'He replied, 'Graça 's son is going in for a knee operation and I want to see him to wish him well before he goes under anaesthetic'.

The answer was Mandela's wife, Graça Machel. He asked me what we were going to do, to which I asked him why the departure time of 2pm was so critical,' said Girardin. 'Madiba was really anxious that the departure time of 2pm was going to be delayed. * The interior of Sabi Sabi game reserve’s luxury Bush Lodge, which was the venue for a conference attended by Nelson Mandela in 1999 Related: How Wilderness Safaris is helping HNWs travel with purpose Unfortunately for the team's hurry, Sabi Sabi has a strict policy of not disturbing the wildlife in the reserve, which meant they were forced to wait for the elephant to make his move. This meant one of us had to give way,' explained Girardin. 'On descending into the dry riverbed, I saw an elephant bull coming down from the track from the opposite side. Later, it was Girardin who was on hand to transport Mandela and his security to his helicopter for his departure – at 2pm sharp. Then-Operations Manager Michel Girardin shared that his response 'sent everybody into raptures'. 'It was palpable by the manner in which he immediately broke out into the famous 'Madiba Shuffle' on arrival at Bush Lodge.' 'Nelson Mandela was a man of the people, so while he did not share in detail his thoughts, he certainly made an impact on our staff – as he did on our nation,' he said. As he entered Bush Lodge, members of staff greeted him with traditional songs and dance – only for Madiba to respond in kind. Smit says that what the Sabi Sabi staff recall most fondly is Mandela's arrival. * The view from Sabi Sabi game reserve’s luxury Bush Lodge, where Nelson Mandela was greeted by songs and dance Related: Snorkel and spice: an expedition to some of Indonesia’s most far-flung islands 'While we don’t have insight into these meetings, there was certainly at that time discussions happening that would be deemed to be effective for the country as a whole, and it would’ve made sense to the organisers to have a South African game reserve to host these high delegation meetings which would add to the neutrality of all parties involved.' > During this time there was a high-level governmental conference being held at Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge – represented by all major political parties – and Nelson Mandela was to fly in for the day to attend this,' he said. 'Nelson Mandela's last visit was in mid-September 1999 – at this time he had retired from politics to pursue humanitarian initiatives. Jacques Smit, Sabi Sabi's director, told Tempus about the last of these, which took place in 1999 after his time in office. Commemorating Mandela's centenary, its members of staff shared personal anecdotes of occasions when the former president would visit, hosting meetings or summits in the politically-neutral bush. Sabi Sabi private game reserve, a luxury, conservation-focused safari set deep in the African bushveld, knew this well. But apart from his political legacy, many of his friends and citizens remembered Mandela, known as Tata ('father') or Madiba, as a man of the people who perfected a personal touch. The incredible life of Nelson Mandela – trailblazing civil rights leader, political prisoner and South African president – has been well remembered this year, with an international day of celebration on 18 July, or what would have been the late leader's 100th birthday. * Sabi Sabi game reserve’s luxury Bush Lodge was the venue for a conference attended by Nelson Mandela in 1999

Pics of outline of mandela elephants