Charlize's niece aiming high
2004-02-02 11:55
George - Charlize Theron's niece would like to follow in her famous family member's footsteps.
The look-alike niece, Lizette Malan of George, greatly admires Charlize, who has just won a Golden Globe award for her role in Monster. She has also been nominated for an Oscar.
Elsa Malan, Lizette's mother and Charlize's aunt, says she spends lots of money on magazines for Lizette's scrapbook on Charlize. Lizette "dreams of following in Charlize's footsteps", she says.
But the family "doesn't want to take advantage" of Charlize's new fame. They loved her long before she became a star, they say. And they have the "greatest respect" for her.
Malan declined to talk about Charlize's past. "One day we will tell everything, but at present it still hurts too much.
Malan was a sister of Charlize's father Charles, who was shot dead by her mother Gerda in 1991.
They still have contact with Charlize, unlike the golden girl's paternal grandmother, Betsie Moolman.