Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation (34 page)

AWB: an editorial in the organization’s newsletter,
Storm
, published in 2002, said, “Since the 1994 election, patriotic Afrikaner organisations have been debilitated by the uncertainty existing among their supporters about whether they should vote or not. The unity which existed prior to the 1994 election has been destroyed. Our people are disappointed that the ANC has taken over power, and a feeling of powerlessness has overtaken us. Since then the attitude is one of ‘Every man for himself ’ and all interest in politics has disappeared.”

THE SPRINGBOKS: they won the Rugby World Cup again in 2007, beating England in the final, still wearing the green and gold jersey. Yet again, the whole country exploded in celebration, black and white and all shades in between.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, a thousand thanks to the many players in the South African drama who took the trouble to talk to me for this book.

Thank you to Pearlie Joubert, for fixing for me to see them, and just for being so great.

Thank you to Stephen Glover, as well as Andreas Whittam Smith, for appointing me South Africa bureau chief of the London
Independent.
Had they not showed such faith in me way back in 1989, this book would never have happened.

And thank you to Javier Moreno, my present boss at
El País
, for indulging me with the time necessary to write it.

A warm thanks to my private editor in Barcelona, Elena Ramírez, whose blend of rigor, intelligence, and support have made an immeasurable contribution.

Zelda la Grange (along with Pearlie, a strong contender for the title of greatest living female South African) was very kind. So too were Moegsien Williams and Kathy Macfarlane at the Johannesburg
Star
, and Amanda Oosthuizen at
Die Burger.
As was Marietta Van Wyk.

Indra Delanerolle, David Fanning, Sara Blecher, Sharon Cort, Cliff Bestall, Lindy Wilson, and the rest of the gang on the TV documentary we made on Mandela: much thanks to all.

Friends and acquaintances who prodded and suggested and encouraged, and to whom much gratitude is due, include (those I have omitted, please forgive me) Daniel Tanzer, James Lemoyne, Peter Ettedgui, Mark Phillips, Wim Trengrove, Stephen Robinson, Jorge Valdano, Jeremy Thompson, Tony O’Reilly, Teresa Rioné, Morgan Freeman, Sebastian Spear, Jayendra Naidoo, and Tony Peckham.

Special thanks to Lauren Jacobson and Keith Coleman, Michael Shipster, Joaquín Villalobos and Kobus Jordaan, fine friends so very generous with their time and knowledge and sharpness of mind.

Gail Behrman did a terrific job pulling together the photographs for this book. Sue Edelstein’s advice and sensibility and encouragement and kindness were a huge boost, every step of the way.

Anne Edelstein (no relation), my Barcelona and New York-based agent, was decisive. The idea for this book had been stewing in my mind for years. Without the enthusiastic impulse she provided it might never have happened—and it certainly would not have happened now. Her devotion to the enterprise, both as a book and as a cause, has been invaluable and inspirational.

Thanks to Anne, I found my editor, Eamon Dolan. He (and Anne) provide confirmation of a long-standing belief that the best Americans are the finest of people. If this book has any value, a big chunk of the credit must go to Eamon—a brilliant, exhaustive, passionate wordsmith. I still cannot believe my luck.

Finally, thank you to South Africa for having shared its secrets and its genius with me. Thank you to Nelson Mandela and the thousand less famous Mandelas, of all shades, whom I had the immense good fortune to meet in my time there, whose generous spirit infuses the best this book has to offer. I think of Justice Bekebeke, I think of Walter Sisulu and Ahmed Kathrada, I think of my old pal Mandla Mthembu (who saved my life at least once), I think of Kader Asmal, Terror Lekota, John Battersby, Dudu Chili, Cyril Ramaphosa, Shaun Johnson, Ronnie Kasrils, Jacques Pauw, Gill Marcus, Debora Patta, Carl Niehaus, Max du Preez, Henrietta Mqokomiso, Halton Cheadle, Aziz Pahad, Ali Bacher, Anton Lubowski, Andy Durbach, Brian Currin, Desmond Tutu, Tim Smith, John Allen, Helen Suzman, and I think of the late, great Bheki Mkhize, the kindest, bravest, noblest man with the biggest heart I ever met, anywhere. He lit up South Africa for me like the sun.

A NOTE ON SOURCES

Practically all the material for this book is based on interviews I did either specifically for the book, between 2000 and 2007, or in the course of my general journalistic work after I went to live in South Africa in 1989. One project I was closely involved in, a TV documentary on Mandela: broadcast on PBS (
The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela
) and SABC (
The First Accused
) and elsewhere in 1999, was especially valuable. Some books proved very helpful too, among them: Nelson Mandela’s autobiography,
Long Walk to Freedom
; Anthony Sampson’s
Mandela: The Authorized Biography
; François Pienaar’s
Rainbow Warrior
;
Days of the Generals
by Hilton Hamann;
One Team, One Country
by Edward Griffiths;
Anatomy of a Miracle
by Patti Waldmeir;
One Step Behind Mandela
by Rory Steyn and Debora Patta;
Apartheid: The Lighter Side
by Ben Maclennan;
The Other Side of History
by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert; and
A Common Purpose: The Story of the Upington 25
by Andrea Durbach.

