Can World Cup change South Africa?

Nelson Mandela strode onto the field wearing the green Springboks jersey, and the mostly white crowd erupted in a roar of elation. "Nelson! Nelson!" they chanted, lauding the man many had once considered a terrorist. Just a year removed from its first all-race election, South Africa had begun its role as host of the 1995 Rugby World Cup fearful and uncertain, unsure how -- or if -- it could heal the wounds from its ugly past. By the time Mandela handed the champions trophy to the Springboks, a once-hated symbol of apartheid, South Africa had been transformed. Fifteen years later, another World Cup on South African soil has the power to shape the country anew. This time, though, it is the rest of the world's fear and uncertainty that must be overcome. "It's a huge opportunity for our country to showcase to the outside world what our possibilities are. We've got such a huge, beautiful country," said Kobus Wiese, a member of that '95 Springboks team. "Yes, we've got problems. But so does everybody else." The soccer World Cup is one of the world's most popular sporting events. About 350,000 foreign fans are expected for the monthlong tournament that begins June 11, with billions more around the globe tuning in to watch the 64 matches spread among nine different cities. South Africa has spent millions upon millions to improve its airports, roads, rail systems and hotels, the hope being a successful World Cup will turn the country into a major economic and tourism destination. South Africa has a goal of attracting 14 million tourists a year by 2014, a 45 percent increase from the 9.6 million who visited in 2009. "What we hope as an outcome is that this country will become a destination, a business entry point for the African continent," said Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the South African 2010 organizing committee. "It's an image makeover." The landscape was far different when South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995. Though Mandela had been elected president and South Africa was no longer an international pariah, the country was by no means on stable footing. The divisions left by decades of apartheid were raw and bitter, and overcoming them seemed an almost insurmountable task. Far-right factions remained a significant threat to Mandela's government. Perhaps most troublesome, there was little besides geography to bind South Africans together. Sports can be a powerful unifier -- people don't paint flags on their faces to go to dinner, or wear their country's colors to the theater -- but rugby carried the taint of apartheid. Not only was it considered a white sport -- indeed, there was only one nonwhite team member, Chester Williams -- but many blacks viewed rugby as a symbol of apartheid oppression. Mandela, though, threw his support behind the '95 Springboks, believing the team could be the common bond the young country so desperately needed. "Nelson Mandela, in that period, became the father and grandfather of this nation," said Joel Stransky, who scored all 15 points in South Africa's overtime win over New Zealand. "Those little things we did, what a big difference they made." Though the Springboks were among the top teams going into the World Cup, they weren't favorites. As they advanced deeper and deeper into the tournament, however, the "one team, one country" slogan became reality. Mandela wore a Springboks hat given to him by one of the players to the tournament's opening ceremony, then showed up for the final in captain Francois Pienaar's jersey. After South Africa beat New Zealand for the title, blacks and whites celebrated together, bringing traffic to a standstill across the country as they danced and sang in the streets. The next day, the headline in The Sowetan blared, "Amabokoboko," an African translation of Springboks. "(Mandela) made it clear time after time, 'I hope you realize what a big role you can play, what an incredible impact you can have,"' Wiese said. "As we progressed, all of the sudden it became much more clear that this is far bigger than the event. This is huge. It's really about the nation coming together and forgetting about the past." As simple as it was, that shared love for the Springboks allowed South Africa to move forward. To be sure, the country still has problems. The unemployment rate is around 27 percent, and the average monthly income is estimated at $372. There are still vast economic disparities between whites and blacks. The crime rate is high with 50 murders a day, and car jackings and rapes on the rise. Many are disillusioned with the country's leaders, and there are concerns over South Africa's direction. "But the actual institutions of state are powerful, are solid, which they weren't back then. No one questions the legitimacy of the government," said John Carlin, whose book "Playing the Enemy" was the basis for the blockbuster film about the '95 Rugby World Cup, "Invictus." "Now the issues are very difficult, but much more mundane," Carlin said. "They're issues that every country faces." While South Africa's soccer team enjoys widespread support, there is little chance of a sequel to the Springboks' magical run at this World Cup. Bafana Bafana did respectably in last year's Confederations Cup, making it out of the group stage and losing 1-0 to eventual champion Brazil. But it is 88th in the latest FIFA rankings, and drew one of the tougher groups with Mexico, France and Uruguay. In a friendly last week, it drew 0-0 with North Korea, also a World Cup qualifier. "South Africans don't hold too much hope for Bafana Bafana. They are sort of almost one of the complete underdogs," Stransky said. "The nice thing about being considered a no hope is there's no pressure. ... Hopefully they can get one or two balls in the back of the net and advance. That would be fantastic." That doesn't mean, however, that this year's World Cup can't have a lasting impact. While the '95 tournament changed how South Africa saw itself, this year's can change how the world sees South Africa. "People don't know what South Africa is about," said Williams, the nonwhite member of the '95 Springboks. "People will leave this country knowing they've been in one of the most amazing countries in the world. They can come and enjoy themselves, and I think they will leave here with a feeling they've never had."