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Francois Pienaar and Nelson Mandela

11/12/2013 GMT

South African Rugby Team Captain, 1993 - 1996: Francois Pienaar

BBC World Service - HARDtalk, South African Rugby Team Captain, 1993 - 1996: Francois Pienaar

Are hope and optimism is still alive for the 'Rainbow Nation'?

Former rugby captain Francois Pienaar on whether the hope and optimism of the World Cup 1995 is still alive for the 'Rainbow Nation'.

Francois Pienaar was captain of the South African rugby team when it won the World Cup in 1995. Before the game Nelson Mandela walked into the stadium in Johannesburg wearing the Springbok rugby jersey, which was once seen as a symbol of white minority rule. It came to be viewed as a defining moment for the emerging ‘Rainbow Nation’. Francois Pienaar went on to develop a friendship with Nelson Mandela. George Alagiah asks him whether the hope and optimism generated that day is still alive today.

(Photo: Springbok captain Francois Pienaar (R) receives the Rugby World Cup from President Nelson Mandela at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, June 1995. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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