How Nelson Mandela used Rugby to unify South Africa Essay

After spending twenty-seven years in prison, Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11, 1990. In 1991, Nelson Mandela was chosen to become president of the African National Congress. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk announced an agreement that the African National Congress and the National Party form a transitional government, effectively ending apartheid and opening the political process to all South Africans (Williamson). Mandela was elected President of South Africa in 1994, and de Klerk became his first deputy. However, even with apartheid abolished, South Africa was still a divided country. Mandela’s legal adviser, Nicholas Haysom, said, â€Å"South Africa in 1994 was a country that was split,†¦show more content†¦A year later, Mandela proposed that if the whites backed democratic elections, the next rugby cup would be held in South Africa. The democratic elections occurred, Mandela won the presidency, and the 1995 World Ru gby Cup was awarded to South Africa. The Springboks were seen as the whites’ team. The blacks hated and rooted against the Springboks, who had fourteen white players and just one black player (30 for 30). They would cheer when the opponents would beat or hurt the Springboks, because in their eyes they saw the people oppressing them being beat. However, Nelson Mandela decided to embrace the Springbok team and use them as an opportunity to bring the nation together. Mandela put on the Springbok hat at a rally in Soweto, endorsed the Springboks, and asked the black South Africans to support them too (Lodge 212). The blacks met the speech with boos, skepticism, and anger. Black South Africans hated rugby, and the Springbok logo was one directly associated with apartheid oppression (Carlin 192). Nelson Mandela was a very calculated political leader, and he understood that the black South Africans would be reluctant of accepting the Springboks. However, he also understood the impac t of sports and that an entire nation rooting for their national team would bring the country together. South Africa was a very fragile nation at the time, and if things at the World Cup went wrong, it could have backfired. Mandela’s plan relied on both the whites and blacksShow MoreRelatedPositive Impact Of Nelson Mandela1254 Words   |  6 PagesHaseeb Sial Ms. Poll Global Studies Honors December 11, 2017 Nelson Mandela   Ã‚  Ã‚   Nelson Mandela was a great leader of South Africa. Nelson Rolihlahla   Mandela was born in South Africa on July 18, 1918. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, who was the first black and democratically elected President. 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