Kepler Wessels recalls Nelson Mandela's impact on South Africa, world politics and sport Mandela and Wessels exchange pleasantries in 1995. Picture: Tertius Pickard Source: News Limited KEPLER Wessels captained The Proteas during South Africa's readmission into international sport. He shares his thoughts on apartheid, nation-building and the inimitable Nelson Mandela. I sat with my Proteas teammates in a Sydney hotel room not knowing whether we were about to be excommunicated from the 1992 World Cup and sent home to South Africa. A referendum was being held back home among white South Africans on whether reforms should be passed that would eventually lead to the abolition of apartheid. A 'no' vote would have sent the country back into darkness and its sporting teams once again into isolation. As captain, it was an incredibly stressful time. We had just defeated India at the Adelaide Oval and were scheduled to play England in the semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a couple of days. It was an astonishing achievement from a team emerging from 21 years in sporting exile. But the mood in our camp was far from celebratory. Our nation's future was in the balance. And so was that of our team. Word of the referendum result finally reached us. More than 68% of white South Africans had voted in favour of F.W. de Klerk's reforms. Apartheid had received a body blow from which it would never recover. We were walking back into the light. It wasn't long after this momentous occasion that I met Nelson Mandela for the first time. I knew little of him when I had left South Africa as a teenager to play in England and Australia. The heavily censored media reports I'd read had described him as a threat to the nation and, as such, he was in prison on Robben Island. Inmate number 46664. That was pretty much it. Indoctrination was part and parcel of growing up in South Africa. Not that you knew it at the time. I grew up in Bloemfontein which was the heart of Afrikaanerdom. I attended a very disciplined school. The strong values attached to religion were also attached to the politics of the day. That meant that when your beliefs were challenged, it impacted you on levels far deeper than the purely political. You went to school, you fulfilled your national service, you were told your nation was under constant threat from the communist regime and your white minority was in danger of being overwhelmed by the black majority. Going overseas was a confronting experience. You learned more about South Africa and the political situation in countries like England and Australia than you ever did at home. You realised many of the lessons you'd been taught in life were erroneous. You came to the understanding that it was 'your side' that posed the real threat. That was hard, but it was still better than these who never left and never had their eyes opened. I read about Mandela. I read about Steve Biko. I read facts instead of propaganda. So there we were, the teenager who had ventured overseas to pursue a cricket career and the one-time political prisoner. One was now the captain of the South African cricket team, the other the leader of the African National Congress en route to becoming the president of South Africa and one of this century's most important figures. Nelson Mandela spoke World Reconciliation Day Concert in Melbourne in September 2000. Picture: Hamish Blair Source: Getty Images The pressure upon him to bring unity, peace and stability to a broken nation was unimaginable. But you would never have known it to meet him. He was calm, humble, empathetic and interested in your career. And he had always done his homework. I expected him to address me in English the first time we met but instead he spoke to me in perfect Afrikaans. He knew my background. I was stunned. Mandela understood that everyone had a role to play in rebuilding the nation. He also knew that the pressure on the team was intense. South Africans expected our national sporting teams to dominate as they had prior to isolation. Never mind the lack of international competition for 21 years. They wanted success. Immediately. "Sport has the power to unite and you will achieve that by doing the best you can and fighting hard," he said. I am proud of you. His presence inspired, his words uplifted. Here was a man holding down perhaps the most difficult post in global politics, but he seemed more concerned about the challenges you were facing in your relatively trivial athletic career. "If you ever need advice, if you have any questions, just call me," he would say. I will always be happy to help. He made you feel safe. He made you feel like there was hope for your country where previously there had only been hopelessness. While he was president, you felt you were in safe hands. I was at the airport in Johannesburg at 4.30am when confirmation of Mandela's passing reached me. His long illness meant the nation was prepared for the news, but the sense of loss is still everywhere in South Africa today. I discussed some of my memories of him with my wife. As captain of the South African cricket team, I was invited to his inauguration in Pretoria in 1994. It was an incredible occasion. The world had come together in honour of one man and you knew you were witnessing history. He visited us a few times during Test series against India and Australia. The vibe around the ground changed when he arrived and his addresses to the team were never rushed or flippant. He knew the players, how they were performing and what their role was in the team. He genuinely cared about your success. Mandela hugs a young Sowetan girl in 1990. I remember once in the presidential suite in Port Elizabeth, a horde of people rushed him upon his arrival. A few of our wives were bumped out of the way in the process. Mandela noticed this. He waited for the hysteria to die down, quietly walked to the back of the room and struck up a conversation with the wives. No matter the occasion, he never forgot his people. Many paid a price for the policies of the old South Africa. Mine was relatively minor in that I had to venture overseas to pursue an international cricket career. His was immeasurably more significant: 27 years of incarceration for fighting for a cause. It is impossible to comprehend how a man can spend almost three decades in prison and not carry one ounce of revenge on his heart. I don't think many people in history posses that level of grace. It could've been about getting even. Instead, it was about healing. It saved our country. It was a genuine privilege to have known him and to have played witness to history. Rest in peace, Madiba.