The genial rock star

The anti-apartheid icon attracted stars from all over the world, but cut through all the glitz and glamour with trademark charm and humility, reports Justine Gerardy

A MINISKIRT-clad Geri Halliwell clutching his arm and the rest of the Spice Girls cuddling him for the picture, Nelson Mandela stood grinning.

“These are my heroines,” the South African president said when he met what was then the world’s hottest pop band in 1997. “I don’t want to be emotional, but it’s one of the greatest moments in my life.”