Moments of Madiba Magic with sportsmen

Irrespective of colour, creed, culture, Mandela was an inspiration to all

WE asked some sport personalities to tell their tales of the times spent with then president Nelson Mandela.

Danny Jordaan, Safa president

‘‘We were at a function in Brazil when I got the news from home and I conveyed the message to the Fifa president Sepp Blatter. He walked to the microphone and broke the news to the room full of officials and players. They all spontaneously got up and gave Madiba a moving, prolonged

Sepp Blatter walked to the microphone and broke the news to the room full of officials and players. They spontaneously got up and gave Madiba a moving, prolonged standing ovation

ovation. During the bid for the 2010 World Cup, all the bidding nations could say they could build stadiums, airports, infrastructure and fulfil all the Fifa requirements for hosting the tournament.

“But only we South Africans could say we had Nelson Mandela. And our rivals knew that. I was a member of parliament when Madiba was president.

“We are fortunate to have had a person like Madiba to direct us during an important part of our history. It was a privilege to work with him. He was a leader for everybody and that is why the whole world is now in mourning.

“He was clearly the quality of leader South Africa will never produce again. Having travelled around the world with him for many years, this is a great, great loss.”

Kaizer Motaung, Kaizer Chiefs chairman

“At one moment he called us soccer people to a meeting. He said, ‘I’ve called you guys to talk about an issue’, which was the springbok. But before he talked about that he said, ‘I’ve just had a meeting with the farmers, and I was addressing them and making them feel at home, because change obviously brings about a lot of uncertainty and people get jittery. I want them to feel that we are one country, we are a nation all of us together, irrespective of colour, creed or gender’.

“He said he just wanted to assure them that we are not going to seek revenge. He said, ‘Let’s forget about the past. We know that some of these things will bring about the old baggage of apartheid. But let’s understand one thing — that we come from different cultures as a nation and therefore we need to show respect for the culture. And we understand that one of the things that is very close to the heart of the rugby people is the springbok.

“We don’t want to pursue old wounds and bring the country down. We want to build this country. So there are things we have to sacrifice — we have to give and take somewhere. There are things we cannot take, there are things we need to get rid of and there are other things we need to view in a positive light. And this thing is something that can bring us together”.

Chester Williams, former Springbok wing

“He kept reminding me about the significance of me being in the Springbok team and what it meant for the country as a whole. He could then use that as part of his strategy to unite the country and it was humbling to be part of that process.”

John Smit, Sharks chief executive and former Bok captain:

“Even though he wasn’t well, he came to Paris in 2007 to wish us well. The morning my daughter Emma Jane was born he called to congratulate me as I was on my way to training. Those are the small actions of a great man.”

Kobus Wiese, former Springbok lock

“There was a build-up to that day,” recalled Wiese. “Before the tournament we were training at the Silvermine base in Cape Town when a couple of helicopter gunships started hovering.

“One touched down and we didn’t think anything of it because it was an army base. But the president stepped out and apologised that he was interrupting and said he was keen to have tea with us.

“We sat down with him in the middle and had tea like long-lost relatives. It was marvellous, especially the ease with which he did these kinds of things because he is a good man.