This is the book that the movie Invictus 2009 was based on,by Clnt Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. 30/8/20
Mandela described apartheid as moral genocide. When he handed Pele a lifetime award he said "sport has the power to change the world" He won over people who applauded his imprisonment, wanted him dead and planned to go to war against him.
Niel Barnad head of SA intelligence service. General Constant Viljoen head of the military during the worst years of the struggle. Kobie Coetsee minister of justice.
The Springboks an the white national anthem were both symbols of apartheid appression.
A victory against the New Zealand All Blacks at the Rugby world cup in SA could be used to unite the nation. 95% of the crowd would be white and mostly Afrikaners.
When PW Botha offered to free him if he would renounce terrorism. His daughter Zindizi told a crowd in Soweto " as long as Aparthied exists the people are not free"
Mandela's, Xhosa name was Rolihlalha which means trouble maker and he was the first to burn his passbook. As president of the ANC youth league in the 50s he claimed he would be the first black president of S. Africa. In jail he decided to get to know the Afrikaner mentality, strudied Afrikaans and the jail warders served him very well in this aim.
Afrikaners were apartheids lords and protectors; they were Calvinist of the Dutch Reformed Church and their secular religion was rugby. The opium of the Boers.
Law of Common Purpose. When a black collaborator with the white regime was killed, in 1976. 26 in the Uppinton demonstration were rounded up and sentenced to jail.
1953 Verwoed as minister of Native Affairs drew up a school curricula "for the nature and requirement of the black people'' The Pan African Congress PAC's "one settler one bullet"main base was in Sharpville where 56 people were shot in the back in 1960 at a demonstration.
1980 to 1992 Neil Barnard was head of the National Intelligence Service. Only a political settlement could solve the problem. Mandela said he would not break with the Communist party. The fact that Botha was prepared to meet Mandela indicates that Botha could see no solution to the last 4 years of rioting. Botha had already indicated to the Afrikanes that they have to be pragmatic and "adapt or die"
Frederick van Zyl Slabbert headed the Progressive Party leading Afrikaans intellectuals against the current apartheidd situation. Breyten Breytenbach worked with him. Constand Viljoen became a general and the head of the SA defence force ,while Braam Viljoen his brother studied theology and came to destest the naive ,infantile biblical justification of apartheid.Went as a delegation of 50 Afrikaans academics to Dakar to talk to the ANC. He joined the Institute of Democracy for SA set up by vanZyl Slabbert.
Mandela was released from Jail 3 months after the fall of the Berlin wall
1980 SADF joined with Jonas Savimbi's UNITA to fight the Marxist guerillas that came from Angola supported by Cuba with money from Russia. SA also raided against ANC bases in Botswana , Mozambique and Lesotho.
When Chris Hani was assassinated it was thought that the black population would cause a blood bath. Chris Hani was the leader of the Communist Party and the one who potentially was capable of being Mandela's deputy. Mandela quick;y went on TV to tell his supporters that he was sad. A white foreigner had killed him but a white Afrikaans woman realized and managed to get the killer's car number and he was picked up very quickly. From then on Mandela was basically the one in charge of the country.
The negotiation at the World Trade Centre the AWB led by Eugene Terblanche broke in and decided not to create bloodshed and went away.The date of election was set there.April 27th 1994. Mandela kept the presidential staff for the next 5 years.
Constand Viljoen with 3 retired generals was brought to meet Mandela who pointed out that going back would cause a blood bath. Mandela saw in Constand a man of honesty and integrity and courage. The Freedom Alliance was now working with Inkhata against the ANC that was taking the country into a civil war of power struggle.
When de Klerk received the Nobel prize he did not apologize for the tragedy of aparheid.
Mandela convinced the ANC that 2 national anthems were necessary, as you don't address people's brains but their hearts. A new national flag was chosen. Mandela said that the Springboks had to remain and the colors now had to represent all S.Africans, but they had to convince Afrikaners to put away the old flag. Morne du Plesis brought a neighbour to teach the Xhosa needed to sing the new national anthem. Mandela met up with Francios Pienaar and met the whole team before they played Australia and won.
Mandela arrived by helicopter at Silvermine where the Springboks were staying and told them the entire SA population wanted them to win. Morney du Plessis took them on a trip to see Robben Island.
Mandela told supporters that Nation building comes with a cost and he wanted them to support the Springboks. Mandela's guards played touch rugby to learn and understand the game.
On the day of the game the Sewetan called the team Amabokoboko and the ANC Youth League called for the team to bring home the cup. Black kids knew the names of the team members. At the last minute Mandela called Louis Luyt to get him a Springbok No 6 Francois Pinaars,the captains jersey. "Viva the Bokke " this was heard in black areas it came from supporting the Cuban revolution.
A rendition of "Shoshalozo" had just become a hit by Dan Moyana and he and he sang on stage with all joining before the NZ haka. A SAA jumbo flew at 500 feet over the Ellis Park stadium twice with "Good Luck Bokke"
The game was won by SA 15 -12 only with drop kicks by Joel Stransky and penalties and nobody could gain tries. Where old SA flags seen at the opening none were visible at the end. Mandela had liberated the Afrikaners from fear. The following Sunday he visited the DRF church in Pretoria and spoke to the faithfull in Afrikaans. He beleived there were better angels in all people
2007 the Springboks again won the Rugby World Cup by beating England
2007 In London a bronze statue was unveiled of Mandela next to Churchill and Lincoln.
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