- Born
- Birth nameJacobus Francois Pienaar
- Height6′ 3¼″ (1.91 m)
- Francois Pienaar was born on January 2, 1967 in Vereeniging, South Africa. He is an actor, known for Cubed (2009), ITV Weekend News (1955) and Carte Blanche (1988).
- He captained the Springboks rugby team which defeated New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup match, which did much to reduce racial tensions in South Africa.
- [about appearing on the Ellis Park podium in Johannesburg with Nelson Mandela, 1995] I just wanted to hug him at that moment but did not think it was the thing you did with a head of state. As we stood there, he turned to me and said - with that incredible, beautiful smile of his - 'Thank you for what you have done for South Africa'. I couldn't believe he had said that to me. With some people you meet, they are just courteous. Some you meet are politicking. With Madiba it was always genuine.
- When Mandiba walked out into the stadium in 1995 in front of 65,000 people, of whom 99.99% would have been white, they all started shouting, 'Nelson. Nelson. Nelson' They sang 'Shosholoza', an Ndebele song, a freedom song. Why? Because sport can be a catalyst for the healing process to start.
- [on Nelson Mandela] Our relationship grew after the World Cup. When there was nothing to gain from a relationship with me, that's when our friendship grew. Irrespective of the wonderful qualities he had - the forgiveness, the selflessness, his humility, his intellect - the stories that make him extra-extra-special in our house are small things. He came to my wedding. When our first child was born, the phone rang in the early hours and it was Mandiba, to congratulate us and ask if he could be godfather. He really, really cared. I just loved him to bits.
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