INDEX

Afghanistan, Soviet occupation of

African National Congress (ANC):

Afrikaner coexistence with

Afrikaners as enemy of

and Communist Party

Defiance Campaign of

and elections

exiled leaders of

Freedom Charter of

government talks with

and Mandela

militants in

National Executive Committee of

negotiations sought by

opponents of

and rugby

and SADF

secret talks with Volksfront

and Umkhonto we Sizwe

unbanned

and UNITA

Youth League

Afrikaners:

ANC coexistence with

as ANC’s enemy

and apartheid;
see also
apartheid

“bitter-enders”

and Boers

changing views of

fears of “Ayatollah factor”

fears of black domination

independent state (Boerestaat) for

Iron Guard

journalists

language of

Mandela’s study of

nonaligned faction of

political strength of

rugby as sport of

as survivors

as symbol of colonialism

white right-wing terrorism of

Afrikaner Volksfront

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB)

Ali, Muhammad

All Blacks:

and boycott of South African rugby

international match (1992) against

Mandela’s visit with

Maori war dance (Haka) of

name of

in Rugby World Cup

on tour

Andrews, Mark

Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

Anglo-Zulu War (1879)

apartheid:

and Afrikaners

and the Bible

“Coloureds” in

as crime against humanity

Defiance Campaign against

ending, process of

and international boycott

laws of

and National Party

opponents of

as out of date

and police

replaced by “non-racial democracy”

right-wing black supporters of

and rugby

separate schooling in

subgroups in

towns torn apart by

as unsustainable

violence of

Arafat, Yassir

Australia:

hostility toward apartheid in

and Rugby World Cup (1995)

Badenhorst, Piet

Bam, Fikile

Bantu Education Act

Barnard, Niël

and Botha

intelligence reports of

and international rugby boycott

and Mandela’s influence

and Mandela’s release from prison

Mandela’s secret meetings with

and NIS

and World Cup

Basson, J. J.

Batty, Grant

Beeld

Bekebeke, Justice

changing views of

childhood memories of

death sentence for

and Lubowski’s death

in prison

and rugby

and Upington violence

Benazzi, Abdelatif

Benn, Tony

Berlin Wall, fall of

Bizos, George

Blair, Tony

Boer People’s Army

Boer Resistance Movement (BWB)

Boers,
see
Afrikaners

Botha, Pik

Botha, P. W.:

and Afrikaner power

and ANC

and Barnard

death of

image of

and Mandela

and National Party

and negotiations for peace

and violence toward blacks

Brand, Christo

Brand, Riaan

Breytenbach, Willie

Brokaw, Tom

Brooke, Zinzan

Bruin, Evelina de

Bunce, Frank

Buthelezi, Mangosuthu

Camus, Albert,
The Rebel

Cetshwayo, king of South Africa

Chan, Jackie

Christie, Kitch

Churchill, Winston

Clinton, Bill

Coetsee, Kobie

and Botha

death of

and judicial system

and Mandela’s influence

and Mandela’s prisoner status

Mandela’s secret meetings with

and rugby

Coetzee, Lenoy

Cold War

Common Purpose, law of

Communist Party

Conservative Party

de Gaulle, Charles

de Klerk, F. W.

as deputy president

and elections

and Mandela

and Mandela’s release from prison

and negotiated settlement

Nobel Peace Prize to

as president

and right-wing Afrikaners

and threat of civil war

and violence toward blacks

Democratic Party

Derby-Lewis, Clive

Dingaan, Zulu king

Duarte, Jessie

du Plessis, Felix

du Plessis, Morné

and his father

and Mandela’s release from prison

and Mandela’s visits with Springboks

and “Nkosi Sikelele”

and Springboks

and World Cup

Dutch Reformed Church

Dwyer, Bob

Fitzpatrick, Sean

France, rugby in

Freedom Alliance

Freedom Front

Free Mandela campaign

Garibaldi, Giuseppe

Ginwala, Frene

Going, Sid

Gorbachev, Mikhail

Griffiths, Edward

Group Areas Act

Guevara, Che

Haka (Maori war dance)

Hamas

Hani, Chris

Haysom, Nicholas

Heyns, Johan

Hitler, Adolf

Houghton, Johannesburg

Immorality Act

Inkatha

International Red Cross

International Rugby Board

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

Jennings, Peter

Jones, Ian

kaffir, use of term

Kay, Laurie

Keller, Bill

Kennedy, John F.

Khomeini, Ayatollah Ruhollah

Khumalo, Kenneth

King, Martin Luther Jr.

Kruger, Paul

Kruger, Ruben

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Lekota, “Terror”

le Roux, Hennie

cap given to Mandela by

and “Nkosi Sikelele”

and World Cup

Lincoln, Abraham

Liston, Sonny

Little, Walter

Lomu, Jonah

Lubowski, Anton

Luthuli, Albert

Luyt, Louis:

and du Plessis

and Mandela’s influence

and rugby match (1992)

and World Cup

Madlongolwana, Gideon

Maltitz, Eddie von

Mandela, Nelson:

Afrikaans language used by

and ANC