the trick to life.
She said the family has been overwhelmed with the love South Africa has shown, not just for Mandela but them as well.
“It’s as if South Africa is saying: ‘We didn’t only love your father, but we loved you as well’. People are sleeping on the streets outside the home as a way of expressing that love and respect for both Tata and the family.” — vuyiswav@dispatch.
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