Free 1996 Constitution booklet signed by South African greats now valued at nearly R1 million

"I know him, I know him and I also know her." 

These were the words uttered by former President Nelson Mandela when he was asked to autograph a 1996 booklet, "The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa", lovingly gathered over a few years by retired chef Neels du Plooy. 

Now the much-travelled booklet is on sale on Facebook Marketplace with a price tag of a million rand, which might seem steep were it not for the fact that it has the signatures of 30 iconic South African political leaders and judicial pioneers who crafted our peaceful transition to democracy.

Many South Africans got a copy of the beloved booklet when it was released, but while ours have no collector value, Du Plooy's is sure to pique the interest of collectors of Mandela memorabilia and those fascinated in our transition to democracy. 

It has the signatures of former presidents, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, as well as the last apartheid president, FW de Klerk and current President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It also bears the signature of the King of Lesotho and the first Speaker of Parliament, Frene Ginwala, Albie Sachs, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in 1999 and a host of others.

"Mandela was the only one who autographed the booklet who was interested to see who else had signed it, saying 'I know him, I know him and I know her'", Du Plooy told "Independent Media Lifestyle".

Du Plooy, 71, was given a copy of the booklet by a journalist friend, and he wasted no time as a chef with Fedics to gather as many signatures as he could of the influential personalities whenever the opportunity arose. 

"I cooked for 99 percent of them, so I always carried the booklet with me and would ask the head chef if I could ask them for autographs.

"I even cooked for former President Thabo Mbeki and his wife on a game farm at Mapungubwe in 1999, where we spent four days just before Christmas, and that is when I got both their signatures," he said. 

He was involved in the catering for the inauguration of Mbeki.

"In the late '90s, I was at the opening of the Lesotho Highlands Katse Dam and took the booklet with me, and after the meal, there were a lot of MPs, including Ramaphosa and five or six premiers of the first administration whose signatures I was able to get."

That's where he also got the signature of King Letsi III, ruler of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Du Plooy managed to get the signatures of George Bizos, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Kader Asmal, Arthur Chaskalson and Govan Mbeki. 

Du Plooy, who lives in Sandringham, Johannesburg, was later a chef at a restaurant in the Joburg Civic Centre in Braamfontein, and so he used that opportunity to gather signatures of important people when they came to dine.

He believes it is the only booklet in the world that bears the signatures of four state presidents.

But there is one signature at the top left of the first page of the booklet which he has not been able to identify.

"I only got signatures of significant people at the time, so it was someone important, I am just unable to work out whose signature it is," he said.

Du Plooy said there is one signature he wishes it had, and that is of Roelf Meyer, who was a key drafter of the Constitution, with whom he has lost contact. 

The Marketplace advert states that the booklet is accompanied by a provenance certificate and official ISBN registration.

"This volume is a verified original - an irreplaceable piece of South African history... Ideal for collectors of Mandela-era memorabilia, constitutional scholars or institutions preserving democratic heritage."