100 years ago today an icon was born. We've been talking to people intimately connected with the human rights crusader.



Ndileka Mandela is Nelson Mandela's eldest granddaughter. Because her own father died when she was four years old, she saw Mandela as a father figure. She remembers getting to know him while he was imprisoned on Robben Island. However, Ndileka says when Mandela was released she felt she lost her close relationship with him and was angry and envious towards the people who surrounded him. They managed to reconcile three years before Mandela died. Ndileka was by his bedside in the days before he passed.



Jason Tshabalala was Nelson Mandela's bodyguard before and during his presidency. However, it wasn't an easy job for Jason. He had to work alongside white bodyguards who had served under the apartheid regime. The white and black bodyguards even got into physical fights. But with Nelson Mandela's guidance the bodyguards were able to find common ground.



Brett Ladds was Nelson Mandela's executive chef. He lived alongside the president for two years. We hear his kitchen secrets - including Mandela's favourite dish.



When Desré Buirski heard that Nelson Mandela was going to be in her neighbourhood to make a speech, she wanted to give him a gift. As a clothing designer, she decided to give him a black shirt that she had in her wardrobe. A few days later, she opened the newspaper and saw a picture of Nelson Mandela wearing her shirt. Desré says she was completely shocked. Desré went on to design shirts for Mandela for years.