South Africa remembers 1995 World Cup win as Mandela’s health worsens

1995 RWC

1995 RWC

South Africans have today taken to social media to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the country’s 1995 Rugby World Cup win as former president Nelson Mandela’s condition took a turn for the worse.

Late last night, the office of the presidency issued a statement noting that the ailing statesman’s condition had deteriorated from “serious but stable” to “critical”. According to the statement, “President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by ANC Deputy President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, visited the former President this evening, 23 June in hospital. They were briefed by the medical team who informed them that the former President’s condition had become critical over the past 24 hours”.

Mandela was rushed to hospital on 8 June for treatment on recurring lung infection, something which had plagued him since his days as a political prisoner on Robben Island. Until now, the official line has been that he was improving, but a report from US news agency CBS suggested that he had been unresponsive for days and that his family was considering halting treatment.

Small wonder then that the man affectionately known by his clan name “Madiba” has weighed heavily on the minds of those remembering South Africa’s 1995 World Cup triumph.

Image: IRB

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