South Africa's uber editor, Jane Raphaely, finally, publicly, reveal the insider secret of how she got O, The Oprah Magazine to South Africa.

South Africa's uber magazine editor, Jane Raphaely, finally revealed, publicly, and to a rapt audience at the O, The Oprah Magazine SA's 10th anniversary luxurious luncheon on Wednesday, exactly how it came to be that she managed to persuade Oprah Winfrey to allow a local version of her magazine to be published in South Africa.

O, The Oprah Magazine is celebrating its 10th anniversary in South Africa where it is the only magazine besides the America edition that is published as a bespoke "customised" edition.

At the ultralux lunch held at the 5 star Table Bay Hotel by Associated Magazines for 50 very lucky readers, the doyenne of the South African magazine publishing world and the editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine finally revealed what happened - and what it took - to get Oprah to say yes.

"Oprah's success is seeing opportunity where others just see problems,'' said Jane Raphaely.

"Oprah started a print magazine at a time when other people were moving away from magazines and away from print. Oprah who never does anything half-hearted, decided to take a bit of this medium of magazines, and to make it better."

"I had such faith in her and in her ability to do it, that I pitched to her for the opportunity to do a local version," Jane Raphaely told the audience who listened wide-eyed.

"We put a very real dummy magazine together and took it to New York.It was terrifying. But we put the dummy book together, wrapped it in turquoise paper with a porcupine quill, placed Sally Williams nougat on top and placed it inside a wonderful, dark brown leather dispatch case which we engraved with an 'O'. Very simply and beautiful leather."

''We had 30 of them. I asked Oprah and Gayle to open it. They opened it, and then I saw Oprah's face change. Then I didn't talk about the magazine, I just talked about South Africa and what wonderful women there were in SOuth Africa and how much they needed a magazine such as this."

"I knew suddenly that we were getting to her. I said: 'Oprah, people can open your magazine in every country in the world and read it and it will make you a fortune because it's a wonderful magazine and because it's your magazine. But if your magazine comes to South Africa, you will make a difference."

"I didn't know," said Jane Raphaely. "I didn't know if it worked. Oprah didn't jump out of her seat. But the one good sign we took away with us, was that both she and Gayle were clutching the beautiful boxes when they left."

Of course, a decade later, it's clear that it worked.